My first brisket today

[willkat98]

If I can interject a question/comment, I want to just ask some of the gas burners here:

As I understand it, (from a Scott in KC thread on pellet cookers not giving smoke rings) the ring is a chemical reaction between burning wood and the meat fibers. I even heard that some pellet cooker, gas burners, will add a smoke box into the cooker with 2 pieces of charcoal (replaced when needed) to give that smoke ring.

So my comment is, does the smoke ring vary greatly on gas smokers? The ring in completely dependent on the wood being used for flavor, and the density of the cut of meat (I assunme)

 

[cajunsmoker]

Hey Bill,

I burn gas in my BSKD and I also burn a good bit of wood for flavor. I seem to get a good smoke ring on everything I cook. Your question and a recent post by SmokeMack about smoke rings got me to doing a little research and I found this article. Found it interesting and thought I would share it with you guys. Seems like the wood is just a means to an end :?:
"When a smoke ring develops in barbecue meats it is not because smoke has penetrated and colored the muscle, but rather because gases in the smoke interact with the pigment myoglobin. Two phenomenon provide evidence that it is not the smoke itself that causes the smoke ring. First, it is possible to have a smoke ring develop in a product that has not been smoked and second, it is also possible to heavily smoke a product without smoke ring development.

Most barbecuers use either wood chips or logs to generate smoke when cooking. Wood contains large amounts of nitrogen (N). During burning the nitrogen in the logs combines with oxygen (O) in the air to form nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Nitrogen dioxide is highly water-soluble. The pink ring is created when NO2 is absorbed into the moist meat surface and reacts to form nitrous acid. The nitrous acid then diffuses inward creating a pink ring via the classic meat curing reaction of sodium nitrite. The end result is a "smoke ring" that has the pink color of cured meat. Smoke ring also frequently develops in smokehouses and cookers that are gas-fired because NO2 is a combustion by-product when natural gas or propane is burned.

Letâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s review the conditions that would help to contribute to the development of a smoke ring. Slow cooking and smoking over several hours. This allows time for the NO2 to be absorbed into and interact with the meat pigment.

Maintain the surface of the meat moist during smoking. NO2 is water-soluble so it absorbs more readily into a piece of meat that has a moist surface than one which has a dry surface. Meats that have been marinated tend to have a moister surface than non-marinated meats. There are also a couple of ways that you can help to maintain a higher humidity level in your cooker; 1. Do not open and close the cooker frequently. Each time you open it you allow moisture inside to escape. 2. Put a pan of water on your grill. Evaporation from the water will help increase humidity inside the cooker.

Generate smoke from the burning of wood chips or wood logs. Since NO2 is a by-product of incomplete combustion, green wood or wetted wood seems to enhance smoke ring development. Burning green wood or wetted wood also helps to increase the humidity level inside the cooker.
A high temperature flame is needed to create NO2 from nitrogen and oxygen. A smoldering fire without a flame does not produce as much NO2. Consequently, a cooker that uses indirect heat generated from the burning of wood typically will develop a pronounced smoke ring. Have fun cooking. A nice smoke ring can sure make a piece of barbecued meat look attractive. "

 

[smokemack]

Looks like we found the same piece on smoke rings :lol: ...

 

[cajunsmoker]

wasn't sure if it was the same piece, but it sure said the same thing :lol:

Just googled smoke ring and picked the first topic about BBQ.

Here is the link;

http://www.geocities.com/senortoad/S...bequeMeats.htm

 

[ma?tley ca 1/4 e]

Let me add this. The brisket is twice as good today. It was good cold, and I sliced it up, sprayed it with a little apple juice and warmed it in the oven. Now it is absolutely delicious. It didn't have much of a smoke ring, but did have a very good smoke flavor.

 

[pyre]

You know its funny, I've often enjoyed my BBQ better the next day also.

 

[willkat98]

Myst

I'm not sure, but I cannot think of no better leftover BBQ than brisket chili.

I have a half a 7# flat (which is probably 2# cooked) cryosucked and waiting for chili.

Brisket chili is one of my favorite meals.

Have I mentioned that chili with leftover brisket is very good?

 

[ma?tley ca 1/4 e]

Maybe I can try it next time. The left overs went quick.

 

[willkat98]

Just gave my smoked cryo sucked flat to my BIL as he left.

Outlaws in town this weekend.

So next weekend, brisket for Labor Day