smoking failures

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pappyvic

Newbie
Original poster
Jan 16, 2011
7
10
My name is Pappyvic and I'm new to smoking. smoked babybacks forst time came out ok. the 2nd try was a 5lb pork loin roast cooked 7.5 hrs at 225 was still pink. today i tried to smoke a 5lb chicken brined overnight cooked for 5 hrs at 225 internal temp said 165, but was still pink. i'm using a master forge gas smoker. a redi-check et-73 thermomoter i use hickory chunks what am i doing wrong?
 
I'm not a gasser guy, but someone will be along soon.  are you checking the temps in your smoker when you say 225 or are you going by the smoker thermometer which seem to be notoriously inaccurate?
 
That just happens sometimes - Where did you have the thermometer? I usually put the thremometer in the center of the chicken breast and know that it is done when the legs move freely once it reaches temp 
 
Pappy,

 Please take the free 5 hr smoking e course. This will give you the basic techniques to get started.

The times really mean nothing except for ribs. In beef and pork.Cook to temp.

You say the chicken was 165° but still pink? Is that the meat was pink or was it still bloody?

 Smoked meats especially chicken is pink .

 Read about smoke ring.

 if your thermometer has been calibrated . trust it. If not calibrate it.

Get on the site and read . ask questions and experiment
 
after the first 1.5 hours i turned it breast side up and put thermomoter in the thickest  part of breast.
 
maybe that is the problem, i didn't know that the meat would still look pink. the loin roast was pink about a half inch from surface.

thanks guys for your feed-back it is appreciated.
 
Welcome Pappyvic,

If the center of the pork loin is up to temps then the meat is cooked.  Sometimes they are injected with all kinds of stuff by the processor that can change the color as well as add moisture and weight.  If you are not happy with the appearance of the pork loin you can always slice and throw it on a hot grill to put some color on it.

Chicken will have blood at the thigh bone joint with the breast if not cooked.  You will also find blood or I should say red juices at the deepest part of the breast.   When determining if chicken is done I rely on a visual inspection over the thermometers.  Just never seem to be able to get the temp probe in the best place so I always pull the thigh away from the breast and take a good look.

The other thing I would like to mention is when smoking "it's done when it's done, not when you're done".  We have all had smokes go longer than expected because a piece of meat stalls.  Outside temps, the amount of fat and bone, the way the meat sits in the smoker, thickness of the cut, all contribute to unpredictable cooking times.

Good luck and welcome to the forum,  you'll like it here

Al
 
My name is Pappyvic and I'm new to smoking. smoked babybacks forst time came out ok. the 2nd try was a 5lb pork loin roast cooked 7.5 hrs at 225 was still pink. today i tried to smoke a 5lb chicken brined overnight cooked for 5 hrs at 225 internal temp said 165, but was still pink. i'm using a master forge gas smoker. a redi-check et-73 thermomoter i use hickory chunks what am i doing wrong?


The pink you are seeing is what is referred to as a smoke ring, see below pic.

065ef395_2380015640041211880S600x600Q85.jpg


This was smoked to 200 degrees internal.

As eman said read about smoke ring, Below is  a Link to some some info.

Smoke Ring
 
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Reactions: rbranstner
hey guys thanks for all the feedback and advice. i checked out the smoke ring. now i can let my wife know we are not eating raw meat.
 
You've been married long enough, Lie and she will never know!!!

Todd
 
Man SQWIB, That's one good looking smoke ring. Almost looks like lipstick!   
icon_mrgreen.gif
That's funny, Now I know why my wife looks so hot when shes wearing a certain shade of pink, I thinks its called, "Loreal Smoke Ring Pink"
hey guys thanks for all the feedback and advice. i checked out the smoke ring. now i can let my wife know we are not eating raw meat.
My wife is the same way every time she sees pink she wants to cook it till its jerky.
 
PappyVic, We are glad to have you here with us at SMF, we can always use another opinion or question to keep us all on track.  May I make a few suggestions, 1) Sign up for the FREE 5-Day      E-Course offered by Jeff (website owner, webmaster and master meat smoker), I had been smoking meat for 6 years when I took it and I learned so much about things I had never really thought about.  2) Use the Search Bar (near the top of the page) and the WIKI section you can find about anything you want to know at one of these locations. 3) On the WIKI page, under A there is a list of Acronyms, print off a copy of these and keep it close to your computer, it will help you understand some of the things we are talking about here. 4) There is tons of information here to read so just dig in.  Vic, the only dumb question that you can ask here, is the one you do not ask.  Again, we are glad to have you here with us and if you have a question just ask away, someone will come along pretty quick that can help you out!

Barry 
biggrin.gif
 
thank you, Barry that is on my list of things to do. i've read alot on the web page and the comments in the forum. the guys have already helped me understand smoking meat that i'm gaining more confidence. experience is always the best teacher, and you guys have that experience. thank you again for all your help so far.

PAPPYVIC
 
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