Smoking Fundamentals Revisited - August 2006 Newsletter

Welcome to the August edition of the Smoking Meat newsletter.. it has been so hot here that the armadillos are packing up and moving north. I have to admit that with the 105+ degree temperatures over the last month, I have not felt like doing a whole lot of smoking. I still do some but it is one of those things where I run outside to check the meat and then run back in as quickly as possible. It is just not as fun when you feel like your body is cooking right along with the meat.

Personally, I would rather smoke meat when the snow is flying rather than being out there in this extreme heat.

Anyway.. enough complaining.

Here is the lineup for this edition.. enjoy!

• Smoking Fundamentals
• Barbecue Competition Calendar
• Featured Products
• Joke of the Month

Smoking Fundamentals.. Smoke, Airflow, Wood, Etc.

I have had so many questions concerning how much smoke is needed and how much wood chips or chunks to use and I thought I would address these basics in this newsletter.

There are certain fundamentals that need to be learned in order to produce great smoked meat and this is one of them.

First you must understand the physics behind what is good smoke and what is bad smoke.. bad smoke is produced when there is inadequate airflow and the smoke is allowed to sit still in the smoker instead of flowing through the smoker.

This is the importance of having an intake and a damper on the smoker. Some smokers like the smaller bullet type smokers do not have adequate airflow when you buy them from the store and this is what all of the various modifications serve to correct.

Most smokers that work well will have a way for the fire to pull air into the smoker and then a place for the smoke to exit freely.

When smoke is allowed to just sit in the smoker and the airflow is not adequate for keeping things moving, creosote will begin to form on the meat.

Creosote is a chemical which is bitter tasting and will even make the tongue feel a bit numb.

I have folks email me all of the time about bitter tasting meat.. I can usually pinpoint the problem as lack of adequate airflow in, around and out of the smoker.

As far as smoke and how much wood to use.. this is a matter of how big your smoker is. Ideally, you are looking for a thin plume of smoke to be coming from the smoker. Sometimes it will be almost so faint that you can barely see it but that will usually be about right for that smoky flavor.

It also depends on what type of wood you are using since some woods produce mild flavors while others produce rather strong flavors.

Alder is probably one of the mildest woods I know and it works so well with fish.. a strong flavored wood would be mesquite or perhaps hickory for ribs, brisket and most other large cuts of meat.

I like to apply smoke for about 1/3 to 1/2 of the cook time for a nice smoke ring and great flavor.. I do know that some folks apply smoke throughout the entire smoking process on pork butt, ribs, etc. but I do not recommend that while you are learning.

I recommend keeping a log of each smoke and write down things like weather, type of meat, type of wood used, intake and damper settings, etc. and this will allow you to make changes the next time if you feel that changes would be an improvement.

For instance, you may decide that the meat is not smoky enough so perhaps the next time you would apply smoke a little longer and maybe even close the damper from 3/4 to 1/2 way to allow the smoke a little more exposure onto the meat.

I have a page on the website that addresses various types of woods and tells what the flavor is like and even recommends the type of meat that it is best for. These are good recommendations but be sure to think outside of the box and experiment a little to find your own favorites.

The last thing I want to point out is that the age of the wood also matters.

You should never use green wood in your smoker.. this is wood that is freshly cut and has not been allowed to season in the dry for at least 6 months.

Wood that is 6 months on up to a couple of years old is ok but once wood starts getting older than about 2 years it begins to deteriorate, has usually lost a lot of its flavor and will catch fire way too easy to make good smoking wood.

September 2006 BBQ Competitions

09/01 - 09/02
Taylor, AZ
State Championship
Corn & Que AZ State BBQ Championship
Contact: Aaron or Shanna Shreeve, 2532 N. Horne, Mesa, AZ 85206
Phone: 480-329-8728 or 480-329-8729 Fax: 602-220-1193
E-mail: smokinabbq@cox.net
KCBS Reps: Grant Ford, Jeni Ford

09/01 - 09/02
McPherson, KS
State Championship
When Pigs Fly
Contact: Jennifer Burch, 306 N. Main/PO Box 616, McPherson, KS 67460
Phone: 620-241-3303 Fax: 620-241-8708
E-mail: jennifer@mcphersonks.org
KCBS Reps: Hugh Van Deursen, Leslie Van Deursen

09/01 - 09/02
Superior, WI
State Championship
Haugfest
Contact: Tracy Mandelin, 205 Belknap Street, Superior, WI 54880
Phone: 715-394-7716 Fax: 715-394-3810
E-mail: tracym@superiorchamber.org
KCBS Reps: Art McLeran, Ken Nelson

09/03 - 09/04
Florence, KS
State Championship
Florence Labor Day BBQ Cookoff
Contact: Les Allison, 1071 Xavier Road, Florence, KS 66851
Phone: 620-878-4310
E-mail: lesallison@kans.com
KCBS Reps: Clara Williams, Jon Williams

Please go to www.kcbs.us for over 30 more competitions scheduled in the month of August. If you know of other competitions, KCBS sanctioned or otherwise, please drop me an email at least 2 months in advance and I will add it to the list.

