cooking times

[billclarkson]

i know that it is a rule of thumb to smoke for 1 1/2 hours per pound, and now here is my question, if i have a say 5 pound steak or piece of pork then i would cook it for 7 1/2 hours or so. Now if i took that same steak or pork and cut it into 5 one pound pieces of meat do i cook it the same amount of time or just think of it as 1 one pound piece of meat????? And next i am sure you can oversmoke a piece of meat and i have done that trying to get a internal temp. What can be done to help get the internal meat temp up to what it should be without oversmoking it?????

 

[Dutch]

Bill, it would help to know what kind of smoker you're using. When smoking multiple pieces of meat I usually base my time on the largest pieces but I keep an eye on the smaller pieces as they will get done quicker.

Yes, it is possible to over-smoke meat. If you are using an all wood fire, it would be a good idea to foil your meat. If using a charcoal fire, quit adding wood to the charcoal. Same if your are using an electric or propane smoke.

Most foods get wrapped in foil anyway so it's just a matter of when to wrap. Some wrap when the internal temp hits 140* because that is when the Nitrates and Nitrites in the meat cease reacting with the woodsmoke creating the smoke ring. Some foil when the internal temps reach 160* especially when smoking butts and briskets as wrapping will help the meat transition through the temp. plateau quicker.

I hope this helps.

 

[up in smoke]

Actually…by cutting the meat into smaller pieces I believe you would compromise the integrity & juiciness of the meat, however the meat wouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t take as long to cook obviously (itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s smaller) You could foil the meat, thus protecting the meat from any additional smoke treatment, by keeping it in foil, you would be kind of steam cooking the meat, almost like a tiny pressure cooker (if it was wrapped up tight) and that would allow you to reach the temperature necessary to breakdown that connective tissue thing (definitely would need that temp probe!)…that would be my 2¢ worth :roll:

 

[billclarkson]

Dutch sorry i did not add but i use a char-broil electric smoker. And from what i understood that after some length of time which i will need to experiment with to stop adding more wood and to assist in getting the internal meat up to correct temp would be to foil the meat. I'll surel give this a try, thanks.....Oh and UP IN SMOKE thanks to you also for your response.

 

[joed617]

Dutch, I think you're right.. if you cut the meat into small pieces the tissue won't have enough time to break down and for it's worth I think the meat would dry out unless you wrapped it foil .. but I think you still have to cook it for a long time just to break down the tissue ... just my 2 cents


Joe