Smoke added at 110 degrees??? Babyboombbq

Unknown

Hey guys take a look at the post I put in yesterday about what my butcher told me...The brisket I did this weekend lacked a smoke ring but definitely had a smokey flavor to it. And it definitely has a smokey scent to it. I just had a sandwich w/ some blues hog sauce. I heated it up in the microwave and it was AWESOME! Isn't a smoke ring basically just used for "show" in bbq contests? Normally when I do my butts I get a great 1/3 inch ring, dark pink. The brisket had no ring but I believe it had more smoke flavor than the butts I normally do. Kind of interesting...any thoughts??? and when the hell are we going to have a ST. Louis Eggfest??? I bet we could pull from KC and Memphis! There would be some good food I'm guessin'...

stike

Matt in the STL,
smoke is an indirect result of the smoking process. it doesn't add smoke flavor.[p]it generally indicates that a piece of meat has been in a smoking environment for at least as long as it takes to make the smoke ring, and it's implied that the thicker the ring, the longer it has been in smoke. [p]but it only stops forming after the meat hits 140 or so, since it's a chemical reaction, rather than smoke being 'absorbed'. which means you can have more smoke flavor added even after the ring is done forming.[p]which implies further that if the meat gets to 140 quickly (if your cook temps are high), it will be thin or perhaps even not even form. the smoke present, though , would continue to be deposited on the meat (and to flavor it).[p]

stike

stike,
meant to say "the smoke RING is an indirect result..."

Unknown

Matt in the STL,*** You are correct, Matt...the smoke ring is a chemical thing (well documented) & is not necessarily indicative of how much smoke flavour the meat has absorbed.
For Instance: I routinely "cold smoke" an entire beef tenderloin or rib-eye for 30-60 min @ temps below 140 (A GURU HELPS)>>>really put the SMOKE WOOD (of your choice) on the small fire... & then take it off & wait for the guests to come over (this can be done in the morning, etc)...At that time, I cut the meat into individual steaks, crank up the heat on an Egg, & cook-to-order for my guests... What you wind up with is a "smoked steak"...not just a piece of seared meat that has a little bit of smoke. Remember to start w/ a cold piece of meat, not room temp when you initially cold smoke. We did this with an entire Rib-Eye @ the OKC EggFest this weekend. Hope this helps & good luck.

BabyBoomBBQ

Matt in the STL,[p]Yes, the ring is a cosmetic thing caused by the nitrates in the smoke reacting with the protein in the meat. No correlation to smoke flavor.[p]What your butcher said that puzzles me is waiting until the meat hits 110 internal before introducing smoke. If he ever shares why, please let me know. With only 6 or so years of smoking experience, I still consider myself a beginner.[p]

BabyBoomBBQ

SkyRider,[p]Wow, what a great idea! I'll have to give it a try.