Smoke Ring Variables

[Dean Torges]

What determines the depth of the smoke ring on meats such as butts and briskets? Seems like it's multiple factors. Would those of you with experience prioritize the following variables and add any more you consider influential? 1) proportion of paprika in the rub, 2) duration of rub on meat prior to cooking, 3) temperature of meat when introduced to cooker, 3) length of time rubbed meat stands at room temp prior to cooker introduction, 4) amount of rub applied.

Seems that "smoke ring" is a bit of a misnomer because I don't think the extent of smoke roiling from the cooker has much influence on its depth at all.

Besides being visually appealing, seems to me the smoke ring offers a clue to the depth flavor is carried into the meat. Are there cautions against wanting to maximize this appearance and penetration? Certainly there are limits outside our control--I don't mean those. Looking at this question from another direction: Is it possible to have the penetration of rub flavor without the visual clue of the smoke ring? In other words, do some rubs simply not transfer color as well as others?

Another variable that I'm trying to consider is the timing of smokewood introduction to the charcoal. When curing meats below 170? F., the meat must first be dried off almost completely for the smoke to "stick." So sometimes I will leave hams and bacons and chickens in for three or four hours at low temps until they glaze over before introducing smoke. Not the same for WSM cooking. Indeed, I think the opposite approach is better. I've been putting my smokewood in at the very start. My intention is to void it of any bitters or creosote, to get a clean burn on it by the time temp is up and the meat goes in. Smokewood (and its selection) is important for flavor, no doubt in my mind on that, but smoke, per se, unlike smoke curing, seems to have no effect upon the depth of the ring.

Would appreciate insights from the experienced among you.

 

[Guest]

The smoke ring is a result of the curing caused by the nitrates released from wood coals or charcoal.

The rub, unless it contains a curing agent such as TenderQuick, does not create or enhance the smoke ring.

Electric barbecue cookers/smokers like the Smokin Tex, Bradley, and Cookshack do not produce a smoke ring, though they certainly produce enough smoke, regardless of the rub, unless the rub contains curing agent.

In fact, some electric cooker owners will rub the meat with TenderQuick then rinse and rub as usual to attain a "smoke" ring.

The formation of the smoke ring is affected by meat temperature. Theoretically, curing stops when the meat reaches about 140*F. So, to increase the depth of the smoke ring, you could put cold meat into the WSM. That would allow a longer curing time.

Good eating.

 

[Ken Nelson]

I’m far from an expert but here’s what I’ve learned from the web and my own experience about smoke ring formation.

As Richard said, the smoke ring is a chemical reaction that takes place between myoglobin, an oxygen-binding protein most present in red meat cells in large quantities, and nitrates.

The source of the nitrates can be atmospheric, such as that released during the combustion of wood, or it can come into contact with the meat with the rub. Sea salt is a good source of naturally occurring nitrates. Curing salts, such as Tenderquick, contain higher amounts of the nitrate and can be used to create an artificial smoke ring even in the total absence of smoke.

This is one of the reasons why the presence or absence of a smoke ring is not a criteria of judging a meat entry’s appearance in competition. The smoke ring can have a psychosomatic effect. It can give the illusion of rich flavors traveling deep into the meat when, in fact, short of injecting or to a lesser extent brining, the flavors from rubs barely penetrate the surface of the meat.

Regarding the variables that you listed:

1. From what I’ve seen, paprika contains no appreciable amount of nitrates and cannot contribute to the formation of a smoke ring. Any coloration from paprika may be due to “staining” the surface meat from the release of the pepper’s oils rather than through any chemical interaction with the protein in the meat.

2. & 4. The length of time the rub is in contact with the meat prior to cooking could be a factor to the smoke ring only if the rub contains a sufficient quantity of nitrates.

3. & 3. The temperature of the meat when it’s placed into the cooker does correlate to the depth of the smoke ring. The longer it takes for the meat to reach 140?, the more time there is for the chemical reaction to take place before the myoglobin breaks down.

There is a limit to the depth the smoke ring can form in even relatively slow cooking temperatures. For the chemical reaction to take place, the nitrates must come into contact with the myoglobin. This is easily done with the cells near the surface of the meat but to get the nitrates deeper into the meat, it has to travel via osmosis and this is a long process. As the meat’s temperature rises, any nitrates that do penetrate into the meat won’t find any myoglobin to bond with since the heat of cooking has broken it down.

I hope this helps with at least a few of your questions.

