Bark Question

SmokinAl said:

 
Very interesting. Never cooked a butt hot & fast.

I kinda like the overnight smokes.

Al

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Russell Page said:

 
Cliff, Some of it is directly from Dr. Blonder but (not via Meathead.) ( I am not a fan of that site) But "smoke" condensation on a surface cooler than the smoke is actually due to the laws of physics.

That being said, unlike demonstrating smoke condensation on a can, piece of cotton or tile, a couple of years a ago I tried to photograph the phenomenon while actually doing a brisket. It is extremely difficult to do without professional  equipment. As soon as one opens the lid the smoke rapidly disperses due to air currents. After dozens of tries I manged to get a pretty sorry image of it and wanted to post it here but  by the time it was copied and pasted it was an even worse image. However I am going to work on it again and hopefully be able to post something of merit soon.

I love this forum and despite what it says on my profile (new member) I have been here 3+ years. I have learned a lot from from the folks on here that are outstanding pit masters in their own right.

Most of all I have learned that about the only thing we all agree on is that all smoked meat is good just some is better than others.

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brisket smoke condensation..PNG

• russell page
• Jun 29, 2016

Russell Page said:

 

brisket smoke condensation..PNG

• russell page
• Jun 29, 2016

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SQWIB said:

 
I just read this again and was curious, is there really that much of an appeal to huge amounts of smoke flavor, I say NO, well not for me anyhow.

IMHO - Smoke is just another spice in my book and its to add a subtle smoke flavor profile. I always see folks saying, I want more smoke flavor, I don't get it.I love salt but don't toss in a salt lick with my pork.

A Kiss of smoke is all that is needed. When I use my GOSM, I put on one piece of wood maybe two, for the entire cook. You cant even see the smoke but you can smell it, anymore and the food is overpowered.

And as far as the meat continuing to absorb smoke flavor, it definitely does acquire more smoke flavor but what I have found out is it is more like a sooty coating (for lack of a better word), once you get to a certain point, I see this on poultry a lot and will actually spritz off that layer.

This bombardment of smoke will ruin a good bark!

I say stop spritzing too (unless your washing your poultry

), its not needed, its just another way to play with your food. Cut back on the sugar in rubs as well!

YMMV

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Russell Page said:

 
Squibb, thanks for the reply but I do not see how you concluded this might be a "huge amount of smoke" It is mild TBS and I made no mention of how long it was smoked. I think I accidentally posted this in the wrong place. The subject was "does cool meat take up more smoke." The undeniable answer is "yes it does" The amount of smoke applied is almost totally controlled by the pit boss.

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mkriet said:

So I made my first butt this weekend, which was juicy and fantastic. However, like always, I'm looking for ways to make it better. One thing I would like to do is get that crisp, crunchy bark.



1. I fouled my meat the last time. I'm guessing to keep a bark there is no foiling, correct?

2. How much longer does it take to get to temp this way?

3. Does anyone ever have trouble with the meat drying out this way?


Thanks in advance.

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I say stop spritzing too (unless your washing your poultry

), its not needed, its just another way to play with your food. Cut back on the sugar in rubs as well!"

SQWIB said:

 
Sorry for the confusion, this was a generalized statement after reading some of the below posts and a few other threads, that is why no one was quoted. I was under the impression, "I Fouled my meat" was due to being over smoked.

This is out of context but the first part of my post...was in reference to the original poster.

"I just read this again and was curious, is there really that much of an appeal to huge amounts of smoke flavor, I say NO, well not for me anyhow.

IMHO - Smoke is just another spice in my book and its to add a subtle smoke flavor profile. I always see folks saying, I want more smoke flavor, I don't get it.I love salt but don't toss in a salt lick with my pork.

A Kiss of smoke is all that is needed. When I use my GOSM, I put on one piece of wood maybe two, for the entire cook. You cant even see the smoke but you can smell it, anymore and the food is overpowered."

This statement was more relevant to the direction the thread took...towards the discussion of whether meat keeps taking on smoke flavor after a certain point...this was my interpretation/opinion of that.

"And as far as the meat continuing to absorb smoke flavor, it definitely does acquire more smoke flavor but what I have found out is it is more like a sooty coating (for lack of a better word), once you get to a certain point, I see this on poultry a lot and will actually spritz off that layer."

And this statement was me just rambling, well except for the first line, I believe that is relevant to the original post.

"This bombardment of smoke will ruin a good bark!

I say stop spritzing too (unless your washing your poultry

), its not needed, its just another way to play with your food. Cut back on the sugar in rubs as well!"

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SQWIB said:

 
My apologies to the OP for getting a bit off topic.

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SQWIB said:

 
Interesting, but that could be steam like these photos. There is absolutely NO smoke in these pictures,.


 


 


 

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Russell Page said:

 
Steam??? I have been smoking over 50 years. I can tell smoke from steam.

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