What makes a smoke ring?


 
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Jim Babek

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Ive searched the archive but couldnt find an answer. I was wondering if anyone knows a good explination to how the smoke ring is formed on meats. I know its the smoke penetrating the meat but is there a more in depth explination.

Im having some friends over and want to do ribs and chicken. The chicken is always pink and everyone thinks its not cooked. I tell them its been on for 2-3 hours but would like to dazzle them with a better explination. I know its something about the gasses released from the wood.
 
Well that was easy enough... /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

Imagine the glazed look on their faces when I launch into this scientific explination the next time someone says it looks undercooked.

Thanks Doug
 
OK then, so where can i buy liquid myoglobin ?
I?m gonna inject it pure into the meat to get a deeper smoke ring. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

If that fails, all there?s left to try is injecting ink.


Don Marco
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Don Marco:
[qb] OK then, so where can i buy liquid myoglobin ?
I?m gonna inject it pure into the meat to get a deeper smoke ring. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

If that fails, all there?s left to try is injecting ink.


Don Marco [/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Use Morton Tender Quick instead of salt in your rub. You will get a smoke ring all day long. Although its cheating, this fake smoke ring will be indistinguishable from a real one with the exception of lack of smoke taste if no smoke wood was used. Chemically its exactly the same.
 
Well, actually ii wouldnt wanna know that...Faking a smoke ring, how cheap is that ? /infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif


Hmmm... Tender Quick + Liquid smoke must be some real good way to save charcoal then, huh ?


Don Marco
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Don Marco:
[qb] Well, actually ii wouldnt wanna know that...Faking a smoke ring, how cheap is that ? /infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif


Hmmm... Tender Quick + Liquid smoke must be some real good way to save charcoal then, huh ?


Don Marco [/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I'm sure we've all had some "smoked ribs" that were actually boiled in liquid smoke and brushed with BBQ sauce.
 
I'm sure I read this somewhere else before, so it is not original thought on my part.

Ever order BBQ pork at a chinese restaurant and see the smoke ring? Ever see a smoker in a chinese restaurant?

Rest my case.

Tender quick and other coloring agents can fool all but the experts.
 
Clay,

I lived in (West) Germany back in the 70's and can vouch that they would never boil their ribs ~ Never! They might grill them butt, man!!! Those guys can cook on the grill! /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Don, do you make and can your own sauerkraut? The family I lived with in Germany did so and it was the BEST ~ Especially when aged. (Just kidding about grilling the ribs /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif )
 
Agree with poster above. The pink ring can be created by reactions other than smoke.

Anyhow I fail to see the fascination with smoke rings. It's only loosely correlated with the food being smokey.
 
Although I've read from reliable sources on the internet that a smoke ring cannot be created on a gas grill, I have done it more than once. This was before I got my WSM, of course, but by cooking them with one burner turned all the way to low (total cook time between 3-4 hours), I still managed to do what some experts say is impossible.

Smoke rings look good, but I'm not sure they have much to do with flavor.

Rick
 
Quote: "Im having some friends over and want to do ribs and chicken. The chicken is always pink and everyone thinks its not cooked. I tell them its been on for 2-3 hours but would like to dazzle them with a better explination. I know its something about the gasses released from the wood."

just remember this...

"if the pink is on the outside going in: It's cooked"

"if the pink is from the center of the meat: It's undercooked"
 
Chicken the story is a little different, because of the early age chickens are harvested the bone allows marrow to seep through causing the red coloration on the interior of the chicken.
Jim
 
I had a guest a few weeks ago that thought the loins I was preparing to serve were undercooked, even before she tried them just because she gazed her eyes on the smoke ring. I explained the ring to my friends about all of its beauty and about 45 minutes later the evidence was all gone. Consumed in a flash.
Injected pork loin doesnt get its fair chance in this world. Good stuff if done right.
 
If you run across an issue with the reddish color, try and explain pastrami. Done well, it's red all the way through...

Everybody likes a good pastrami on rye, don't they?
 
Chet:

Suspect the red in pastrami is same as the red in corned beef. This appears to be a result of the pickling rather than the smoking.

Rueben, Rueben, I've been thinking, what fine meal you would be....
 
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