Questions and Answers

Every day I receive tons of email from all of you and while I try to answer as many as possible, there are just not enough hours in my day to answer all of them. If you have an urgent question that needs to be answered and I do not respond in a timely fashion just realize that I am probably soaking my fingers to relieve the soreness from all of the typing.

A great alternative is to ask the question at SmokingMeatForums.com where I have the utmost faith in the members to give you high quality and thorough answers.

Share This Newsletter

Be sure to share this newsletter with all of your friends.. send it to them and tell them how to subscribe for themselves at http://www.smoking-meat.com/subscribe.html and they will thank you time and time again.

Jeff's Naked Rib Rub and BBQ Sauce Recipes

If you are truly serious about barbecue and cooking outdoors for family and friends then you need my rub and sauce recipes. It is the two tools that you absolutely need in your barbecue toolbox and the are the second most important investment next to your smoker in my opinion and lots of folks agree.

Thank you Jake for those words of wisdom! Those recipes are a result of my passion for barbecue and smoked meat and I am only too happy to hear that they were a huge success at your house.

If you would like to experience these recipes for yourself (and you should) simply click the link below to read more testimonies or click here to go ahead and order.

Note: This is an immediate download which means just as soon as you order you should receive a download link within minutes.

Note: Please email me right away if you do not receive an email within just a few minutes of ordering so I can jump into action and find out what is going on.

I have an outside company that handles this for me and I have to keep them on their toes.. my goal is 100% satisfaction and I won't be satisfied until you are. I promise.

Read Testimonies

Joke of the Month

Every month I feature a joke from the joke section of the forum at smokingmeatforums.com and this one is great.. I love it! I think you will enjoy it as well.

"Abbot and Costello 101"

COSTELLO CALLS TO BUY A COMPUTER
FROM ABBOTT

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I
help you?

COSTELLO: Thanks. I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou.

ABBOTT: Your computer?

COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou.

ABBOTT: What about Windows?

COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here?

ABBOTT: Do you want a computer with
Windows?

COSTELLO: I don't know. What will I see when I
look at the windows?

ABBOTT: Wallpaper.

COSTELLO: Never mind the windows. I need a
computer and software.

ABBOTT: Software for Windows?

COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need
something I can use to write proposals, track expenses and run my business. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you
recommend anything?

ABBOTT: I just did.

COSTELLO: You just did what?

ABBOTT: Recommend something.

COSTELLO: You recommended something?

ABBOTT: Yes.

COSTELLO: For my office?

ABBOTT: Yes.

COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my office?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yes, for my office!

ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows.

COSTELLO: I already have an office with
windows! OK, let's just say I'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal.
What do I need?

ABBOTT: Word.

COSTELLO: What word?

ABBOTT: Word in Office.

COSTELLO: The only word in office is office.

ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.

COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows?

ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click
the blue "W".

COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue "W" if
you don't start with some straight answers!
What about financial. You have anything I can track my money?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: That's right. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: I need money to track my money?

ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your
computer.

COSTELLO: What's bundled with my computer?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer?

ABBOTT: Yes. No extra charge.

COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my
computer? How much?

ABBOTT: One copy.

COSTELLO: Isn't it illegal to copy money?

ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to
copy Money.

COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy
money?

ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT!


A few days later . . . . . . .

ABBOTT: Super Duper Computer Store. Can I
help you?

COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off?

ABBOTT: Click on "START" !!!!!

Submitted by peter at SmokingMeatForums.com

Thanks Larry and all of you who submit jokes into the jokes section of SmokingMeatForums.com .. we all get a great laugh out of them and it makes our days a little better.

Thank You for Supporting Smoking-Meat.com!

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Every time you purchase one of our excellent products it helps pay for the hosting and domain to provide this service to you.

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Have a Wonderful Day and Keep Smoking (meat that is)!!!

Jeff Phillips
Pitmaster/Webmaster
www.Smoking-Meat.com
www.SmokingMeatForums.com

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