How to improve my smoke rings?


 
R

RobS IL

New member
Lately I've noticed my smoke rings have not been very intense. I'm putting the meat on fairly cold, and fairly early while the smoker is still starting to reach temps and seems the smokiest. The meat always comes out great, but very little if any ring.

Any advice?
 
What cooker? What are you cooking? What temp are you cooking at? What wood are you using? More info would help.

Try celery seed in your rub.
 
WSM 18.5"
Last wood used was Pecan and Oak (admittedly it's probably 1-2 years old)
Last cook was beef ribs at 275.

Will the celery seed impart a lot of flavor?

Thanks for the help.
 
The celery seed does not impart flavor. It causes a reaction that promotes the formation of smoke ring. The old wood may have played a role, if it was the bought in a plastic bag from a big-box store; that wood is kiln dried. look for a dealer that sells cooking wood, maybe search barbecue smoker wood.

You should still be generating smoke at that temp. What charcoal were you using?
 
Since the smoke (oxides of nitrogen, actually) need to get to the surface of the meat, what are you slathering on your meat before applying your rub ?
 
J Grotz said:
The celery seed does not impart flavor.
Click to expand...
I'll disagree somewhat in that if there's enough celery seed in the rub it can be detected. I put a pretty generous amount in my pork rib rub and I can taste it, but I also know it's there.
 
Cooking with water in the pan or spritzing with water during the cook will help enhance smoke ring. But try adding a teaspoon of ground celery seed to your rub, too. :wsm:
 
This isn't important to me but for curiosity sake I'll share that I rarely see a smoke ring when using my WSM's (I don't use water) but using the same methods on my pellet smokers I always get a pronounced ring. Do you have any knowledge as to whether or not there's a higher water content in pellets that could contribute to this?
 
Chris Allingham said:
Cooking with water in the pan or spritzing with water during the cook will help enhance smoke ring. But try adding a teaspoon of ground celery seed to your rub, too. :wsm:
Click to expand...

I generally cook with water in the pan unless I’m doing poultry at a high heat. I just can’t seem to get the WSM above 300 when the water pan is full. I do spritz but not during the first 3 hours, would that help?

ok, I know Fruita and other specialty carriers have great wood...but are there any brands on Amazon that you can recommend? I have a gift certificate that I wouldn’t mind using for this.
 
What type of meat? I have found when I cook beef (brisket, shoulder chuck roast etc) I get 💋 for smokerings. Not as pronounced on pork or chicken.
 
BFletcher said:
This isn't important to me but for curiosity sake I'll share that I rarely see a smoke ring when using my WSM's (I don't use water) but using the same methods on my pellet smokers I always get a pronounced ring. Do you have any knowledge as to whether or not there's a higher water content in pellets that could contribute to this?
Click to expand...

See, my experience has been that since I've been using the WSM I get fantastic smoke rings. I use water in the pan and only use a dry rub before putting the meat on the smoker.

This was my last brisket that I did on the WSM using KBB, a handful of mesquite pellets thrown on the fire, water in the pan, and just a dry rub.

1593013776016.png

1593013822847.png

My last ribs....

1593013932871.png

1593013960778.png

Last pork shoulder....

1593014251280.png
 
RobS IL said:
I generally cook with water in the pan unless I’m doing poultry at a high heat. I just can’t seem to get the WSM above 300 when the water pan is full. I do spritz but not during the first 3 hours, would that help?
...
Click to expand...
The water pan helps control the smoker temperature, due to the boiling temperature of water. Next time, try leaving the pan dry, or simply removing it. Note: the temperature may fluctuate more with water.
Edit: "Note: the temperature may fluctuate more WITHOUT water."
 
Last edited:
RobS IL said:
I generally cook with water in the pan unless I’m doing poultry at a high heat. I just can’t seem to get the WSM above 300 when the water pan is full. I do spritz but not during the first 3 hours, would that help?

ok, I know Fruita and other specialty carriers have great wood...but are there any brands on Amazon that you can recommend? I have a gift certificate that I wouldn’t mind using for this.
Click to expand...
As you discovered from experience, don't use water in the pan for high heat. Most of your fuel will be used to boil that water and you'll never get crisp chicken skin. Use water in the pan when you are smoking at low heat. Spritizing after the first few hours is the way to go. Harry Soo has thousands of more hours of experience than I do, and he teaches spritzing after a few hours. It helps smoke ring and bark formation. As Chris A. noted above, water in the pan also promotes smoke ring formation. Aaron Franklin also uses a water pan for brisket and beef ribs. And, since you are not using an ATC, water in the pan helps to stabilize the temperature.

As far as smoke wood, I think you will have better luck at a place like this:

http://www.a1countryfirewood.com/cookingwood.htm

or this: https://chicago-firewood.com/
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top