Smoke Ring . .. . Fact or Fiction

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redclaymud

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Sep 7, 2011
277
16
Barnardsville, NC
Don't know if it's true or not. 

I've read that if you put cold meat into a heavy smoke it will produce what we call a smoke ring on the meat, which in reality has less to do with smoky taste and more to do with how gases in the wood smoke interact with the pigment of meat.

I've not been getting a good smoke ring on smokings in the electric and now I'm thinking its because I've been adding wood just as I'm adding cold meat to the pre-heated but not pre-smoked smoker.  Maybe I should get that box really smokin before I add cold meat.

I'm certainly going to test this in my next smoking.

Anyone have any knowledge about smoke rings and how they interact with meat?  Do they form in the early part of the smoking or develop throughout the smoking?  When should the smoking begin?  How much is too much?    This is totally hit or miss territory for me and simple answers are most welcome.

 
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Sorry red but it won't happen with an electric smoker. It has something to do with the unburnt gases of the wood or propane mixing with the moisture in the meat.
 
Smoke ring has more to do with a chemical reaction.  Although electrics produce some NO2 from the small amount of smoldering chips/chunks/pellets/dust, it isn't nearly as much produced from propane/charcoal/stick smokers.  It still tastes really good but the ring won't be as pronounced.
 
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Like they said you won't get a smoke ring with an electric smoker, but the good thing is it doesn't affect the taste of the meat, it just looks cool.
 
me and a buddy have cookoffs and one of the criteria is the smoke ring ,he has electric and i have a horizontal offset, needless to say i always win the smoke ring,so i cant let him see this,but very interesting
 
me and a buddy have cookoffs and one of the criteria is the smoke ring ,he has electric and i have a horizontal offset, needless to say i always win the smoke ring,so i cant let him see this,but very interesting


LOL, This is why the smoke ring is not part of the judging criteria in any of the major BBQ comps..
 
You want a Smoke Ring?...Mix 1 tsp Cure #1 in 4cups water and soak the meat for 1-2 hours then rinse and smoke it...Perfect 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep ring!...The Nitrogen in the Cure reacts the same way as the Nitrogen in the Smoke and gives the pretty pink color...Smoke ring is TV Chef Hype...JJ
 
..Smoke ring is TV Chef Hype...JJ
I agree with ya on the curing it to get the ring,  BUT it will add a hammy taste to pork, so it's not all hype. Either with cure or smoke, I like some ring....
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Hey eman, don't let your buddy with the electric know about this trick or he may just beat you hands down, smoke ring and all!
You want a Smoke Ring?...Mix 1 tsp Cure #1 in 4cups water and soak the meat for 1-2 hours then rinse and smoke it...Perfect 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep ring!...The Nitrogen in the Cure reacts the same way as the Nitrogen in the Smoke and gives the pretty pink color...Smoke ring is TV Chef Hype...JJ
 
On a brisket if you rub it with Morton Tender Quick on all sides and then rinse it off as soon as you're done you will get a perfect but fake smoke ring every time.
 
From amazing ribs:

Many smoked meats develop a smoke ring, a bright pink color just under the surface. Some people think the pink color means the meat is raw, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is among the compounds formed in the high heat combustion of wood, charcoal, and even propane. As these compounds land on the surface of meat, especially cool moist meat from the fridge, some, including nitrogen dioxide, are moved deeper into the meat as cells lower in the smoke compounds pull them in with a diffusion and absorption process. The cells are simply seeking equilibrium. The process is the same as when someone lights a cigar in a room. All the smoke starts out near the cigar, but eventually it spreads throughout the room as it achieves equilibrium. After a while it penetrates clothes, furniture, and even food. Because it is water soluble, cigar smoke will get into wet things first, like your wife's eyes. Before long you and your cigar will be seeking equilibrium in the garage.

The smoke ring in meat is caused by four things:

1) Low temperature cooking,
2) combustion of the wood at high temperatures to form nitrogen dioxide,
3) nitrogen dioxide, and
4) moisture on the surface of the meat to help move the water soluble nitrogen dioxide into the meat.

When these conditions are met, nitrogen dioxide in wood smoke reacts with the myoglobin in meat to form nitrites and nitrates. These are the same compounds added to hot dogs and other cured meats to preserve them and they also give them their pink color.

When smoke roasting, the moist meat absorbs smoke. Less smoke is absorbed as the cooking continues because the surface of the meat begins to seal and becomes saturated with smoke. For this reason putting a pan of water in a smoker helps create a smoke ring. In fact some smokers, called water smokers, have water pans built in.

Most of the smoke flavoring occurs in the first hour or two of cooking so adding wood to the fire late in the cook doesn't create as much flavor. It also allows moisture to escape. It's better to just leave the door closed.

A faux smoke ring can also develop without smoke if you cook low 'n' slow. When meat is cooked fast, the proteins in the muscle and myoglobin denature at the same time and combine to turn brown. When cooked slowly, the muscle proteins finish denaturing before the naturally pink myoglobin denatures and so the meat remains pink. You can occasionally see this phenomenon in braised meat like a beef stew. It may have been cooked for hours in a liquid at low temps, yet the meat will still be slightly pink inside.

On the other hand, some meats cooked low and slow in a smoky environment in an electric smoker will not develop a smoke ring. That is partially because the wood smolders at a low temp in electrics. Experts at cooking in electric smokers will add a charcoal briquet as well as wood chunks to create the correct atmospheric conditions for a smoke ring.
 
IMO the benefit of a smoke ring (when you're not cheating with cure) is that you're achieving the the 2 best things that go into making one....smoke flavor and moisture!  
 
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