Way over smoked meats

[grumpyoldman]

i often see pictures of smoked meat , boston butts . briskets and such and the people that smoked them are so proud that they smoked it _______ number of hours and rave about the bark on the meat ...when in fact it looks like you dug through the ashes of a house fire and found it
i totally understand about the bark on meat being very good ( i like it ) but there is a limit to it , but these people will tell you that there is no such thing as over smoked meat , i on the other hand refuse to eat any meat that has been smoked to death ,
i have found that i can smoke briskest or pork butts in roughly 8-9 hours and have a beautiful tasty bark on it , without it being black
yet my son is one of those people that just refuse to smoke a brisket for less that 16-18 hours , maybe they like the crunch and taste meat that has turned to ash ...anyway i'll never understand it

 

[caseydog]

It is hard to over-smoke a pork shoulder/butt. The smoke only penetrates a certain amount into a cut of meat like that. The cooking time for me is based on when the inter-muscular fat has rendered properly. For me, it is done when a skewer can slide into the meat with little resistance.

Other meats, like chicken, are smoke sponges, so I go easy on the smoke. The same is true of smoked meatloaf (a favorite of mine). It is somewhat of a smoke sponge, too.

For ribs, I may only use smoke wood chunks for the first hour or two, and then finish the cook with just heat.

CD

 

[grumpyoldman]

now i ask you , would you want to be served a peice of meat that looked like it just came out of a house fire ? i think not !!

 

[TastyReuben]

now i ask you , would you want to be served a peice of meat that looked like it just came out of a house fire ? i think not !!

Question: do you ever eat blackened steaks, or would that be too far gone as well?

 

[grumpyoldman]

seared yes , black no

 

[JAS_OH1]

seared yes , black no

But blackened is more of a technique and flavor profile than actually black meat. Well I mean it is dark, but a properly seared steak should (IMO) be dark. It doesn't necessarily mean it's burnt.

I love blackened fish, shrimp, steaks...

What is Blackened Steak?

 

[grumpyoldman]

i'm not talking about a technique , what i am talking about is deleberatly leaving a piece of meat in a smoker for hours and hours just to make it black under the mistaken impression that the smoke will go deeper into the meat ( it won't )

 

[JAS_OH1]

I was referring to TastyReuben's question about whether you like blackened steaks.

Question: do you ever eat blackened steaks, or would that be too far gone as well?

I think maybe you didn't understand his question.

 

[caseydog]

i'm not talking about a technique , what i am talking about is deleberatly leaving a piece of meat in a smoker for hours and hours just to make it black under the mistaken impression that the smoke will go deeper into the meat ( it won't )

Yes, you can burn a piece of meat, even cooking low and slow. That's why I check on my cooks from time to time. By over-smoke, I was taling bout earlier was smoking a delicate meat, too much, to where the meat no longer tastes good. That's hard to do on a big cut like a pork shoulder/butt. Easy to do on chicken.

If I am worried about burning my meat to where it is going from bark to charcoal (which I believe is what you are talking about), I just wrap it in foil or butcher paper, like Aaron Franklin does. They I let it finish cooking until tender.

CD

 

[grumpyoldman]

this is what i am talking about, it is a brisket that has been smoked to death !!!

 

[karadekoolaid]

this is what i am talking about, it is a brisket that has been smoked to death !!!

That looks, and I stress "looks" as if it´s been burned to Hell. however, since no-one has actually tasted it, the jury is still out.
Smoking any food product needs to be watched and controlled, otherwise, as you quite rightly say, it could be smoked to death.

 

[grumpyoldman]

you would be amazed at how many people think that brisket looks great !!!!! and brag that they smoked it 16-18 hours
i have been smoking meat for 40 years and i would never do that to any peice of meat !!!

 

[karadekoolaid]

you would be amazed at how many people think that brisket looks great !!!!! and brag that they smoked it 16-18 hours
i have been smoking meat for 40 years and i would never do that to any peice of meat !!!

No, I´m afraid I wouldn´t be amazed... unfortunately, some folks believe they´re world experts on everything, and the best thing is (a) say "Great! Fine!" and (b) never go to dinner at their house

 

[grumpyoldman]

here is the way i look at smoking any meat , smoke does add a great flavor to most meats and does penatrate slightly into the meat , after that happens your just wasting smoke and after a while the smoke just starts to coat the meat with soot,
think about it this way, if you buy a new smoker , the smoke stack is nice and clean but over a short time wipe the inside of the stack with your finger and what do you have ...soot !!!
it stands to reason the same thing happens to any meat that is smoked to long .......i don't want to eat soot , but some people must love the stuff ..lol

 

[karadekoolaid]

here is the way i look at smoking any meat

Fair enough! I tend to agree - if you go over the top , then the flavour of what ever you´re cooking is spoiled.