Does marinating impede the formation of smoke ring?


 
B

Bryan Rice

TVWBB Super Fan
Hi All,

In your opinion does marinating, say a brisket, before you cook it affect the formation of the smoke ring? I wasn't sure if marinating would denature the proteins and somehow block smoke ring formation. What about in a pork butt or ribs for that matter?

What about brining? What about slathers or rub pastes?

What is your experience?
Thanks!
 
I have only used dry rubs on briskets, ribs, and pork butts. I usually rub the meat with regular mustard (very lightly applied) then douse with a healthy dose of rub. Then it goes in the frig for at least 10 hours. Not had any hinderance on the formation of the smoke ring.
 
Brian, I use a paste on the high temp briskets...and yes there is a less noticable smoke ring.

I'm not sure if it's because of the method of cooking, or the paste.

To me, it's not very important anyway.

I've never marinated a brisket, so I'd have no idea on that one.
 
I use both pastes and marinades with different meats (not at the same time). I'm not thinking that either has affected smokerings all that appreciably. I've checked pics of paste-rubbed vs. dry-rubbed and don't see a difference (Craig--are you seeing less epth or less vivid color--or both?) but can't find pics of marinated anything on this computer--maybe the home one--but I don't recall a difference.

I can see how a paste rub if thickly applied might affect ring formation.

Marinades, normally, shouldn't, though it might be possible; it would dependon the ingredients.

One has to be careful with marinade acidity and base the mix on the nature of whatever is being marinated and its thickness, and the time one wishes to marinate. There really is no point where the item becomes 'more tender' before it--the surfaces especially--becomes over-denatured and texture is severely affected.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by craig castille:
Brian, I use a paste on the high temp briskets...and yes there is a less noticable smoke ring.

I'm not sure if it's because of the method of cooking, or the paste.

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I would think that is because of the high heat method. My understanding is that the smoke ring forms up unitl about 145*, so the faster it gets there the smaller the ring.
Likewise if you take the brisket out of the refidgerator and put on the pit you would get a bigger smoke ring than if you let the meat sit out for an hour coming up to room temperature.

I would have to go digging around for various links that I got the info from, but that's the way I understand it.
 
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