Any Help Will…Help, lol! (Pic Heavy)

GalanteNate_OneEa · August 2014

So aside from painting it on, why do I have no smoke ring? Am I poorly informed? Do I have too high of an expectation? Do other people have some way of cheating? I know you can use tender quick, but is that the only way? I will detail step by step, tell me where I went wrong.

I put together a rub, real simple, nothing special. Typical pork rub ingredients.

Bought a bone in butt fro my local butcher. Rinsed it, patted dry. I Made some mustard out of dark and yellow seeds, beer and AC vinegar. I lightly coated it with the mustard. Then I applied the rub.

It had great color before it went on. Put it on at midnight @ 225F with a water pan and green (fresh not dry) applewood.

I only used the wood when I was ready to put the shoulder in.

I also closed the daisy wheel down pretty tight for the start of the cook to keep a good fog in the egg.

At 150F internal temp, I foiled it. This is a pic of it when I pulled it to wrap.

And then @195F I took it out of the foil to crisp up the bark.

The meat was moist, it had a great flavor, the bone pulled out clean, but the smoke ring was very slight.

Now I have also heard that freezing yo meat will give it more time to form the smoke ring, and I will try that next, but if anyone has and advice, I am willing.

Jeremiah · August 2014

Doubt the freshness of the wood had anything to do with it, most say it has more to do with relative humidity.

hapster · August 2014

Why worry about a smoke ring? Especially on a cut you're gonna shred. Doesn't add anything... If it had the taste and smokey flavor you were expecting, relax...

Cookinbob · August 2014

Some say the smoke ring is overrated. If the flavor is what you wanted, is the ring that important? For some reason the egg does not generate much of a ring.

bud812 · August 2014

IMHO I think smoke ring is only for show.

GalanteNate_OneEa · August 2014

It really isn't important, I just don't get how I can't get one, especially when I tried to.

hapster · August 2014

GalanteNate_OneEa said:
It really isn't important, I just don't get how I can't get one, especially when I tried to.

It's about being happy with the results you have vs the results you expected.

DMW · August 2014

I was fairly certain relative humidity was the primary factor. But you are in NJ if I remember correctly, and that should be similar to PA. I got a decent smoke ring on my ribs today. :-? No idea...

yzzi · August 2014

Shh, if anyone asks, you had such a large smoke ring it spanned the entire piece meat. Boom!

GalanteNate_OneEa · August 2014

@DMW you are correct on location, what is the relationship to the humidity? Should I not have used the water pan?

Mattman3969 · August 2014

I think it was CenTex that said you can add a few briquettes to your lump to enhance the smoke right. It has something to do with the binders that hold the dust together. My one and only major smoke ring was on a flat that I cooked in the rain the entire cook so @dmw suggestion on humidity sounds correct.

DMW · August 2014

GalanteNate_OneEa said:
@DMW you are correct on location, what is the relationship to the humidity? Should I not have used the water pan?

My theory was higher humidity=better smoke ring. We have relatively high humidity in the summer months. Water pan should have only helped.

GalanteNate_OneEa · August 2014

ok, well maybe next time I will sprits as well

XC242 · August 2014

That meat looks great to me. I made a butt for my co-workers a couple weeks ago. They loved it and none of them wondered where the smoke ring was...

GalanteNate_OneEa · August 2014

If I tried to kick myself in the junk and failed, Id be pissed, lol, thats pretty much it, I thought with everything I did that there would be one, and there wasn't.

hapster · August 2014

GalanteNate_OneEa said:
If I tried to kick myself in the junk and failed, Id be pissed, lol, thats pretty much it, I thought with everything I did that there would be one, and there wasn't.

)

Now you get it

Sixpack1 · August 2014

With 100% humidity in Fla. I should have a smoke ring on everything that goes in my BGE, pizza, pancakes, briskets ect...

DMW · August 2014

What temp do you cook at? I tend to start really low (today ran at 215* grid for a few hours) and then ramp up a bit every few hours to meet my desired finish time. I wonder if that might have something to do with it?

Meathead just published a new study on smoke rings recently.

http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/mythbusting_the_smoke_ring.html

GalanteNate_OneEa · August 2014

started at 0:20 @200F, 0800 235F, 1030 250F, cooked until 1830 199F internal

DMW · August 2014

GalanteNate_OneEa said:

started at 0:20 @200F, 0800 235F, 1030 250F, cooked until 1830 199F internal

OK, I'm back to I have no idea how to be sure to have a smoke ring. They happen when they want to...

GalanteNate_OneEa · August 2014

lol, I thought for sure I had it…

berndcrisp · August 2014

Cosmetics: some women need them, tasty food doesn't.

nolaegghead · August 2014

Cook it for taste, not smoke ring. If you want a smoke ring, you get an excellent ring by adding a little curing powder to your rub. It does not change the flavor over a natural smoke ring. You can also buy some celery powder or replace the salt with celery salt, it has a high concentration of nitrates, which is what is in the curing powder and smoke and causes the myoglobin to stay red.

ChillyWillis · August 2014

nolaegghead said:
You can also buy some celery powder or replace the salt with celery salt, it has a high concentration of nitrates, which is what is in the curing powder and smoke and causes the myoglobin to stay red.

That explains it. I've never had any trouble with a smoke ring and I put a touch of celery salt in almost everything I cook with a home maid rub. I was truly baffled about all of the smoke ring posts... That'd explain it.

finster · August 2014

Nola and DMW have it right. Celery salt has the natural nitrates. Moisture helps too, spritzing with AJ or wrapped in bacon creates great rings.

GalanteNate_OneEa · August 2014

nolaegghead said:
Cook it for taste, not smoke ring. If you want a smoke ring, you get an excellent ring by adding a little curing powder to your rub. It does not change the flavor over a natural smoke ring. You can also buy some celery powder or replace the salt with celery salt, it has a high concentration of nitrates, which is what is in the curing powder and smoke and causes the myoglobin to stay red.

Lol, well that definately explains a lot. The rub I make is, and always has been, an ongoing work in progress. I have read the labels of Many comercial rubs, popular and trendy ones from this forum, and just Friday, when I made this last rub, I read the label of one I have been liking. It was simple and sweet, and it contained celery salt. Just like all the others. And I specifically remember asking myself, what's with the celery salt? Well thank you very much for this insight. I don't think I'll be changing my rub for a smoke ring, not for pork shoulder anyway. This helped a lot. And I am happy that I can move on without worry, lol. Thanks again, @everyone!

Doc_Eggerton · August 2014

Looks like a beautiful result to me.

nolaegghead said:

Cook it for taste, not smoke ring. If you want a smoke ring, you get an excellent ring by adding a little curing powder to your rub. It does not change the flavor over a natural smoke ring. You can also buy some celery powder or replace the salt with celery salt, it has a high concentration of nitrates, which is what is in the curing powder and smoke and causes the myoglobin to stay red.

NoLo, by curing rub, do you mean pink salt.?

GalanteNate_OneEa · August 2014

I assumed tender quick, but I may be wrong.

But yeah, Pink Curing Salt is a combination of salt and sodium nitrate. So that should work.

And I now know they are one in the same, lol

Botch · August 2014

GalanteNate_OneEa · August 2014

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khXgPOLefGc 

mcmac · August 2014

Botch said:

Hey... thats the same way I get my smoke ring!!!

)

Any Help Will…Help, lol! (Pic Heavy)

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