smoke ring/old wood?


 
G

Glenn Fleming

TVWBB Fan
noticed that there was some discussion bout smoke rings.. i too have had up and down experiences with the ring. what does old wood have too do with the process? i have chunks that are over a year old does that mean they will not perform as well?? does one kinda wood work better than another?? thanx

glenn in SC
 
The smoke ring is the results of a chemical reaction between the nitrites in the smoke and the moisture in the meat.

If either is lacking or conditions are less than optimal, the formation of the smoke ring is affected.

I don't think the type of wood matters. But old wood may not produce as much nitrites.

General consensus is - the longer the meat is exposed to smoke before reaching 140º, the better the smoke ring. So, to enhance the smoke ring, put colder meat on sooner.

Of course, if you wanted a perfect smoke ring every time, you could sprinkle on a bit of Morton's Tender Quick as it's loaded with nitrites.
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Morton's TQ is a pretty good old standby for a perfect smoke ring. I rub it on a brisket and let it stand 5 minutes before rinsing off. Ring will be nicely deep.
I also use a tablespoon or two in a pint of injection for my boston butts. It gives nice pink colors deep in the butt so when you pull it for saucing, the meat looks awesome.
BTW...Morton's TenderQuick is the element used on Naval sailors when they spent time at sea. It was called "saltpeter"...LOL
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">BTW...Morton's TenderQuick is the element used on Naval sailors when they spent time at sea. It was called "saltpeter"...LOL </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Well ... that "saltpeter" is potasium nitrate while MTQ contains sodium nitrate aka "Chile saltpeter" or "Peru saltpeter". Similar names but not quite the same.
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I don't get this old wood new wood thing at all ! Iam new to a WSM but NOT to smoking meat ! IMHO a far as iam concerned as long as the wood was clean properly seasoned aka dried and kept in a clean dry place so it don't ROT OR MOLD there is no diffrence in wood 6 months old or 10 yrs in how meat tastes . But that just my 2 cents.
As far as getting a nice smoke ring most times I do sometimes you don't but I doubt it has any effect on the taste or if the wood was older wood or just cut las fall !

YMMV
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The fresher the wood the better smoke u will get. Smokes longer full of moisture. Just make sure u take the bark off.
 
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