She cut off the smoke ring!

[DoppCreek]

My ex sister-in-law gets invited to family functions because she is my niece's mother (I didn't make the rules). We served brisket for Easter dinner and she cut off the smoke ring. She thought it was sauced. I told her I use salt and pepper and smoke, that's it. You can sauce your own on your own plate if you like. That pretty red ring is from 14 hours of smoke. All that flavor and she cut it off. I didn't have the nerve to reach across the table and grab the bits. All that flavor...

 

[gmc2003]

Good meat yes, but the ring doesn't taste any different then the rest of the brisket. It's purely a visual.

Still a waste.

Chris

 

[ristau5741]

ahhh, I smoked some burgers last summer, and the wife took one bite and would take another, she said it wasn't cooked. They were all smoke ring.
It was only burg tho'. brisket is another story. I'd be sad, but I'm having brisket for lunch right now.

 

[motolife313]

Did it at least go to the dog?

 

[HalfSmoked]

The things some people just don't understand.

Warren

 

[biteme7951]

I probably wouldn't have reached across the table for the scraps, but I would have definitely reached across the table for her throat!

 

[indaswamp]

Good meat yes, but the ring doesn't taste any different then the rest of the brisket. It's purely a visual.

Still a waste.

Chris

Beg to differ on the taste....
the smoke ring is caused by the Nitric Oxide created from the fire. It's chemically the same as the cure you use when you cure meats. That narrow band of smoke ring is fire cured....
A proper fire creates 150~200ppm on Nitric Oxide, which is in the range we use when curing meats. If you use Kingsford briquettes, the ppm is even higher because they infuse the briquettes with sodium nitrite.

The only significance of the smoke ring is that it shows that the fire was at the perfect temperature to create the best flavor compounds for smoked meats....that is why the old timers looked for it......

 

[indaswamp]

My ex sister-in-law gets invited to family functions because she is my niece's mother (I didn't make the rules). We served brisket for Easter dinner and she cut off the smoke ring. She thought it was sauced. I told her I use salt and pepper and smoke, that's it. You can sauce your own on your own plate if you like. That pretty red ring is from 14 hours of smoke. All that flavor and she cut it off. I didn't have the nerve to reach across the table and grab the bits. All that flavor...

Were it me, next family function that I know she will be attending we would be serving hot dogs......cheapest ones I could find....

 

[Hawging It]

Wow! She needs to get out more!

 

[DoppCreek]

The stories I could tell about this woman...most of you would arrive at the same conclusions I have. But let's talk about meat instead. I went to bed on Friday night feeling good that I smoked a good brisket. I knew I wanted burnt ends for some homemade mac n cheese so I separated the point from the flat and rubbed both before the smoke with salt and pepper. The point went along as I would have expected, then I cubed it and added some sauce, then back in to smoker while the flat stumbled along. The flat took 14 hours (roughly 8#) most of the time at 225 on my Traeger. Longest smoke ever for me but I'm a newbie. I also made sausage for this event, an 80/20 mix of beef/pork seasoned with salt/pepper and a touch of cayenne. Came out a bit dry because I think my fat content was too low but it got rave reviews for flavor. Successful weekend in the kitchen and grill; today I am very tired and not looking forward to work. I am looking forward to my next cook though. Gotta have a dream to keep you going.

 

[indaswamp]

On the sausage....80/20 is fine. What temp. did you cook the links? Might have had some fat out which made them seem dry....

 

[chef jimmyj]

On brisket, or any meat for that matter, the smoke ring is such a small percentage of the whole that the mild hammy flavor is insignificant. Think a single slice of Deli Ham on a half pound Roast Beef Sandwich...JJ

 

[GaryHibbert]

Probably shows a total lack of manners, but at my place nobody would have hesitated for a nano second before reaching across the table and scooping the scraps. LOL.
Gary

 

[danbury]

Lorena Brisket Bobbitt

 

[chef jimmyj]

Lorena Brisket Bobbitt

Now that's Funny! LOL...JJ

 

[DoppCreek]

On the sausage....80/20 is fine. What temp. did you cook the links? Might have had some fat out which made them seem dry....

I cold smoked them in my Traeger. Just used the Amaze N smoker with mesquite. That device smoldering in with the sausages gets the chamber between 90-100 degrees. Then I transferred them to the warming drawer in my oven and slowly raised the temp til I got an IT of 152. Oven temp (which I had a probe in) never went over 168. Four hours in the smoke and three hours in the oven drawer.

 

[gmc2003]

Beg to differ on the taste....
the smoke ring is caused by the Nitric Oxide created from the fire. It's chemically the same as the cure you use when you cure meats. That narrow band of smoke ring is fire cured....
A proper fire creates 150~200ppm on Nitric Oxide, which is in the range we use when curing meats. If you use Kingsford briquettes, the ppm is even higher because they infuse the briquettes with sodium nitrite.

The only significance of the smoke ring is that it shows that the fire was at the perfect temperature to create the best flavor compounds for smoked meats....that is why the old timers looked for it......

Inda, if you can taste the difference then more power to ya. I understand what your saying, but I cannot tell the difference and neither can anyone I've cooked for or who has eaten BBQ. My taste buds just aren't that sensitive. Heck I doubt I could tell the difference between food smoke with different types of wood except for maybe hickory and mesquite. Both to me have very different flavors.

Chris

 

[KrisUpInSmoke]

Lol... guess that'd be why she's your ex sister in law...

 

[indaswamp]

I cold smoked them in my Traeger. Just used the Amaze N smoker with mesquite. That device smoldering in with the sausages gets the chamber between 90-100 degrees. Then I transferred them to the warming drawer in my oven and slowly raised the temp til I got an IT of 152. Oven temp (which I had a probe in) never went over 168. Four hours in the smoke and three hours in the oven drawer.

Nothing wrong with that method....you should not have lost any fat from fat out cooking that way. Did you use a binder?

 

[indaswamp]

Inda, if you can taste the difference then more power to ya. I understand what your saying, but I cannot tell the difference and neither can anyone I've cooked for or who has eaten BBQ. My taste buds just aren't that sensitive. Heck I doubt I could tell the difference between food smoke with different types of wood except for maybe hickory and mesquite. Both to me have very different flavors.

Chris

I can respect that. I can tell the difference.