# How much smoke do you need?



## Maylar (Sep 2, 2014)

If cooking some ribs for 3-4 hrs does the smoke have to be wafting for the entire time? I've read that the smoke flavor is imparted in the first half hr or so and after that you really don't need it any more. True, or not?

Tnx


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## Bosko (Sep 2, 2014)

What type of smoker do you have....maybe you said in the other thread I forget


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## Maylar (Sep 3, 2014)

I have a cast aluminum gasser - smoke will be via wood chunks wrapped in foil. I think a 5 oz packet smokes for about 20 minutes, maybe a bit more. I can make as many of them as I need but have to open the grill to swap them out.


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## Bosko (Sep 3, 2014)

I also have a Weber gasser as a second choice grill, I put 5-6 chunks of apple right on grate and smoke the entire cooking time of the meat.
It does not matter the meat, long or slow cooking meats.

I love lots of smoke flavor:supz:


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## bigwheel (Sep 4, 2014)

The old wore out gasser I have is not real good for imparting smoke flavor. I would tend to try to keep the smoke going as much as possible. Assuming its good clean smoke of course.


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## Max1 (Sep 4, 2014)

I never go more than 3 hours of smoke on anything.


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## bigwheel (Sep 5, 2014)

Thats why your a yankee.


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## boozer (Sep 6, 2014)

bigwheel said:


> Thats why your a yankee.



Lol! Has nothing to do with him being from northern Texas,  aka Michigan?  I personally smoke everything the entire time.  Course, I do most of my cooking on a stick burner, so no smoke=no fire=no cooking.  I do know a guy with an offset stick burner that sticks a propane torch in the firebox. Every half hour or so he throws one log in front the torch flame for smoke, but the gas provides all the heat.


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## Max1 (Sep 6, 2014)

I have had meat that takes on a bitter taste when I smoked it longer, everyone is different. Just as, I do not use Hickory ever, I can't stand it.


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## boozer (Sep 7, 2014)

I never use hickory either. I prefer the milder, sweeter flavor of fruit woods (apple, mulberry,  cherry.)  Recently I had a review on yelp, it was a good review, 4 stars, but he knocked me for not having any hickory flavor, like the "real" bbq joints in KC. Apparently he's from Kansas City.  I get a lot of people from KC who feel the need to tell me that their hickory smoked bbq is the best in the world,  and proceed to dispense advice on how I need to make my bbq more like what they grew up with!  Tastes vary personally and regionally.  Also  "smokiness" is a perceived flavor, like "spiciness". Everyone's opinion is different.  Add in the fact that every bbq pit is different,  and how youre using it too. you just have wispy blue smoke coming out of the chimney,  or it's chugging smoke like an old truck with a blown head gasket, that makes a huge difference!


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## Bosko (Sep 7, 2014)

Max said:


> I never go more than 3 hours of smoke on anything.


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## bigwheel (Sep 7, 2014)

Well I like the flavor of a good hickory fire..but I love much better stuff that is cooked slow direct over S. Texas Mesquite Coals. The mesquite from North of the Brazos smells and tastes like sheet. For stick burners and tight little air starved pits...would limit myself to Oak and fruit wood..except for cherry.  N. Texas mesquite is an improvement on that stuff. Nearly all the fancy pits with automatic log lighters can be easily turned into Lazy Q's. Use a little wood if you got it. Know some old comp cooks who could do a full cookoff on two logs..lol. As to the ideal duration on exposure to smoke fire and heat. Let us not forget to plug the old Mailliard Reaction into the equation.  How much of the good stuff comes from the smoke I aint quite sure since I aint a math major. Know some old farts who think one hour of smoke it plenty. What do they know? Maillard reaction - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## bigwheel (Sep 7, 2014)

Bosko said:


>



 What is her rates? She is triggering folks gag reflexes some way.


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## bigwheel (Sep 7, 2014)

Bitter meats come from a skunky fire. Let us get a grip here.


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## Max1 (Sep 7, 2014)

Nope, I go for the wispy blue. I let my offset warm up for atleast 2 hours before I put anything on it. And it only goes on when there is the lite grey/ blue smokey goodness.


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## boozer (Sep 7, 2014)

cadillac!


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## Max1 (Sep 7, 2014)

Cardiac more like it..... Looks great though


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## boozer (Sep 8, 2014)

Max said:


> Cardiac more like it..... Looks great though



Hey, I'm not in the business of selling health food!  If my customers want a pulled pork sammitch, topped with brisket,  topped with Mac & cheese and bacon,  topped with Alabama white sauce,  then who am I to judge?  I just serve it up!


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## Bosko (Sep 8, 2014)

boozer said:


> Hey, I'm not in the business of selling health food!  If my customers want a pulled pork sammitch, topped with brisket,  topped with Mac & cheese and bacon,  topped with Alabama white sauce,  then who am I to judge?  I just serve it up!



wicked good!!


