Minion method smoke ring.

[AngryPanda]

Yesterday I smoked a 10lb packers brisket on my new Father’s Day smoker (Weber 18.5” bullet smoker). I used the minion method with four decent sized chunks of mesquite wood mixed in the coals. The brisket turned out pretty well, it was a 14 hour cook finishing at 207F. The issue I had was the smoke ring. It was almost non existent despite clean smoke coming out of the stack pretty much the whole time prior to wrapping. I am looking for tips on how to get a more defined smoke ring using minion method, I had no issues previously with my offset!

 

[Hijack73]

Smoke rings are actually fire rings - and the fire must come from wood or briquettes (but nothing is better than wood) and not propane. The smoke ring is an interaction between a pink protein in meat named myoglobin with the gases nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO). NO and CO are made by the combination of carbon and nitrogen with oxygen during the combustion of wood or charcoal.

Key word is COMBUSTION. Smoldering wood produces very little NO.

Your offset was the perfect tool for producing a smoke ring.

 

[JckDanls 07]

But the Weber is charcoal... not propane ...

 

[Newglide]

The smoke ring looks great but from what I hear it doesn't change the flavor with or without it.

 

[xbubblehead]

Yesterday I smoked a 10lb packers brisket on my new Father’s Day smoker (Weber 18.5” bullet smoker). I used the minion method with four decent sized chunks of mesquite wood mixed in the coals. The brisket turned out pretty well, it was a 14 hour cook finishing at 207F. The issue I had was the smoke ring. It was almost non existent despite clean smoke coming out of the stack pretty much the whole time prior to wrapping. I am looking for tips on how to get a more defined smoke ring using minion method, I had no issues previously with my offset!

I start with a coffee can size of lit coals in the middle of an unlit ring of charcoal. I place a baseball size chunk of wood on top of the lit coals to kick off the smoke and bury a few smaller chunks in the unlit charcoal. I'm sure I'm getting dirty smoke at first but the flavor is great so I don't care.

 

[thirdeye]

Here are some smoke ring tips:

* Smoke rings stop forming at 140°, so start your meat off cold, and run your pit colder for the first couple of hours. Remember that the ring formation stops around 140°, you can keep piling on the smoke flavor as long as you have smoke. (In fact you can make meat so smokey you won't want to eat it).
* Flaming wood produces more nitrogen than a smoldering fire. Use correct vent settings on your cooker, and maintain good airflow in your firebox, charcoal basket etc.
* Moist meat absorbs nitrogen dioxide more easily. Use a water pan in your cooker, use a ceramic cooker (they keep meats moister than many steel pits), marinate, inject baste, or spritz your meat, or use some immature wood.
* Charcoal briquettes have more nitrogen than lump charcoal. If you are a lump burner add a couple of briquettes atop your fire early on in the cook.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Key word is COMBUSTION. Smoldering wood produces very little NO.

I run a propane burner with a cast iron pan on top in which I smolder fist sized chunks of wood in my big smokehouse, no fire. I would strongly disagree with your statement.

I will also add that not all wood is created equal. I was just in a private discussion with a member about this very topic in PM’s, he was not getting a smoke ring either and was using wood locally collected in his community. Seems this wood had very low nitrogen levels because when he went back to a known bbq wood source the pink ring came back. In basic terms, the nitrogen content has the biggest effect on wood performance of the smoke ring. Fruit woods are probably the best choice as most of these are fertilized for fruit production followed by nut woods. I’ve burned some mesquite that produces zero smoke ring and burned others that produces a huge smoke ring, all in the same cooker, but pecan and cherry or apple have always been very consistent.

This smoke ring is hit and miss based on many factors but wood being the biggest in my opinion. Even the competition Bbq events, most of them, score nothing on smoke ring. Mostly because it can be faked with TQ curing salt, but it’s still not a constant thing.

You are correct about (NO) being the driver. The same process that happens in curing meat is happening with the smoke ring. Nitrite is converted to nitric oxide and that bonds with myoglobin and fixes the iron molecules within it, holding the “red” color and not letting it turn grey when temp reaches about 150F. If the wood itself has a low nitrogen content then it’s not going to produce enough NO to effect the smoke ring.

 

[mike243]

You can get a smoke ring with 0 wood, look on the net, a SR wont make the food taste better but the eyes can influence folks ,

 

[SmokinEdge]

You can get a smoke ring with 0 wood, look on the net, a SR wont make the food taste better but the eyes can influence folks ,

Replace the salt in your rub with Tender Quick and boom, instant smoke ring.

 

[AngryPanda]

Smoke rings are actually fire rings - and the fire must come from wood or briquettes (but nothing is better than wood) and not propane. The smoke ring is an interaction between a pink protein in meat named myoglobin with the gases nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO). NO and CO are made by the combination of carbon and nitrogen with oxygen during the combustion of wood or charcoal.

Key word is COMBUSTION. Smoldering wood produces very little NO.

Your offset was the perfect tool for producing a smoke

But the Weber is charcoal... not propane ...

correct I used charcoal briquettes with real mesquite wood which I made sure had an open flame with thin blue smoke coming out of the stack at 240 F before even putting the meat on. After reading others posts here I think I got a batch of low nitro wood… thanks for everyone’s input this has been super informative and helpful!

 

[Hijack73]

Interesting SmokinEdge


I never imagined that wood might have low enough nitrogen levels to negate a ring. I know a lot of folks running propane or electric do get some ring from smoldering wood & pellets - but it's (and I can only attest to what I have seen) substantially less than the ones I got on my stick burner and quite a bit less than I get on my pellet now. As long as the fuel releases some NO and CO - it should have some (even if minute) ring.

Always learning - always experimenting.

A AngryPanda - you got some ring - so you had some nitrous released during the process. Cook up another with some different wood and let us know what you get!

 

[Marknmd]

Add a bit of crushed celery seed to your rub - it'll aid, expand, and expound upon your smoke ring.

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