5 Must-Have Hacks for Making the Best Smoked Meat
Food smoking has a long history that dates back thousands of years. For one thing, it’s one of the oldest ways to cook and preserve meat.
Not only will it be more tender due to the break down of collagen, but the smoke itself will also enhance its flavor. That is, the smoke will infuse its aroma into the meat.
Given that, it’s not surprised to know that these meat dishes are popular as they are today.
Thinking of making your own smoked meat? Need some tips? We’ve got you covered. Keep reading to learn more!
5 Tips on How to Make the Perfect Smoked Meat
There are certain things that you want to do when you’re smoking meat. Here’s what you need to know.
1. Take the Meat Out of the Fridge
Take the meat out of the fridge 1-2 hours before adding it to the smoker; you want its internal temperature to be as close as possible to your goal temperature.
That way, you’ll be able to shave some time off of the actual cook time. In other words, the meat will be moister.
2. Go Low and Slow
When it comes to smoking meats, you always want to go slow and low. By cooking slowly, the connective fibers in the meat will have time to break down, which will make it more tender.
As for the low temperature, it’ll give the smoke an opportunity to sink into the meat. Not only that, but it’ll also help to naturally tenderize the meat.
3. Get to Know Your Wood
There are several types of woods that you can use for smoking, each of which will give your meat a different flavor. For example, sweeter woods such as cherry or apple tend to go well with pork and poultry.
Other popular choices include maple, oak, pecan, and hickory, mesquite, and alder.
4. Don’t Flip Your Meat
Unlike regular cooking, you don’t have to flip the meat. To do that, you’ll have to open up the smoker and that can cause you to lose the heat that you’ve built up.
As long as you have a temperature probe inside, there’s no reason for you to open the door; both sides should be cooked evenly.
5. Don’t Overdo It
The last thing that you want is to over smoke your meat. If anything, it’s one of the biggest mistakes that rookies make.
Generally speaking, you should not be smoking the meat for more than half of its total cooking time—this is especially true for heavier woods such as mesquite.
If you need some help, check out this guide from BBQUltimate—it also talks about cold smoking.
Making Smoked Meat
And there we have it—5 tips on how to make the best smoked meat. As you can see, there are certain things that you want to do and certain things that you don’t want to do.
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