Smoke Ring: Faint or None


 
C

Christine Hall

TVWBB Member
Hi-
I'm new to smoking foods on the WSM. Well I'm just new to smoking foods period. My first smoke was a 13.46 lb brisket which had great smoke flavor but I didn't notice much of a smoke ring. I then smoked baby back ribs which tasted great but once again not much of a smoke ring. For both cooks I used the Minion method. I lit 15 coals or so and put them over nonlit coals. I then nested in 5 to 6 chunks of wood. Am I doing something wrong? Both food items had a nice smokey flavor but not much of a smoke ring. TIA.
 
Are you letting the meat lose it's chill before smoking? If so, try rubbing a little sooner and refridge so you can put the meat on cold.
 
Like Dave said, colder meat tends to get a better smoke ring but in my opinion even though they can look impressive the flavor is what people will remember the most and you don't have to keep answering the question of why is the meat pink.
 
The smoke ring is formed by a chemical reaction between the outer layer of meat and particulates in the smoke not by the penetration of smoke into the meat.This reaction occurs up until the meat reaches 140 degrees f. So if you put the meat on cold you will get a better smoke ring.
 
Ah yes! When I cook any meat I always let it sit at room temp for 30 mins to 1 hour depending upon size. I will try it again straight from the fridge. Thank you for all your help!
 
Don Reed said:
Like Dave said, colder meat tends to get a better smoke ring but in my opinion even though they can look impressive the flavor is what people will remember the most and you don't have to keep answering the question of why is the meat pink.
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Don-so true about people asking why the meat is still pink....I was guilty of that as well! :p
 
The smoke ring is considered nice to see, but if the flavor is right, your doing fine.
 
Christine Hall said:
Ah yes! When I cook any meat I always let it sit at room temp for 30 mins to 1 hour depending upon size. I will try it again straight from the fridge. Thank you for all your help!
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I think you solved your problem. Another trick is to get the cold meat on right after you start you minion and keep your vents choked a bit so you run a really long ramp up to your cooking temp. I believe wet surfaces will also help pick up nitrogen compounds, and evaporative cooling will slow down any surface temp increase. The longer you can keep the surface below 140 the deeper the ring
 
The smoke ring is highly over-rated. The flavor comes from the smoke that settles on the surface of the meat. Adsorption vs absorption.
 
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