when does meat accept smoke the best

mhchops · Feb 26, 2013

It seems like i saw something on this before but there wasnt much about it and i can't seem to find the thread so when does the meat take on the best smoke i am assuming it is in the first few hours which i guess it takes smoke as long as you give it smoke. This may be a dumb question but it was on my mind and thought id ask you guys and gals here. Thanks for the help.

buggman · Feb 26, 2013

In all of my smoking years I've always pored the smoke to my briskets for the first 4 hrs and my smoke ring and the flavor has always been good

linguica · Feb 26, 2013

Four hours as stated above and start with a dry surface or in the case of bacon or fish, a pellicle. When smoking a piece of meat i will blot it with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.

mhchops · Feb 26, 2013

That was what i was thinking that the first few hours with good smoke and the rest i can just wrap and let cook with the exception of pp i love the bark i got to have some mixed in or it just isnt right.

linguica · Feb 26, 2013

mhchops said:
That was what i was thinking that the first few hours with good smoke and the rest i can just wrap and let cook with the exception of pp i love the bark i got to have some mixed in or it just isnt right.

That will work, you could even finish it in the oven.

pc farmer · Feb 26, 2013

Never thought about this but I usually smoke for 3 or 4 hours and finish with just heat in my mes.

chef jimmyj · Feb 26, 2013

Meat Takes Smoke as long as you Give it Smoke. The Smoke Flavor will just continue to build. Look at all the treads where guy Cold Smoke Bacon and Hams for days or even WEEKS.

What many confuse is Smoke Flavor and Smoke Ring. Smoke Ring is the the NO2 in the wood or propane Gases dissolving into the moisture on the meat surface and reacting with the Myoglobin in the meat turning it Pink. This reaction continues until the meat surface Cooks and Dries out to the point where there is no more moisture for the NO2 to react with. This coloring of the meat protein will go on for about 4 hours at 225*F and penetrate about 1/4 inch.

Some people find that 4 hours of smoke gives a sufficient smokey flavor and stop adding smoke wood, finish in an oven, or Foil and put the meat back in the smoker. I used to smoke with billowing smoke from 100% Hickory Chips and would get complaints about food being Too Smokey if I added chips more than a few hours. Since coming to SMF, I backed off on chips, went to Chunks and I have only smoked with TBS... For the past year i only use an AMNPS with Pitmaster Choice Pellets and have never had any meat that was too smokey, even smoking for 10 hours, or complaints...

again...JJ

pc farmer · Feb 26, 2013

Chef JimmyJ said:
Meat Takes Smoke as long as you Give it Smoke. The Smoke Flavor will just continue to build. Look at all the treads where guy Cold Smoke Bacon and Hams for days or even WEEKS.

What many confuse is Smoke Flavor and Smoke Ring. Smoke Ring is the the NO2 in the wood or propane Gases dissolving into the moisture on the meat surface and reacting with the Myoglobin in the meat turning it Pink. This reaction continues until the meat surface Cooks and Dries out to the point where there is no more moisture for the NO2 to react with. This coloring of the meat protein will go on for about 4 hours at 225*F and penetrate about 1/4 inch.

Some people find that 4 hours of smoke gives a sufficient smokey flavor and stop adding smoke wood, finish in an oven, or Foil and put the meat back in the smoker. I used to smoke with billowing smoke from 100% Hickory Chips and would get complaints about food being Too Smokey if I added chips more than a few hours. Since coming to SMF, I have only smoked with TBS using an AMNPS with Pitmaster Choice Pellets and have never had any meat that was too smokey, or complaints...

again...JJ

Are you smoking the whole time with the amnps smoker. I want to buy one to use with my mes.

mhchops · Feb 26, 2013

Thats a very good in depth answer jj it makes alot more since now thank you very much for that. I'm also very interested in byuing a AMNPS pellet smoke as ive always smoked with real wood and now own a Smoke Hollow gasser because i couldn't get the smoke ring with my mes ( i haven't smoked with wood for a long time, just dont have time to babysit a fire) i am just starting to learn about TBS and its almost like starting over again.

chef jimmyj · Feb 26, 2013

c farmer said:
Are you smoking the whole time with the amnps smoker. I want to buy one to use with my mes.

