Smoke Ring...............

[Tony2]

Well I have been using my DBS for about a year and a half now and am no means a pro, but sure am enjoying learning and I even recently purchased a Bradley Propane Smoker to take in the RV with us. However do you guys miss the lack of a smoke ring from the Bradley? Sure would be nice to have one, to me it is kind of the visually appealing aspect of smoked food.........I keep considering purchasing a Traeger to put in the stable just for this fact.

Tony

[Habanero Smoker]

I don't miss the smoke (pink) ring. It doesn't add any flavor. Your Bradley propane smoker will produce a smoke (pink) ring.

[Gizmo]

Tony,
If you want the smoke ring and don't mind a little extra nitrite and salt entering your product which will alter the flavor slightly (not in a bad way mind you), you can sprinkle a little cure #1 or Morton's Tender Quick on the meat.  The sprinkle can be washed off before adding spice or rubs and smoking, and you will end up with a nice little ping ring around the edge of your meat.  Someone posted a picture on the forum back some time ago with a Bradley smoked meat product that had a smoke ring look, he fessed up right away.  I wish I could tell you how long the light sprinkle needed to be on the meat to penetrate and cause the chemical reaction (which is what the natural process is as well) but I don't have the experience in that to say.  I would suspect a few hours would do it.

Here is a post from Skipystu that had a fake smoke ring.  Hab busted it straight away.

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=5569.msg52365#msg52365

[Tony2]

Well I broke down and ordered a Traeger Texas Elite 075 with a 180 degree digital thermostat!  :o

lol now I have a 4 rack DBS, Bradley Propane Smoker for motorhome, and now this new beast at home!! So I will
have quite the selection of toys.............you know this is all partially your guys fault right?  ;D I can feel myself getting
fatter already!!

I will keep you all posted and wil still frequently lurk as always here!!

Tony2

[kiyotei]

what do you mean by a 180 degree thermostat?  Does that smoker only heat up to 180 max temp?

[Stickbowcrafter]

I still use my old fire powered smoker for butts, briskets and ribs. Get plenty of smoke ring all year long. My Bradley is basically a sausage king around here and any other low temp or cold smoking applications. But, like Habs said, the ring brings nothing but looks to a party where flavor is always celebrated first  ;D

Nitrates and nitrites have their place in smoked foods but I personally would not use them to just to add a "ring". Looking back over the link that Gizmo posted, the fella started his brisket in a charcoal/wood smoker to get the ring. 

-Brian

[Gizmo]

Good catch Sticks,
I looked up that post to fast.  I remember someone posting a thread where they did use TQ for a fake ring.  I should have continued looking through that post before including it and found the correct one. 

[Stickbowcrafter]

No problem Giz. I just get real nervous when it comes to nitrates and nitrites. I've read countless references and inquired with knowledgable people about the subject and I've never gotten the same answers twice. Even opinions in the medical community differ on the effects of nitrates and nitrites on the body. That's why I stick with only tried and true recipes involving the stuff. Most are in agreement that low levels of the stuff in moderation are safe and that most of it is "cooked out" of the products that contain it. But you still have to be careful with the application and storage of it.

-Brian

[NH Engineer]

So why exactly doesnt the bradley leave a smoke ring?I just purchased my bradley over the past weekend and the ribs came out great.But was just curious as to why there isnt the ring.
                           Mark

[CLAREGO]

aint 100% sure i know it dills with the reaction with charcoal and drippings its science lol someone will respond i will be sure of it. i got a little smoke ring with adding charcoal and brining a butt once using the bs

[iceman]

Hope this explains things NH. CP from another site.

Smoke Ring in Barbeque Meats
How to Get That Coveted Pink Ring With Your Cooking
by Joe Cordray

Slow cooked barbecue meats often exhibit a pink ring around the outside edge of the product. This pink ring may range from 1/8 inch to 1/2 inch thick. In beef the ring is a reddish-pink and in pork, chicken and turkey it is bright pink. This pink ring is often referred to as a "smoke ring" and is considered a prized attribute in many barbecue meats, especially barbecue beef briskets. Barbecue connoiseurs feel the presence of a smoke ring indicates the item was slow smoked for a long period of time. Occasionally consumers have mistakenly felt that the pink color of the smoke ring meant the meat was undercooked. To understand smoke ring formation you must first understand muscle pigment.

