Once on the meat, the nitrates react with oxygen, forming nitric oxide which penetrates the meat and preserves the pink pigment of the meat. If the surface of the meat is moist, the nitrates find it easier to cling to the meat. Smoke contains nitrates, the gas responsible for the formation of the smoke ring. Mopping or spritzing your brisket will also prevent the meat from drying out, and it will help form a smoke ring. Smoke is attracted to cold, wet surfaces, so adding moisture to your brisket will attract more smoke. Keep The Brisket Moist By Basting or Spritzing This will increase the airflow in your smoker and raise the temperature.ġ. Don’t keep opening the lid of your smoker.Charcoal briquettes create the most nitrates, the gas responsible for smoke ring formation.Soaking wood chips will raise the humidity and promote absorption of nitric oxide. If you use wood chips, soak them in water prior to smoking.Buy green, unseasoned wood. Studies have shown green wood contains more nitrates, the gas that helps create a smoke ring.
Electric smokers produce hardly any nitrates, and make smoke ring formation difficult. If you want a smoke ring, don’t use an electric smoker.Moisture is the key to smoke ring formation.
Place a water pan in your smoker to increase humidity. This will allow the nitric oxide more time to get to work in producing the smoke ring. Experiments have found that acidic solutions can affect the size of the smoke ring. Avoid highly acidic marinades or brines. This will give the nitric oxide a chance to preserve the pink myoglobin. Cook the meat slow at a low temperature. The moisture on the surface of the meat will trap the nitrates and speed up the absorption of nitric oxide. So the smoke itself doesn’t turn the outer layer of the meat pink, but the gases in the smoke preserve the myoglobin. When meat is smoked, the gases in the smoke set off chemical reactions on the surface of the meat which results in the preservation of the pink pigment around the outer layer of the meat. When meat is cooked at high temperatures, the pinkish-colored myoglobin disappears and changes into the grayish-brown color we recognize as cooked meat. How Does A Smoke Ring Form?Ī smoke ring is simply preserved myoglobin, the pink color found in raw meat. Meat cooked in charcoal smokers have the best smoke rings, but electric smokers produce little or no smoke ring. Too much fat can prevent the smoke ring from forming, so trim the fat cap and avoid using acidic marinades. The smoke ring needs time to develop, so keep the temperature low at around 220☏. Not everyone can get a smoke ring on their brisket, so I did some research to find out how to get the best smoke ring every time.īrisket should be kept moist to create a good smoke ring, so use a water pan and mop or spritz the brisket regularly. A smoke ring is a sign that the brisket was smoked low-and-slow, and the pink smoke ring is a symbol of success to the pitmaster. The thick smoke ring around the outside edge of a slice of smoked brisket may be mistaken as partially uncooked, but not to the experienced eye.
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