Smoking Meats
(Page 2 of 6)
July/August 2008
Shirley Splittstoesser
Finish the meat
RELATED CONTENT
Most barbecued meat is taken directly from the smoker and eaten. However, there are reasons to finish smoked meats in the oven or slow cooker – the cook who prefers lightly smoked flavor can remove the meat from the smoker after an hour or two; the cook may prefer to start early with the aim of eating much later; the weather may turn bad; or the smoker may misbehave by delivering a low temperature.
Probing for heat
A meat thermometer takes the guesswork out of smoking. (A meat thermometer is different from the temperature gauge on the smoker, which shows the air temperature inside the smoker.) There are two basic types of meat thermometers – Instant Read and Remote. With an Instant Read meat thermometer, the smoker is opened while the thermometer is inserted, read and removed. This results in loss of heat. The Remote type is more efficient and has a probe attached to a 30-inch flexible cable ending in an temperature gauge (or ending in the receiver cradle that transmits the information to a hand-held temperature gauge). The probe is inserted into the meat and stays there, continually sending the temperature reading through the cable to the gauge outside the smoker. The Remote type can be set to sound an alert when the meat has reached the desired internal temperature.
BARBECUED RIBS
Ribs can be grilled or baked, but the result does not measure up to barbecued ribs.
3 pound rack of ribs (labeled pork loin back ribs or St. Louis-style pork spareribs in stores)
Lemon pepper
3 tablespoons cooking oil
Barbecue sauce
Prepare smoker. Maintain smoker temperature at 180°F.
Generously sprinkle ribs with lemon pepper and rub in to coat all sides. Brush or spray with cooking oil.
Put ribs on smoker grate over pan of water. Insert meat thermometer probe into meat, being careful to not touch bone. Turn ribs after 2 hours. When meat thermometer indicates meat is nearly cooked, turn ribs again, mop both sides with barbecue sauce and continue smoking. The sauce is put on late since it will caramelize and darken during the smoking process.
COOKING TIME: About 4 hours or until ribs reach 160°F, the USDA recommended safe minimum internal temperature for pork.
BBQ TIP 1: Ribs are gnawing good when taken from the smoker. For ribs that fall off the bone, take finished ribs from smoker and put in a covered baking dish with a half-cup water. (For extra full flavor, mop with additional sauce.) Put ribs in 300°F oven for an hour, and meat will pull away from the bone.
BBQ TIP 2: Smoke several racks of ribs at one time. Smoked ribs can be frozen and heated in oven or slow cooker a week or month later.
‘BETTER THAN WILD’ SALMON
Most fresh salmon purchased in stores is farm-raised. It costs less than wild Pacific or Alaskan salmon but seldom has their fullness of flavor. Add “Better Than Wild” Salmon Dry Rub to ordinary farm-raised salmon, and you’ll think you bought wild salmon.
“Better Than Wild” Salmon Dry Rub (1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon garlic salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper, 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar)
1 pound salmon
18 inches cheesecloth
3 tablespoons cooking oil
Prepare smoker. Maintain smoker temperature at 165°F.
Mix kosher salt, garlic salt, pepper and brown sugar; set aside.
Wash and dry salmon. Massage dry rub on salmon surfaces. Brush or spray both salmon and cheesecloth with cooking oil. Position salmon on cheesecloth, skin side down. Place salmon in smoker on a grate away from heat source. Insert meat thermometer probe into salmon. (Cheesecloth will darken during smoking process but will stay intact and allow you to easily remove fragile, cooked fish from smoker. Cheesecloth lets smoke permeate, is inexpensive and is discarded for easy clean up.)
COOKING TIME: About 3 hours or until salmon has reached 145°F, the USDA recommended safe minimum internal temperature for fish. Salmon will be opaque, moist and flaky when checked with a fork.
BBQ TIP 1: Avid fishermen find that carp smokes especially well. The coarse grain of carp allows for layers of smoky flavor to build.
BBQ Tip 2: Trout and other fresh water fish can be smoked after cleaning. Place whole fish, laying open, with skin side down on the grate.
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