In theory, “low & slow” cooking should result in a better smoke ring than “hot & fast” cooking. Pulled pork smoke ring Which cooking method results in the best smoke ring: “low & slow” or “hot & fast”? You’re unlikely to get a smoke ring on parts of a brisket covered with the typical 1/8″ – 1/4″ of fat that most people leave on the meat. Since there’s no myoglobin in fat, it won’t turn pink when exposed to NO and CO. NO and CO can penetrate only the thinnest layers of fat to react with myoglobin in the underlying meat.

Can NO and CO penetrate fat to create a smoke ring? As a result, they react with myoglobin only within the first 1/8″ to 1/2″ of the surface. Why is the smoke ring just on the outside edge of the meat?īecause the dissolved NO and CO cannot penetrate deeply into the meat. It’s not clear if 170☏ also applies to pork and poultry, but it is clear that smoke ring formation is arrested in all meats at some point. However, the website states that smoke ring development stops at 170☏ because that’s the temperature at which myboglobin breaks down in beef and loses its ability to react with NO and CO. It is commonly thought that 140☏ is the temperature at which the smoke ring stops developing in beef. At what internal meat temperature does the smoke ring stop developing? Just don’t spray too early or you’ll wash the rub off the meat- wait for the crust to setup on the meat before spritzing. Spraying the meat occasionally with water or other flavorful liquids is another way to keep the surface moist. Using water in the pan of the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker is one way to create surface moisture on meat.

Keeping the meat surface moist is one way to promote smoke ring formation. In order for NO and CO to interact with myoglobin, they must dissolve into surface moisture on the meat. Interestingly, in many barbecue competitions, the judges are specifically instructed to ignore the smoke ring when judging meat for appearance because it can be produced chemically using curing agents.īeef short rib smoke ring How does moisture and the use of a water pan or spritzing meat affect smoke ring formation? The smoke ring adds no flavor to the meat, but a good, strong smoke ring is sexy and it’s the look that many people have come to expect from barbecued meats, especially brisket and pork. Does good barbecue need a smoke ring? Does it add flavor to the meat, or is it just for looks?īarbecue does not need a smoke ring to be moist, tender and delicious. These two gasses interact with a protein in meat called myoglobin to produce the pink color, not the visible smoke you see coming out of the smoker. Wood and charcoal give off many gasses when burned, including nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO). It’s most pronounced in beef and pork, less so in poultry. It’s that pink layer, 1/8″ to 1/2″ wide, just below the surface of the meat. Whole brisket smoke ring What is the smoke ring?

Smoke ring menu