just my 2 cents

cal1956 · May 19, 2015

this is just my own personnel opinion so feel free to disagree

after looking at a lot of photos here on this forum I ( in my opinion ) see a lot of meat that's over smoked , I love smoked meat but to me you can have to much of a good thing . I want to still be able to taste the actual meat and not have it taste like soot . and while I really enjoy a good bark on meat it shouldn't taste like charcoal

but I guess to each his /her own

sota d · May 19, 2015

I agree with you that too much smoke is not good. However there is a difference between too much smoke and a nice bark. I have smoked many meats that are almost black because of the bark, but they are not overcooked or oversmoked! The bark, if done correctly does not have the bitter taste of charred meat and it adds a nice texture contrast to pulled pork. Sometimes looks can be deceiving! Yes, some smoked meat you see here is dark with bark, but I've smoked and eaten enough of them that I know they taste good-so to me they look beautiful! Happy smokin', David.

joe black · May 19, 2015

I hear you, Sota. I like a good bark on a pork butt. However, as Cal said, I have seen some stuff that I can't understand how it could possibly be good. I realize that we are not professional photographers, but some of the pics we see remind me of licking a fireplace. That's my $0.02.

dirtsailor2003 · May 19, 2015

Another thought for you to ponder. Many times the reason the meat is so black has nothing to do with too much smoke or over cooking. It stems from the fact that people put to much sugar in there rubs or use sauces that contain a bunch of sugar. The sugars over Carmelite and you get the super black bark. .

cal1956 · May 19, 2015

dirtsailor2003 said:
Another thought for you to ponder. Many times the reason the meat is so black has nothing to do with too much smoke or over cooking. It stems from the fact that people put to much sugar in there rubs or use sauces that contain a bunch of sugar. The sugars over Carmelite and you get the super black bark. .

I totally agree....... waaay to much sugar

joe black · May 19, 2015

Good thought, sailor. I switched several years ago to about 80% turbinado sugar. It will withstand a much higher temp before burning.

mneeley490 · May 19, 2015

The only time I ever thought my meat was oversmoked, was when I was doing a brisket on my (cheapie) horizontal, and I underestimated the amount of charcoal I'd need. I ran out in the middle of the night, and had to burn all my hickory chunks to keep the temperature up until it finished. I started heavily modifying my horizontal shortly after that.

cal1956 · May 19, 2015

for me these ribs look just about perfect

DSCF56284.jpg

cal1956
May 19, 2015

good and smoky with a nice bark

here is what I think a pork butt should look like

smoked-butt-pork-good-580x355.jpg

cal1956
May 19, 2015

sota d · May 19, 2015

Those are certainly some great looking pieces of meat! I prefer a little more bark on my butts, but to each his own! You no doubt did a fine job of smoking there!

lawdawg72 · May 19, 2015

I like a little more bark also but it still looks very good.

cal1956 · May 19, 2015

I won't lie , these photos came from the web , but this is what mine do look like when I smoke them ( raining way to much here to be out smoking today )

but lets be honest , we all want for other people to like our end product , and I know that there are some here that are happy as pigs playing in the mud chomping

on a piece of charcoal but with that said , most people would prefer not to have to scrap the meat that's sat in front of them like a piece of burnt toast !!!!

to me smoking meat is a balancing act , the smoke , seasoning and bark/char should compliment the meat and should not be the primary flavor

we can change the flavor profile many different ways and that's good, as long as it compliments the meat and doesn't overpower it

mr t 59874 · May 19, 2015

When cold smoking my products are smoked to a desired color. When hot smoking, instead of smoking to a desired color, the actual smoking time depends entirely on the color and density of the smoke. To determine the actual amount of smoke applied by the color of the product would be too difficult if not impossible as variables such as the sugars and other ingredients in rubs, mops and glazes would disguise the actual smoke color.

2¢

Tom

oldschoolbbq · May 19, 2015

All good points and I have another ; your smoke has a lot to do with the Color/Taste . If you have a white bellowing smoke signal coming from your stack ,

you will probably have an off taste and too much 'dark' bark.

It takes some work to keep it cleaner , but the results are a better smoked meat.

200x200px-ZC-c9179ad9_bbqshots002[1] (200x200) (2)

oldschoolbbq
May 14, 2015

Ribs . . .

IMG_0012.JPG

oldschoolbbq
Sep 6, 2014

. . .

. .

200x200px-ZC-ed935da5_Betty004[1] (200x200) (2) (2

oldschoolbbq
May 14, 2015

Butt , anything you Smoke .

IMG_0003.JPG

oldschoolbbq
Sep 6, 2014

This is how the smoke should look , not White like this . ..

brisket cook 5-17-12 012.JPG

oldschoolbbq
Jul 2, 2012

It only takes a bit of work to keep it clean like this , but the proof is in the quality and taste.

Have fun and . . .

cal1956 · May 19, 2015

oldschool,

I agree , the kind of wood used will effect the overall taste and to a lesser degree the color

mr t 59874 · May 19, 2015

cal1956 said:
smoking meat is a balancing act , the smoke , seasoning and bark/char should compliment the meat and should not be the primary flavor

we can change the flavor profile many different ways and that's good, as long as it compliments the meat and doesn't overpower it

Quite correct, cal, I use smoke like salt and pepper and there are many different kinds of salt and pepper and unlimited foods it can be used on.

Tom

stickyfingers · May 19, 2015

cal1956 said:
this is just my own personnel opinion so feel free to disagree

after looking at a lot of photos here on this forum I ( in my opinion ) see a lot of meat that's over smoked , I love smoked meat but to me you can have to much of a good thing . I want to still be able to taste the actual meat and not have it taste like soot . and while I really enjoy a good bark on meat it shouldn't taste like charcoal

but I guess to each his /her own

If your food taste like soot, it maybe a problem with clean smoke. You can achieve great bark without a soot taste. But how much smoke the meat has is a personal choice. Personaly. I like the smoke taste and its why I do it....otherwise one may as well use an oven.

cal1956 · May 19, 2015

stickyfingers · May 19, 2015

cal1956 said:
"clean smoke " there is no such thing !!!!

White billowing = dirty. Thin blue = clean.

just my 2 cents

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