Smoked Meat Too Dark
Q: All my meats are black when done. Is the smoke, or natural, or can I stop this somehow? Maybe wrapping w/foil. We want the meat to look not so dark. Is this possible?
A: It really depends on what type of meat you are referring to.. brisket and pork shoulder will almost always be very dark because of the long times in the smoker. Chicken and turkey on the other hand will be golden brown and not burnt looking at all.
It could also mean that creosote is forming on your meat and that is not a good thing.. creosote formation is usually the result of not enough airflow through and out of your smoker.
You have not divulged the type of smoker you have but if you have a smoker that has vents to control the airflow then I recommend you open the vent/intake next to the fire to at least 1/2 open and the vent that is on the chimney or away from the firebox where the smoke exits to at least 3/4 open.
It could also mean that you are using green wood.. this will creote a black greasy coating on your meat and in your smoker and is not healthy or tasty.
Make sure any wood you use is seasoned at least 6 months before use.
Another thing that comes to mind is that the meat is being charred by too much radiant heat.. horizontal smokers have a tendency to have a lot of radiant heat right where the heat enters the smoke chamber from the firebox.
If you have this type of smoker, I recommend you place your meat at the far end away from the firebox to all convection heat to cook your meat while it smokes instead of radiant heat by being too close to the firebox.
You can wrap your meat in foil, that is absolutely acceptable. I have found that most meat has plenty of smoke by the time it reaches about 140 degrees or so. This is usually about half way through the cooking process. I do not recommend wrapping poultry but brisket, pork shoulder, ribs, etc. can be wrapped just fine for a few hours to prevent over darkening of the outside of the meat.
Visit Smoking-Meat.com and WYNTK.us for hundreds of great tutorials and guides on smoking meat.
The Technorati Tag for this post is Meat Too Dark
Jeff's Naked Rib Rub and BBQ Sauce Recipes.. a religious experience! Make everyone think you're a pro (even if you're not!)
A: It really depends on what type of meat you are referring to.. brisket and pork shoulder will almost always be very dark because of the long times in the smoker. Chicken and turkey on the other hand will be golden brown and not burnt looking at all.
It could also mean that creosote is forming on your meat and that is not a good thing.. creosote formation is usually the result of not enough airflow through and out of your smoker.
You have not divulged the type of smoker you have but if you have a smoker that has vents to control the airflow then I recommend you open the vent/intake next to the fire to at least 1/2 open and the vent that is on the chimney or away from the firebox where the smoke exits to at least 3/4 open.
It could also mean that you are using green wood.. this will creote a black greasy coating on your meat and in your smoker and is not healthy or tasty.
Make sure any wood you use is seasoned at least 6 months before use.
Another thing that comes to mind is that the meat is being charred by too much radiant heat.. horizontal smokers have a tendency to have a lot of radiant heat right where the heat enters the smoke chamber from the firebox.
If you have this type of smoker, I recommend you place your meat at the far end away from the firebox to all convection heat to cook your meat while it smokes instead of radiant heat by being too close to the firebox.
You can wrap your meat in foil, that is absolutely acceptable. I have found that most meat has plenty of smoke by the time it reaches about 140 degrees or so. This is usually about half way through the cooking process. I do not recommend wrapping poultry but brisket, pork shoulder, ribs, etc. can be wrapped just fine for a few hours to prevent over darkening of the outside of the meat.
Visit Smoking-Meat.com and WYNTK.us for hundreds of great tutorials and guides on smoking meat.
The Technorati Tag for this post is Meat Too Dark
Jeff's Naked Rib Rub and BBQ Sauce Recipes.. a religious experience! Make everyone think you're a pro (even if you're not!)
posted by Jeff at 12:38 AM
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