Howto Get a Good Smoke Ring | Barbecue Tricks

[@whatsfordinner21]

I built my own smoker over the time everybody has been in lockdown. Broke it in today. Made pulled pork. Did it using random split logs, regular offset 250 F. Smoked it for 4 hours and when it had a nice bark I wrapped it, smoked it for another 3 hours. it was small, had it probed at 205. When I shredded it after letting it rest for 40 mins, it had a really nice smoke ring about 1/4 inch thick. best looking pulled pork I have ever made.

[@trippmiller6199]

In my experience the best smoke ring occurs when you place the meat cold as possible right on smoker.

[@BBQGuys]

Nice video, that bbq b-roll is making me hungry!

[@Kris-nk9mz]

So the key elements to take away from this are: trim off the fat, go with a low temp, use a stable consistent heat source, keep it moist, and smoke from real wood helps in the chemical reaction process. That's good stuff to know. Good video, I liked it.

[@Sconi71]

According to Aaron Franklin, the starting temp of the meat is more responsible for the smoke ring than anything else and a nice ring is not always an indication of good flavor.

[@petergriffinson1907]

Can you give a link? I wanna know more.

[@njgrplr2007]

Buy his book: Franklin Barbecue, A Meat-Smoking Manifesto.

[@easybackyardbbq]

The easiest and best way to get smoke ring use cherry wood. I've never had any issues getting a smoke ring. I cook hot and fast and very easy to get a smoke ring. Thanks

[@HeetXS]

You could make boots out of that meat. This dude has to be from up north.

[@danyancey]

I'm from up north(Midwest) and I definitely don't cook my meat that way so we kindly reject this guy to the north west lol

[@traceyevans2757]

The meat is cold so it looks dry. It isn’t, though. Hopefully you’ve learned that in the last 6 years

[@donpettinger8079]

Nice video. The only point I would disagree with is how popular Traegar's are in the competition world. I see a ton of Yoders out there both wood and pellet very few Traegars in comparison. Traegars are good in the backyard world because of the low price point compared to Yoder Wood or Pellet. Thanks for the good video. Keep them coming.

[@BarbecueTricks]

Appreciate the input Don!!

[@aanarchist]

How do you apply the tender quick? How long do you let it stay on the meat? do you wash it off?

[@caboose1289]

To anyone considering getting a Traeger: Get a Green Mountain Grill instead. They are built a lot better, have thicker steel, and cost a lot less. When I found out that Traeger brand pellets are just 100% alder with hickory or mesquite flavor oils (no actual hickory or mesquite wood), I realized what kind of company they really are.

[@MrPvtdeath]

Are gmg pellets different?

[@TravisBiggie]

i stopped spritzing after years of smoking.... smoke rings sitll strong as can be... just do it low and slow.. i like 180-200f... allows me to get away without spritzing, and yes, most tender bbq ive made! aluminum for pork, butcher paper for beef!

[@dcj-bz4on]

This idea changed the brisket game for me. Overnight BRINE the brisket in 1 cup Morton’s Tender quick. 12 oz molasses and enough water to dissolve & cover. Then follow your typical smoking process. Turns out AMAZING. And the smoke ring looks like a meaty bullseye.

[@sprintguy100]

When all else fails.... A Sharpy works just fine thank you.

[@gardini100]

i have a weber kettle so no need for a fake smoke ring :)..but i understand and it sure looks good ,,would love one of them Traegers to great for bigger events and the food from them taste real good

[@getoutandgrill]

Very informative Bill, Didn't know about the celery salt trick.

[@tixximmi1]

What do they use to bind the wood pellets? Real wood is real wood. All the high-end BBQ places here in Austin would never use wood pellets.

[@killrb13]

The pellets are wood just like anything else. It's just prsssed. The form doesn't mean jack.

[@gvc56100]

nice smoke ring but the meat looks so dry in the opening and closing shots ......

[@matth8469]

+Guy sr well, it was a smoke ring tip not a moisture tip....why bring negativity to the man trying to help those who arent as great as the epic Guy sr....?....post your videos and lets see the greatness

[@gvc56100]

grow up and deal with creative criticism..whats the point of showing how to get a smoke ring if you're going to dry out the meat?

[@matth8469]

+Guy sr does this mean we dont get videos of your greatness?

[@Fluterra]

Guy Mooglie with a Kamado it wouldn't try out the meat. And no fake temp control.