Yep...It is all I use unless I need a very short, <1 hour, smoke then I will use a small amount of chips in the drawer...JJ

diggingdogfarm · Feb 26, 2013

mhchops said:
When does meat accept smoke the best?

At five o'clock on Fridays! :biggrin:

Seriously, it depends on what type of smoking you're doing.

Cold smoking, warm smoking, hot smoking, bbq, smoke roasting.

The dynamics are all different.

Smoke will "cling" to the surface for as long as you smoke, but if you're talking smoke penetration, well, then there are certain limits to how well smoke will penetrate depending on the type of smoking.

~Martin

mhchops · Feb 26, 2013

Yes i am mainly talking about bbq at this time im just learning how to cook with gas although in the near future i want to build a smokehouse for cold smoking.

Mhchops

chef jimmyj · Feb 26, 2013

" At five o'clock on Fridays!

"....

What a coincidence! That is the same time that I accept BEER the best...JJ

diggingdogfarm · Feb 26, 2013

With BBQ, as JJ mentioned, about 4 hours or so of smoke gives a good flavor.

In the case of cold smoking, smoke flavor will continue to penetrate for as long as you continue to smoke.
Personal preference will dictate how long that happens to be.
Breaks between smokes are recommended when cold smoking.

meat-smoking-cold.gif

diggingdogfarm
Feb 26, 2013

Cold smoking allows us total smoke penetration inside of the meat. Very little hardening of the outside surface of the meat or casing occurs and smoke penetrates the meat easily.

meat-smoking-hot.gif

diggingdogfarm
Feb 26, 2013

Hot smoking dries out the surface of the meat creating a barrier for smoke penetration.

Source: http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/meat-smoking/cold-smoking

~Martin

diggingdogfarm · Feb 26, 2013

Chef JimmyJ said:
" At five o'clock on Fridays!

"....

What a coincidence! That is the same time that I accept BEER the best...JJ

:biggrin:

~Martin

pgsmoker64 · Feb 26, 2013

DiggingDogFarm said:
Seriously, it depends on what type of smoking you're doing.

Cold smoking, warm smoking, hot smoking, bbq, smoke roasting.

The dynamics are all different.

Smoke will "cling" to the surface for as long as you smoke, but if you're talking smoke penetration, well, then there are certain limits to how well smoke will penetrate depending on the type of smoking you're doing.

~Martin

I agree with Martin, it depends on how you are smoking and also whether you have a good thin smoke. Billowing white smoke puts a lot of smoke on the surface (you get a bitter creosote flavor) but that TBS delivers maximum flavor to the meat - depending on temps, etc. as Martin suggested.

Bill

mhchops · Feb 26, 2013

You guys have so much good info im sure glad i found this site. Now TBS im trying to figure this out it seems like i've either got to much smoke or none at all im sure its just a trial and error thing that i will have to learn is there anything one needs to know to point them in the right direction.

Mhchops

venture · Feb 26, 2013

Guess I am backward or out of this deal?

Never gave much thought as to when?

Might be a danger of over thinking this thing?

How much smoke do you want?

In our house, three or four hours of smoke will do it unless cold smoking certain items. For cold smoking, we go much longer, but that is a gentle smoke application.

Smoke ring? If the meat tastes right? I will leave that to the guys on the TV?

Good luck and good smoking.

tomolu5 · Feb 26, 2013

If your smoke is thin and blue, you cant have to much. heavy white smoke makes your food taste like a bonfire.

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flash · Feb 27, 2013

I was always taught until the meat reaches 140 IT. At that point the pores in the meat start shutting up. Now this is just for the internal part of the meat. The surface will continue to take on smoke all the way thru the smoke.

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