What does it actually take...

[raselkirk]

To get the venerable "smoke ring"? I've been doing this a couple years now and have never achieved the effect of a smoke ring on any of my meat. Is it time? Temperature? Type of wood? My stuff is always tasty with decent bark, but no visible smoke ring when cut into. Does it matter?

Russ

 

[S-met]

Need more info.
What is your setup? Take us through a basic smoke.

 

[smokerjim]

Need more info.
What is your setup? Take us through a basic smoke.

what s-met said, also the smoke ring doesn't do anything for taste it's just a visual thing, if your using an electric smoker you won't get the ring

 

[jcam222]

Here’s a pretty deep dive answer https://amazingribs.com/more-techni...nce/mythbusting-smoke-ring-no-smoke-necessary

 

[gmc2003]

Does the smoke ring matter? Yes to some folks - No to others. It's sort of a puff your chest out sort of thing.

Does it add flavor - No.

How do you achieve a good smoke ring? The smoke ring is formed by the nitrogen dioxide given off by the burning wood meeting up with the myoglobin(I think that's the name of it) in the meat. Since it ND is absorbed into the meat the more prolonged exposure the ND has the better the ring. Simply saying a moister surface will allow for a stronger absorption or the mating nitrogen dioxide and myoglobin. That' the reason folks like to spritz their meat.

That's my understanding.

Chris

 

[pineywoods]

The "Smoke Ring" has zero taste and honestly adds absolutely nothing to the food. You can't get a smoke ring with an electric smoker unless it's a pellet grill

 

[jcam222]

Does the smoke ring matter? Yes to some folks - No to others. It's sort of a puff your chest out sort of thing.

Does it add flavor - No.

How do you achieve a good smoke ring? The smoke ring is formed by the nitrogen dioxide given off by the burning wood meeting up with the myoglobin(I think that's the name of it) in the meat. Since it ND is absorbed into the meat the more prolonged exposure the ND has the better the ring. Simply saying a moister surface will allow for a stronger absorption or the mating nitrogen dioxide and myoglobin. That' the reason folks like to spritz their meat.

That's my understanding.

Chris

I think you nailed it Cris!

 

[S-met]

You can't get a smoke ring with an electric smoker unless it's a pellet grill

There are ways to do it with an electric, but I've never bothered. On the cookshack forum, they suggest adding a small piece of lump charcoal to the chip tray - about a golf ball size chunk should do it.

 

[raselkirk]

I have an MES30 with side "cold smoke" box. It's just the wife and I, so we do a 3 # brisket. I run it at 240° and use the smoke box exclusively (mostly hickory and alder). Water pan with a couple cheap beers in it, spritz with water or whiskey. When temp probe levels out (160° or so, maybe 3 hrs), I pull, it, wrap it in foil, kill the smoke box, and run the MES until I see 200°+ on the probe. I think the guys running 250° for 16 hrs are doing 15# plus chunks of meat. That's making me think the ring is time related...

Russ

 

[SmokinEdge]

The dryer and more natural the meat the better the smoke ring can be. Never use meat that has been pumped with solution, and never place meat on the smoke that is water wet on the surface.

we need to know your process and your meat source.

 

[SmokinEdge]

I have an MES30 with side "cold smoke" box. It's just the wife and I, so we do a 3 # brisket. I run it at 240° and use the smoke box exclusively (mostly hickory and alder). Water pan with a couple cheap beers in it, spritz with water or whiskey. When temp probe levels out (160° or so, maybe 3 hrs), I pull, it, wrap it in foil, kill the smoke box, and run the MES until I see 200°+ on the probe. I think the guys running 250° for 16 hrs are doing 15# plus chunks of meat. That's making me think the ring is time related...

Russ

Fact, meat will only take smoke up to the 150-160 temp range, or the stall. This is because the meat is now rendering, or expelling juices. The meat is flowing out, not in.

typically this occurs at around 4-5 hours at low temp, under 250*. Smoke is done penetrating the meat at this point.

tell me about your meat supply.

 

[raselkirk]

Forgot to state, I usually coat with rub an hr before. I did it the night before one time and it leached out a bunch of moisture overnight. End result wasn't much different though...