[@keilanidakoala351]

what wood do they use at carnivals

[@honestnewsnet]

Amazing smoke ring!

[@Anthony-um9gr]

Meat looks well done and tough :(

[@tangojoe9694]

Cool video Bill. Been using more celery seed in my rubs and never new about the nitrate qualities!

[@SouthernCoastalCookingTM]

Tango Joe Great idea Joe . I will try celery seed as well

[@MrTonyrod68]

Use red paprika, it tastes great and seeps in the meat and makes the best smoke ring ever. use natural wood low and slow. Rub down your meat with Paprika fist then top it with 80% pepper 20% sea salt. Best you ever had!!!!

[@ScottysBackYardBBQ]

paprika has no flavor

[@mitbbew6901]

There is nothing wrong with a pellet smoker. Not everyone can sit and tend to a fire 7 to 12 hours at a time. For a back yard bbq for people who have day jobs they are pretty cool and produce delicious meat.

[@rapinbatches]

Anyone can tend a fire if they are willing to put in the work. I have a fulltime job and I use a stick burner in my back yard several times a month. Pellet smokers are for people who dont know how to bbq but want the smoke flavor, or they just want the easy way out.

[@rmotta81]

or for people that want to smoke and have a life and have nothing to try to prove to people by working the harder route :) @@rapinbatches

[@HobiesGarageBBQ]

@@rapinbatches Agreed Rafael. I don't even have a pellet smoker. But there's nothing wrong with them. Nothing wrong with an air fryer. Or a crock-pot, or a microwave. A pellet smoker is just another in a near countless number of ways to cook. rapinbatches? Stop pretending to be an elitist gatekeeper of smoking standards. No one thinks you're that important or talented or needs you running around the internet telling people your preferred way is the only and best way. The reason you should stop doing this is not because you hurt anyone ones feelings - you don't. Or because you come off as an asshole - you don't. You should stop because you're being laughed at as someone whose priorities are out of order. If you can take the time to write how someone isn't cooking right on KZbin, of *course* you have the time to tend smoking meat for seven hours. Other people have lives. Stop being a joke. I'm embarrassed for you.

[@danielploy9143]

@@rapinbatches hahahahahahahaha and some more hahahahahahahahas.

[@josephnicholson2593]

Brought to you by Traeger

[@SouthernCoastalCookingTM]

How much tender Quick do you add to the Rub?

[@txholeyrocks]

It contains MSG, so I think you ought to look into it if your anything of knowledgeable and healthy minded.

[@IlanFritzlerswagmaster]

Zak White yo zak stfu msg is harmless

[@richlopez4466]

@@txholeyrocks There's nothing wrong with MSG

[@danielploy9143]

@@txholeyrocks msg was in the Doritos you had recently if you can believe that, matter a fact it’s in soo many processed foods these days under many different names.

[@85ddrummer]

I've got the smoke ring numerous times without actual wood smoke, only hear from briquettes. I also run at 275+ a lot of the time and consistently get a ring

[@BarbecueTricks]

Yes briquettes work better than lump charcoal

[@Stittsy1963]

Was that the Texas Pro or the Little Pro you used in this video?

[@BarbecueTricks]

Texas Pro

[@markbusch1252]

I usually refrain from cheating.

[@rbagboyz]

is this a commercial for Trayger

[@cksteele]

Smoke ring is nice but it's purely cosmetic I remember reading Aaron Franklin said he doesn't care about it. Some days he said it's really pronounced others it's not but he never tries to achieve one on purpose

[@SOLDOZER]

Aaron Fraklin is an idiot.

[@en2oh]

@@SOLDOZER said by Damage, Inc? He has a lot more street cred than you, wouldn't you say?

[@Gquebbqco]

Good overview!

[@BarbecueTricks]

Appreciate that... Thx for watching

[@rickydeez7251]

Just cant imagine using one of them pellet cookers, feels like im cheating my family and friends out of the love i give from smoking the old fashion way. It takes all the fun away from the finished product. Us real Oklahoman Country boys like taking the time working to get are unprocessed wood the old fashion way and hand splitting it to size, and taking are sweet time to build a fire. Watching the flame burn bright and high injoying what nature offers with a nice cold one in my hand. Feel the love baby.

