Page 17 - October 2021 Issue

that more smoke and small particles sticks to cooler sur- faces than warmer ones, a phenomenon called ther- mophoresis. You can see thermophoresis in your foggy bathroom mirror when you get out of the shower. When smoke roasting, cool, moist meat holds onto smoke more readily than dry meat. As the cooking continues, less smoke sticks because the surface of the meat begins to dry. For this reason putting a pan of water in a smoker at the start of a cook helps create a smoke ring because the evap- orating water condenses on cool meat. In fact some smok- ers, called water smokers, have water pans built in.
The Weber Smokey Mountain is the best known of this breed.
Cook low and slow. When meat is cooked hot and fast, the
myoglobin turns brown faster, so the NO and CO don’t penetrate deep before the meat changes color. When cooked slowly, the muscle proteins finish breaking down before the naturally pink myoglobin denatures and the meat remains pink.
Skip the electric smoker. Wood smolders at low temps in electrics, and high temps are required to create the NO and CO. Experts at cooking in electric smokers sometimes add a charcoal briquet as well as wood to create the correct at- mospheric conditions for a smoke ring. Some of these bri- quets actually contain powdered sodium nitrates, which enhance ring formation. But in general, a vigorous charcoal or wood fire in a cooker at a low temperature of around 225oF produces the deepest ring and the best meat.
Remove most of the surface fat. NO and CO can penetrate fat, but if the underlying meat changes color before they get to it, you won’t have a smoke ring. There are many other good reasons to get rid of the fat cap that we discuss on AmazingRibs.com.
What have we learned? Billowing white smoke may mean there’s a new pope, but the barely visible wisp of blue smoke created by wood and charcoal burning hot is the holy grail for pitmasters who love a deep smoke ring. That and balancing a hot fire with a low cooking temperature ( so a small hot fire is best), a moist cooking environment, and not too much surface fat are what create the deepest pink layer of mouthwatering meat. And that's why great barbecue is as much art as it is science.
Meathead is the Barbecue Hall of Famer who founded Amaz- ingRibs.com, by far the world's most popular outdoor cooking website. He is the author of "Meathead, The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling," a New York Times Best Seller that was also named one of the "100 Best Cookbooks of All Time" by Southern Living magazine. This article was excerpted and modified from his book and website. For 2,000+ free pages of great barbecue and grilling info, visit AmazingRibs.com and take a free trial in the Pitmaster Club.
OCTOBER 2021
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