Russ

 

[raselkirk]

Meat comes from the local grocery, nothing fancy just small 2-person briskets that are pre-cut and in the rack.

So, should I run at, say, 160° for 4 or 5 hrs, then run it up to 250?

Russ

 

[jcam222]

Fact, meat will only take smoke up to the 150-160 temp range, or the stall. This is because the meat is now rendering, or expelling juices. The meat is flowing out, not in.

typically this occurs at around 4-5 hours at low temp, under 250*. Smoke is done penetrating the meat at this point.

tell me about your meat supply.

I used to think this but no longer do. You would be correct that the smoke ring ceases somewhere around 140 to 160. That does not preclude the meat taking on additional smoke.

 

[SmokinEdge]

I used to think this but no longer do. You would be correct that the smoke ring ceases somewhere around 140 to 160. That does not preclude the meat taking on additional smoke.

no argument on bark smoke, but I will stand firm that smoke cannot penetrate the meat in that stall range. The meat may take smoke again after say, 180* range, but we all pull meat at 200-205* range, and that temp upswing happens relatively fast once the stall stops. Leaving little time for additional smoke into the meat, bark, yes.

I have found that the more fresh, or natural the meat is, the more smoke ring I see in the finished product. Salt seems to be the driver from the outside. Same reason we need salt in brine to help move the nitrite. Salt penetration, from the outside, seems to me, to preclude a smoke ring.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Does the smoke ring matter? Yes to some folks - No to others. It's sort of a puff your chest out sort of thing.

Does it add flavor - No.

How do you achieve a good smoke ring? The smoke ring is formed by the nitrogen dioxide given off by the burning wood meeting up with the myoglobin(I think that's the name of it) in the meat. Since it ND is absorbed into the meat the more prolonged exposure the ND has the better the ring. Simply saying a moister surface will allow for a stronger absorption or the mating nitrogen dioxide and myoglobin. That' the reason folks like to spritz their meat.

That's my understanding.

Chris

100% Best Answer!

You need Wet Meat, Low Temps (200°F), for a Long Time (4-5 hours) and Lots of NO/CO generated by Burning Wood or Charcoal Briquettes, not Lump! An AMNPS or Cold Smoke Attachment does not generate sufficient NO/CO to get more than a surface mahogany coloring.
The NO/CO mixes with moisture, to penetrate the meat. Keeping the meat wet prolongs the penetration. A Low Temp slows the Myoglobin from denaturing, cooking too fast, so they can still react with the gasses.
That's it. Some have gotten marginal results by Burning 2 Charcoal Briquettes in a pan in the MES Cabinet. YMMV...JJ

 

[jcam222]

I actually get a great smoke ring in my charcoal cabinet burning lump. I think though it’s because I use several nice big wood chunks too. I also always run a water pan filled with something creating a moist environment.

 

[sawhorseray]

I think it depends on what you are using. With my offset SQ36 using hickory splits I get a good to great smoke ring on dino ribs, pork ribs, and butts every time. Using my electric Pro 100, not so much. It's far more important that the meat be juicy and flavorful than pretty, maybe that's just me. RAY

 

[WaterRat]

Meat comes from the local grocery, nothing fancy just small 2-person briskets that are pre-cut and in the rack.

So, should I run at, say, 160° for 4 or 5 hrs, then run it up to 250?

Russ

I'm not the expert in this, but I think that would have you in the meat temp danger zone for a rather long period of time. You'd likely be sitting at 60-100°F IT most of that time... beautiful bacteria incubator...

My pellet smoker doesn't give a large ring either, even on a 16hr pork butt. A ring? Yes. But certainly not like what the stick burners get.

 

[raselkirk]

Alright, thanks for the input! From what my palette tells me, everything's good. In my case, as jimmyj noted, a mahogany color is all I can get, no heavy black bark like you see come from the big wood burners.

To those with electric smokers, is there any benefit in keeping the "smoke" up after wrapping? Seems pointless to me, I've been killing the smoke and just running the mainbox for temp.

Has anyone tried "saucing" their meat before wrapping it? I've never done it, mainly curious about the extra trapped in moisture...

Russ