[@jowens2706]

Low an slow is key for many hours 🍻

[@barfyspitz]

I'm surprised they allow pellet smoker's in competition. I've never seen one allowed before in the barbecue cook offs I competed in. It's not much of a challenge twisting a dial and adding wood pellets to a hopper.

[@BarbecueTricks]

I thought that was interesting as well... I'm pretty sure it's OK by KCBS rules unless something changed

[@barfyspitz]

+BarbecueTricks true... I've read a few of professionals are using them. It seems to me that they are reserved mostly for newcomers who haven't yet mastered the art of cooking on stick burners, or people that don't want to tend the pit for hours. I Imagine they're very convenient. I have a friend who cant cook on wood or charcoal. He burns it, under cooks it, or dries it out. But on his first try with his electric smoker he did a pretty good job. However, It doesn't taste or smell as good as a stick burner.

[@gardini100]

they never get that smoke house flavor

[@rlockwood88]

Pellet smokers seem to get all of the same flavors as stick burning does as long as you choose real wood pellets from what I've noticed.

[@lughfiregod16]

Never knew it was the Nitrites that caused it. Cool to know. :)

[@BarbecueTricks]

Thanks for watching Jane

[@billmcquay4530]

pink salt gives a really good smoke ring also

[@jeremiahallen116]

He's talking about Pink Curing Salt #1 AKA Prague Powder or Quick Cure, not Himalayan salt. It's actually Nitrite and salt. The pink is dye added so that you don't confuse it with regular salt...ingesting pure Nitrite can kill you.

[@en2oh]

pink salt gives a ring because of the presence of nitrates and nitrites. It is only the proportions that really differ here.

[@BarbecueTricks]

I’ve heard that too... and Fab

[@mmezameza1891]

What cut of meat was the big pieces...

[@BarbecueTricks]

From what I recall this was all brisket- but there may have been pork shoulder “butts too

[@smokehousesyndicateseattle3998]

Lost me with Traeger...pellet grill...smh. Easy with a pellet grill.

[@fcbarca1019]

what is that first piece of meat he is cutting??

[@davidbergin6184]

fcbarca1019 Looked like a brisket flat to me.

[@chrisg2739]

Smoke ring is just cosmetic, I don’t know why people get so worked up about it.

[@BarbecueTricks]

I totally agree - but everyo talks about it!

[@chrisg2739]

BarbecueTricks oh I know.

[@chrisg2739]

BarbecueTricks what’s wild is a smoke ring isn’t even on the checklist for judges in KCBS. What I do wonder is the smoke flavor is in the area of the smoke ring but you can have smoke flavor without the presence of a pronounced smoke ring.

[@tomb5709]

Smoke rings at the beginning looks like it was made by soaking in a nitrate solution...

[@chrisg2739]

Tom B using celery powder is a cheap way to get a ring. The ring really means nothing except the meat was smoked. It’s no indication of flavor at all.

[@bettyescookingchannel]

The meat looks delicious.

[@tedbaxter5234]

I thought I was going to watch a cooking video - nope, Traeger Commercial.

[@jaredbaker5887]

why does it look so dry?

[@raydog99guti18]

If you need a pit to keep the temperature steady for you. Your not cooking! Your just putting meat in the smoker and the smoker is doing the cooking.

[@simon199418]

Wood charcoal + moisture = awesomeness in my experience

[@fktahoe]

RecTec 😁👍👍👍

[@lucky5th2]

real wood...that's been glued together

[@BarbecueTricks]

+lucky5th2 I believe there are no added binders with the pellets... But I could be wrong

[@lucky5th2]

"The high pressure of the press causes the temperature of the wood to increase greatly, and the lignin plasticizes slightly, forming a natural "glue" that holds the pellet together as it cools." guess I was wrong, sorry.

[@hiromikami]

Yes, no glue required just heat and compression. I worked at a wood pellet plant and sometimes the die that the wood dust is pressed through gets plugged up. When one of those jammed pellets finally come through, they're beyond plasticity and hard as rock almost like black glass.

[@jeremiahallen116]

Booooo!!! That's not a smoke ring, that's a cure ring you cheater! And no....Hell no!! No "professional" pit master would use a pellet smoker for competition.

[@BarbecueTricks]

+Jeremiah Allen I agree... it's a cure ring and a "cheat"... but HAVE seen plenty of competition cooks using pellet smokers.

