Smoke

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andersen

Newbie
Original poster
Jul 9, 2011
8
10
Canton, GA
 I have switched over from an ECB to a Bradley but I have not been able to get that competiton mahogany color or good smoke ring using hickory on my ribs (3-2-1 @225-250). Nor a good smoke ring using apple with turkey breast and the skin is coming out darker then when using the ECB. Any and all suggestions are welcome!
 
A Bradley will not make a smoke ring. You can make a cheater ring.

A smoke ring is a pink discoloration of meat just under the surface crust (called bark). It can be just a thin line of pink or a rather thick layer. A good smoke ring is around 1/4 inch in thickness. The smoke rings is caused by nitric acid building up in the surface of meat, absorbed from the surface. This nitric acid is formed when nitrogen dioxide from wood combustion in smoke mixes with water in the meat. Basically it is a chemical reaction between the smoke and the meat.

Water soaked wood produces more nitrogen dioxide loaded smoke. If you really want to make sure you get a smoke ring then cheat. Coating meat with a salt tenderizer link Morton's Tender Quick, will load up the surface of the meat with nitrogen dioxide and give you a great smoke ring. Because of the prevalence of this kind of cheating, smoke rings are no longer taken into consideration in barbecue competitions.
 
  S2K9K  - I have an original bradley smoker.

 nepas - I am more concerned with getting that mahagony color on the ribs and keeping my turkey skin from getting to dark.
 
  S2K9K  - I have an original bradley smoker.

 nepas - I am more concerned with getting that mahagony color on the ribs and keeping my turkey skin from getting to dark.
What was wrong with your ribs?  How many wood pucks are you using when smoking turkey? Normally 3 to 6 pucks is good enuff.
 
  S2K9K - I have an original bradley smoker.

 nepas - I am more concerned with getting that mahagony color on the ribs and keeping my turkey skin from getting to dark.
Wrap your turkey in one layer of cheese cloth. It's also harder to get smoke to penatrate through the skin. Get a turkey breast remove skin and brine for 3 days wrap in cloth and run smoke for two hours at 140 then increase temp to 220 until IT is met. Then take what you've learned and apply to whole turkey.
If you smoke at cooler temps for the first coue hours you'll get that deep smoke ring before the skin gets to dark.
 
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