Myoglobin is the pigment that gives muscle its color. Beef muscle has more pigment than pork muscle thus beef has a darker color than pork. Chicken thighs have a darker color than chicken breast thus chicken thigh muscle has more muscle pigment (myoglobin) than chicken breast tissue. A greater myoglobin concentration yields a more intense color. When you first cut into a muscle you expose the muscle pigment in its native state, myoglobin. In the case of beef, myoglobin has a purplish-red color. After the myoglobin has been exposed to oxygen for a short time, it becomes oxygenated and oxymyoglobin is formed. Oxymyoglobin is the color we associate with fresh meat. The optimum fresh meat color in beef is bright cherry red and in pork bright grayish pink. If a cut of meat is held under refrigeration for several days, the myoglobin on the surface becomes oxidized. When oxymyoglobin is oxidized it becomes metmyoglobin. Metmyoglobin has a brown color and is associated with a piece of meat that has been cut for several days. When we produce cured products we also alter the state of the pigment myoglobin. Cured products are defined as products to which we add sodium nitrate and/or sodium nitrite during processing. Examples of cured products are ham, bacon, bologna and hotdogs. All of these products have a pink color, which is typical of cured products. When sodium nitrite is combined with meat the pigment myoglobin is converted to nitric oxide myoglobin which is a very dark red color. This state of the pigment myoglobin is not very stable. Upon heating, nitric oxide myoglobin is converted to nitrosylhemochrome, which is the typical pink color of cured meats.
When a smoke ring develops in barbecue meats it is not because smoke has penetrated and colored the muscle, but rather because gases in the smoke interact with the pigment myoglobin. Two phenomenon provide evidence that it is not the smoke itself that causes the smoke ring. First, it is possible to have a smoke ring develop in a product that has not been smoked and second, it is also possible to heavily smoke a product without smoke ring development.

Most barbecuers use either wood chips or logs to generate smoke when cooking. Wood contains large amounts of nitrogen (N). During burning the nitrogen in the logs combines with oxygen (O) in the air to form nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Nitrogen dioxide is highly water-soluble. The pink ring is created when NO2 is absorbed into the moist meat surface and reacts to form nitrous acid. The nitrous acid then diffuses inward creating a pink ring via the classic meat curing reaction of sodium nitrite. The end result is a "smoke ring" that has the pink color of cured meat. Smoke ring also frequently develops in smokehouses and cookers that are gas-fired because NO2 is a combustion by-product when natural gas or propane is burned.

Let's review the conditions that would help to contribute to the development of a smoke ring. Slow cooking and smoking over several hours. This allows time for the NO2 to be absorbed into and interact with the meat pigment.

Maintain the surface of the meat moist during smoking. NO2 is water-soluble so it absorbs more readily into a piece of meat that has a moist surface than one which has a dry surface. Meats that have been marinated tend to have a moister surface than non-marinated meats. There are also a couple of ways that you can help to maintain a higher humidity level in your cooker; 1. Do not open and close the cooker frequently. Each time you open it you allow moisture inside to escape. 2. Put a pan of water on your grill. Evaporation from the water will help increase humidity inside the cooker.

Generate smoke from the burning of wood chips or wood logs. Since NO2 is a by-product of incomplete combustion, green wood or wetted wood seems to enhance smoke ring development. Burning green wood or wetted wood also helps to increase the humidity level inside the cooker.
A high temperature flame is needed to create NO2 from nitrogen and oxygen. A smoldering fire without a flame does not produce as much NO2. Consequently, a cooker that uses indirect heat generated from the burning of wood typically will develop a pronounced smoke ring. Have fun cooking. A nice smoke ring can sure make a piece of barbecued meat look attractive.

About the Author:

Joe Cordray is the Meat Extension Specialist at Iowa State University's nationally renowned Meat Lab, located in Ames, IA. He has been writing

[Habanero Smoker]

In addition, I have been doing some research on the theory that many barbeque's state that after 140°F smoke penetration stops. First I've always stated there is smoke penetration, and there is smoke adhesion. If the 140°F is true, I still say smoke will continue to adhere to the surface of the meat.

What does this have to do with a "smoke ring" or "pink ring". According to a couple of sources, it seems that once the meat reaches 140°, "smoke ring" can not be created. Since many associate the "smoke ring" being caused by smoke, this may be the basis of that theory, though this theory can still be true.

The theory that after 140°F a "smoke ring" cannot be produced seems to make sense, because sodium nitrite in cures gases out at 135°F, and both are similar in their chemical reaction.

[West Coast Kansan]

So then, that is why I like this place so much.  The Q&A is awesome.  :D

[NH Engineer]

Thank you folks for your response on this topic.I am glad i found this website, there is so much info here it simply amazes me i did not find it sooner.
                                 Thanks once again,
                                                          Mark

[Arcs_n_Sparks]

NH Engineer,

Welcome. Glad to have what appears to be another engineer on the site.

Arcs_n_Sparks