About smoking and smokers

[Marthe48]

My sons-in-law both have smokers. I've had meat and fish smoked by my local son-in-law. My grand kids are learning to cook with their Dad outside and Mom inside, so I love that part of it. I am looking for reassurance that the meat, fish, poultry is throughly cooked. I looked online, but I'm not sure I'm satisfied with answers I found.

I got some chicken from what they smoked yesterday. It was really good. They said they brined it for 6 hours, then smoked it for 3. They didn't tell me what the internal temp got to, but they are all aware of the temp for safe comsumption. The meat is tender, but very firm. It doesn't have the same texture as roasted chicken. My daughter sent a piece of breast meat, and a leg and thigh. I noticed the joint on the leg was red. I know that slow cooked meats will turn pink and that's ok. Is it ok for it to be more than pink? Should I cook it awhile before I eat it? Even if it is safe to eat, I think I'll reheat it till the red is gone.

I love grilled food, but I'm not sure if I should dig in to the smoked entrees. Any opinions? Thanks!

[rsdsharp]

1. I love smoked meat, but, as with any cooking method the only way to really tell

if it’s safe is with a good quality meat thermometer.

[Marthe48]

4. They do that

Thanks!

[SWBTATTReg]

2. Well, I'll give credit to those outside cookers who grill on the bar-be-que grills and/or smokers. I would think that

they would be very concerned about food poisoning...the last thing I would want to do is sicken my family and/or friends who came over for the food and goodies. But it is an art. One must be very talented and alert in cooking (outside) as weather conditions could warrant changes to how long items should remain on the cookers/smokers.

[Marthe48]

5. I think they are careful

The texture is different. It'll take some getting used to

[Old Crank]

3. The meats that I smoked all got a temperature check.

I smoked, pork ribs, pork shoulder,butt, and beef brisket. Ribs spent the lowest amount of time, About 3 hours. Pork shoulder around 6, with some variation based on thickness. Brisket takes the longest.
All develop a pink smoke ring an 1/8 to 1/2 inches just under the outside part of the meat. That may have been whst your chicken had but I have no direct experience.
I have also smoked salmon. Temp check also.

Ask to come over and bring some beer to see what he does.

[Marthe48]

6. I should look up infor about his grill

They have an app on their phones, so dad and son can keep track of the progress. Helps if Dad is out and my grandson is manning the smoker

[Old Crank]

8. You can smoke with almost anything.

I started with a gas grill which normally doesn't allow a low enough temperature. People use Weber grills.
I've used bullet smokers, charcoal and gas. Charcoal is a pain in those. I bought an electric unit that had a puck feed that worked well. Here I have been able to use a woodsmoker with the two sections. Fancy.

[Bristlecone]

7. I smoke and grill a lot. I always use a thermometer.

Most people that smoke are into the gadgets and toys that enhance the “science” of the hobby. One of those gadgets/toys is a thermometer. Like the fisherman who brags of his lures, reels, rods etc. The smokers I know all have high end thermometers and brag about using them.

They use them as much to make sure food is not overdone, as to make sure at proper temperature safety. Smoking meat is expensive. They don’t want to screw it up in either direction.

Relative to poultry, chicken and turkey absorb the smoke and often will take on a pinkish hue as a result.

But nothing wrong with asking the temp of something that is presented. Your eyes probably aren’t lying to you.

[pansypoo53219]

9. i like fire, i hate smoked food.

[Nac Mac Feegle]

10. About the red color you're worried about

If the meat has been cooked to the right temperature, it's safe to eat.

From a Science point of view, the red color is due to a chemical reaction that is part of the smoking process. It has to do with the lowered temperatures used in smoking, it's a complex reaction involving the high level of 'particulate combustion byproducts' (smoke), lowered oxygen levels, and long heating at (relatively) low cooking temperatures.

On a pork butt, a brisket, or a turkey / chicken, the smoke ring can be half an inch thick. The thickness of the 'smoke ring' is considered an indicator of the quality of the cook; thicker is better. Of course, it can be overdone (cooked too long), and this will dry out the meat too much, making it tougher. The "art" of smoking is the balance between as many of the variables such as temperature, wood type, density of the smoke itself, time, basting or other seasoning, and smoker type to create the best tasting results.

The comment above about the thermometers is a bit of an indicator about how seriously people can devote themselves to the process. People can get more than a little bit fanatical about this, so they REALLY want to produce the best product. The risk of food poisoning is pretty low. Smoking is actually one of the oldest methods of food preservation.

Just sit back and enjoy the goodies. If the 'cue tastes good, tell the pit-master/mistress. They'll enjoy the compliments.