Ken

 

[Mike Rockwood]

Up until recently, I've been using a Brinkmann electric smoker and I know the meats I took off of it, most definately had a smoke ring. I use no curing agent in my rubs.
Perhaps the nitrates originate from the smoke wood I used. But, there was a clear ring on everything I cooked in it.

 

[Mike Rockwood]

~further... Sorry for the length~
From the URL - http://home1.gte.net/res004na/ring.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What causes a smoke ring?
The cause is the reaction between nitrates and myoglobin, the oxygen carrying protein in muscle tissue. Nitrates have been used to cure meat for thousands of years but not on purpose. Sea salt contains nitrates as naturally occurring impurities. The nitrates incidentally cured meat that was salted for storage. When nitrates, through further reactions, combine wit the myoglobin the result is the pink color of ham, hot dogs, and other cured meats.

The resulting ham-like flavor adds one more layer of complexity to our carefully tended meats. Nitrates also are responsible for the killing the botulism spores. But since we are not getting them in high enough concentration from smoke, smoke cooking is not a preservative.

Where do the nitrates come from?
From the wood ash being carried by the smoke. That's why using an electric or gas smoker or cooking in an over without wood chips will yield no smoke ring. Gardeners will confirm that ash is loaded with nitrates. In fact, ammonium nitrate, one of the components of gunpowder, was made by combing pig urine with wood ash. So don't let your pig pee on the fire.

How can I maximize the depth of the smoke ring?
It is a temperature dependent reaction. Bacteria are needed to change the nitrates to nitrites. Bacteria are active between 40 and 140 degrees F. Once the meat reaches 140F, the ring formation stops. So to maximize the extent of the smoke ring, put the meat on right out of the refrigerator and start out cooking at a lower temperature. Also, above 140F proteins start to denature and the myoglobin is no longer available. With small cuts, like baby back ribs, the smoke ring will go all the way through. Heavier smoke early on will affect the depth and intensity of the smoke flavor meat.

Why is the smoke ring sometimes purple or red?
That has to do with the myoglobin in the meat. Technically, the oxidative state of the Fe ion, but the older the meat, the purpler the ring will be. The fresher the meat, the more it will tend to be pink. The handling of the meat during and after slaughter will also affect the color.

Are nitrates safe to eat?
Nitrates and nitrites occur naturally in many foods including onion, pepper, celery, spinach, beets, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant and tomatoes. There is no evidence of increased cancer rates with dietary nitrates.

 

[Dean Torges]

Amazing. I was walking in the wrong direction with this puppy, among other things half-certain the paprika made a difference--based solely on my own limited experiences. Makes me very appreciative of this site and your willingness to ease my climb up the learning curve. Thank you each one for taking the time to respond.

 

[Guest]

Mike, you're the second person to tell me that you have produced a smoke ring from an electric smoker.

I own a Bradley and a Cookshack. I've never gotten a smoke ring without doing something extra like putting a piece of charcoal in the smoke pan, or rubbing with a cure.

Maybe, it's the amount of wood used. I'm not sure. One of the big recurring issues on the Cookshack forum is the lack of a smoke ring, because some people don't really consider it barbecue without a smoke ring.

I appreciate a smoke ring for appearance's sake. On ribs I notice the slightly cured flavor, but that's about it.

On the Brinkman, about how much wood did you use? A Cookshack Smokette will produce a well-smoked product with just a couple of ounces; the Bradley with about six bisquettes. I'm thinking that maybe it's the amount of wood used.

Thanks in advance, Richard.

 

[Preston Davenport]

Hey there,

I have an electric Brinkmann and a WSM. On the Brinkmann I add a couple of chunks of lump charcoal with the wood chunks I use (about 4-6 small pieces of wood with 2-3 pieces of palm size lump). I get a smoke ring on the Brinkmann when I use lump, I don't get a smoke ring when I don't use lump.

With a Cookshack, you have to approach wood quantities very very carefully or you can overpower your product. My good friends at Cookshack and my friends on their forum can guide you in this further:

Cookshack Home Page

Take care,
PrestonD

 

[Mike Rockwood]

Actually, I've been guilty of using too much wood. Using pieces of lava-rock to raise the wood above the heating element, I would place large chunks, some soaked some not, of apple/hickory all around the heating element. Probably, 4 or 5 decent sized pieces. While possibly producing too much smoke, it apparently put enough "smoke-ring thingies" into the mix.
The Brinkmann I've used, it not air tight and I've noticed at times, that the wood chunks would catch fire. Perhaps this was sufficient for the smoke-ring to form.