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TIL why pitmasters care so much about smoke rings.
The ring shows how well the smoke penetrated the meat.
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burns.wade3mo ago
Wait, so it's really just a good temperature check (thanks @barnes.seth)?
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the_olivia3mo ago
Last summer, my friend Jake tried to smoke a brisket for 14 hours. He was so proud of the smoke ring, and @smith.david even commented on how perfect it looked. But the meat was dry, which shows the ring doesn't always mean great flavor, just steady heat.
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barnes.seth3mo ago
Oh man, that's only half the story. The smoke ring is actually a chemical reaction where nitric oxide from the smoke binds with the meat's myoglobin. It looks cool, but a lot of top cooks say it doesn't even affect the flavor much. They see it more as a badge of honor that proves you kept a steady, low temperature for hours. So really it's a sign you didn't mess up the fire more than anything.
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