[@jeremiahallen116]

I cannot refute that you may have seen "competitors" using them, but a professional? Someone that has won serious money on the circuit? That I find hard to believe. However, just because I haven't seen it myself, that does not discount the possibility.....so I'll cede that point to you.

[@rlockwood88]

Many of the professionals are using pellet smokers. Have been for a while. 6 of the top 12 at KCBS were pellet smokers.

[@chrisg2739]

Jeremiah Allen yep, lots of pros are using pellet gravity fed smokers as well. Same as some use big green eggs and some use Weber kettles.

[@gvc56100]

I don't make videos, I cook....

[@billwestbs]

By the way that Traeger is outta this world great...

[@landonpike5489]

"real wood''?? are you kidding me?

[@smokehousesyndicateseattle3998]

Exactly 😂 that is not wood.

[@deepwaterbg]

Looks dry AF

[@BarbecueTricks]

🥩 See the New Book -> amzn.to/32uValC

[@patriotcontainers4349]

Pellet grills suck, its for lazy cooks! Use charcoal & real wood chunks, the difference is mind blowing.

[@BarbecueTricks]

What kind of charcoal do you like?

[@rlockwood88]

Charcoal bbq tastes like shit.

[@danielmiller6871]

That looks like shoe leather. Come on man!

[@genel9456]

That's not real wood. That's dog food.

[@rbagboyz]

set it and forget it !! now go to sleep and wake up done

[@danielploy9143]

Possible to get a auger or hopper fire. Should never leave a easy bake oven unattended. These fires are real and do happen. Maybe not today or tomorrow but they do happen.

[@SandySembarang]

Make me hungry :(

[@raleighguy4670]

That is not real wood. That is plastic coated particleboard.

[@EATBLKBOX]

Brisket looks dry :(

[@BarbecueTricks]

I believe slicing at open was cold... So may not see juices

[@AZ-gw8un]

A traeger? Haha what amateur. Plug and go buddy.

[@joe1969812]

A smoke ring means shit

[@MrStingray186]

Way too dry looking meat would taste like saw dust sorry. My smoked meats are succulent and juicy by tried and true technique ...... sry smoke ring has nothing to do with taste.

[@squid435]

to much of smoke a smoke ring

[@grussem]

+squid435 How can there be "too much" of a smoke ring?

[@grussem]

Not true. The smoke ring does not correlate to how much wood you use. You can over smoke something and have no smoke ring at all.

[@kprowler]

"to much of smoke a smoke ring" Said absolutely no one. ever.

[@tyl4045]

You lost credibility when you said traeger, sorry man.

[@RobSchoenfeld]

Pellet cookers are lame and insulting to the trade.

[@209zombiekilla4]

I agree with u Insulting af

[@grahampenninger7970]

This is a shame. Teaching people to set it and forget it AND fake the smoke ring? Awful. Explains that dry ass brisket though...

[@sudhakararigela9419]

Rob Schoenfeld

[@marvintyson]

I had one, ditched that shit after a year and bought myself a Lang stick burner.

[@jw4295]

Haha! That brisket was dry. He used that nitrite nitrate on it

[@johnsanchez5484]

You only need to cheat a smoke ring if you cant get yourself. So sad!

[@baileymoto]

+John Sanchez Which is why the smoke ring is complete BS. Really efficient cookers (like a smaller Kamado) will almost never create a smoke ring, yet the meat comes out just as tender, juicy, and smokey. IMO, smoke rings should be eliminated completely when it comes to judging competition cooks.

[@johnsanchez5484]

I couldn't agree more!

[@grussem]

+Mile High V I beg to differ. I use a Big Green Egg and have never had any issues getting a really good smoke ring. I use lump charcoal for fuel and throw a couple of chunks (not chips) of wood on as well (type of wood depends on what I'm cooking). With that being said, I do agree they don't mean much as you can easily create a fake one using nitrates and they don't change the flavor at all.

[@johnsanchez5484]

Don't forget that the type of smoker you use makes a big difference. Big Green Egg is not a cheap off set smoker

[@buzzkillington4060]

The only thing you have accomplished with a pellet cooker is putting the meat in it and setting a dial! It's like calling yourself a mechanic because you took your car to the shop! I'll stick with my Oklahoma Joes! And real wood LOGS!

[@homerbethany3148]

you need to get your Real BBQ Pit that pellet pit that is for beginners you are not a real barbecue or unless you have a real BBQ Pit you might as well go put your meat into the oven