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Smoking Meat and Cooking Temperature

Smoking meat is knowing the correct temperature range in which to smoke.  There are thermostats you can purchase that help you find this range, but they aren’t always based on the best smoking method.  They are geared more towards getting the temperature to a certain point in order to make sure that the meat gets hot enough to kill off bacteria.  While this is important, it is not wise to heat the meat too rapidly because you aren’t grilling.  Smoking is a process that takes hours, rather than minutes.  The whole point of smoking meat is to infuse the flavor and slow cook the meat with indirect heat. The method which I use is to get my charcoal/wood in and flaming, and I also try and keep the temperature around 165f – 175f.  Once there, place the meat on the grill and let the temperature get back to the proper range. When you open the grill or smoker to put the meat in, you will lose much of your heat. You will want to put in some water soaked wood chips, which impart a smokey flavor to the meat. At this point, you should put a lot of wood chips directly on the fire and watch the smoke bellow forth.  I will do this for about an hour and a half and make sure a steady flow of smoke surrounds the meat   Tip: do not open the grill at this point, you’ll lose all of the smoke buildup you’ve just worked hard to build.  You will want so much smoke you can’t see the meat. Once you’ve accomplished that, go ahead and start raising the temperature.  I like to get mine to about 225f – 240f for the remainder of the process. I don’t like to stop the smoke, so I will constantly check the smoker and put in more wood chips as needed. If the temperature dips, don’t be afraid to add more charcoal or wood.   You have to keep in mind that this process will take 4 to 6 hours or more depending on quantity of meat, the type of meat, and how hot you maintain the temperature. About 15 minutes before you are going to pull the meat, you will want to add any sauce that you are going to apply to the meat which will allow the smoke to “harden” the sauce on the meat, allowing it to transform into “sticky goodness”.