Smoke Rings: Does Spritzing Make a Difference?

Ahhh, the ever-elusive smoke ring.  You’ve just spent 15 hours smoking a 14 lb. brisket.  You cannot wait to show off this beauty you have just created.  It will make the ultimate pictures for Instagram or Facebook.  You unwrap it, slice that beautiful hunk of steaming meat and……….

The mystique over how to achieve the ultimate smoke ring has long been debated and the right answer chased after by many.  We have heard of all sorts of tricks to help achieve that red ring of deliciousness (it actually has no bearing on taste), so we decided to do a little test, just to see for ourselves.  We put the theory that spritzing the meat during the smoking process would help develop a strong smoke ring.  Well, just as all experiments go, there can always be that surprise that you just were not expecting.  Did it help improve the smoke ring?  Did it make a difference at all?  Did we finally answer the question for once and for all?  You will just have to watch the whole video to find out for yourself!  The answer just may surprise you even more than it surprised us!

Directions:

1. Fill your grill with FOGO Super Premium Charcoal and prepare it for indirect cooking at 250°.
2. Coat your brisket with the salt and pepper mixture and place in the refrigerator while the grill heats up.
3. Just before putting the meat on the grill, drop 5 or 6 smoking wood chunks around the fire and let them begin to smoke.
4. Place your meats on the grill.
5. Spritz the meats every 20 minutes to ½ hour for the first part of the cook.
6. When the bark has formed and the meats are 165-170°, they are ready to wrap.  (approx. 2 hours) Wrap each piece separately in pink butchers’ paper and return them to the grill.
7. Continue to cook until the meats have reached 200°.  Begin testing the doneness by inserting a probe.  The meats are done when the probe slides in with little to no resistance at all.  The guideline is 203° but keep in mind that this is only a guideline.  The meat could be done slightly below that or over that temp.
8. Remove the meats from the grill and place them in a cooler to rest.  Place a towel over them in the cooler and closer the lid on the cooler.  Allow the meats to rest for at least one hour prior to slicing.
9. Slice the meats across the grain and see if the spritzing made a difference in the smoke ring results.