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## Max1 (Sep 10, 2014)

LoL, you are their Doctors best friend I bet!


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## boozer (Sep 10, 2014)

It always makes me chuckle to myself,   when people order something like "I'll just have an order of burnt ends, a large mac & cheese, a half rack or the spare ribs, a Cadillac sandwich,  with no bun, country beans .... and a diet coke." You got it, little lady! I don't judge!


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## bigwheel (Sep 10, 2014)

There ya go. A good follower of Dr. Adkins. Diet cokes kill folks or make them go blind and other bad symptoms. What is a Caddilac Sandwich? We dont get near Obummer motor cars if it can be helped. What is a Toyoter sandwich?
.


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## Max1 (Sep 10, 2014)

Oh shit here we go with how bad Diet POP (soda for the rest of the backwards country) is for you. Oh the aspartame is so bad for you...... LoL I have talked to many of my friends, that are doctors. Do you how much Pop you would have to ingest to bring out any of the symptoms that the "experts" are talking about. My buddy told me that you would have to ingest over 6 cases a day for 2 to 3 years to come to the tipping level, of where it would case harm to you. Not to mention, does anyone remember NutraSweet?  Well Aspritame is the same thing, they just changed the name of it. Just think about it for a minute, everything we ingest at one point or another is bad for us, that is if you ask the socalled "experts". I would rather live my life enjoying what I do, and eat. Do what makes you feel good. Just do not over do it. Excess is what gets you.


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## bigwheel (Sep 11, 2014)

You are a crazy person.


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## Max1 (Sep 11, 2014)

Thank you very much, but it does take one to know one.


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## Low-n-Slow (Sep 12, 2014)

Alot of times when you get that "bitter" flavor from smoke, it means that you are choking your flame.   The smoke should burn "clean" which means that it should be almost clear to a slightly blue tinge.  If you have billowy smoke then open your flue more and allow the oxygen to get to it.  That bad taste is a build up of carcenigens and that is not good.   

The meat will also take so much smoke.   The meat will only accept smoke when the surface is moist.  Once the surface starts to bark or dry up then it stops accepting smoke and any extra is simply a waste of wood.  If you want more smoke then keep the surface moist.   I agree though, I think too much hickory is overkill.  I like a nice smoky flavor but, I don't want it to overpower my rub or the meat itself.  In my opinion it's about balance between the 3.  

I personally like oak or pecan with some type of fruitwood.


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## boozer (Sep 14, 2014)

bigwheel said:


> There ya go. A good follower of Dr. Adkins. Diet cokes kill folks or make them go blind and other bad symptoms. What is a Caddilac Sandwich? We dont get near Obummer motor cars if it can be helped. What is a Toyoter sandwich?
> .


  The Cadillac? That would be, a pulled pork and brisket sandwich, topped with smoked mac& cheese and bacon. (top photo is a variation, "the Husker Special" burnt ends with bacon mac & cheese.)


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## bigwheel (Sep 14, 2014)

We eat the mac n cheese on the side I think. Or the kids do..lol. Looks mighty good.


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## boozer (Sep 14, 2014)

You can get it on the side too!


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## boozer (Sep 14, 2014)

BTW, each one of the photos above ^ are fan photos taken by my customers and posted online. So, if they appear better than the pics I take myself, that's why!


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## bbquzz (Sep 15, 2014)

You're killin' me Boozer however you serve it, looks great!


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## Max1 (Sep 16, 2014)

SPAM!!!!!   Lol, looks great Boozer


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## dummy que (Sep 16, 2014)

the reson peaple order a diet pop they maybe are diebetics or live with one once you stop drinking regular pop and get use to diet the regular is just to sweet an tasye like s@#@#$#@t


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## boozer (Sep 17, 2014)

Max said:


> SPAM!!!!!   Lol, looks great Boozer


 Sure! You want SPAM, I smoke SPAM all the time! This here's spam sammitches with picnic shoulder, bacon, jack cheese, and pineapple one one of them king's Hawaiian rolls with honey mustard. I call em Aloha sliders. Them hawaiian folks love them some spam. I do too, it's an acquired taste for some folks though!


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## bigwheel (Sep 17, 2014)

We love Spam. Great looking sliders.


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## boozer (Sep 18, 2014)

One thing about cooking spam, you can use your favorite pork rub, but leave out the salt and sugar.  Spices only.  Spam is already loaded with salt and sugar,  it doesn't need any more. Another trick that I do is to vac seal it or wrap it up in shrink wrap, right off the smoker, like you'd do with cheese, and for the same reason.  It gets the smoke flavor into the inside.  Then you can slice some  and grill or fry it up whenever you got the munchies.


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## Bosko (Sep 18, 2014)

Good lord I need to t in your back yard so you throw me scraps!!!pitch a ten


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## Max1 (Sep 21, 2014)

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, I meant I was spamming the post, not the pressed meat crap!!


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