Smoke flavor penetrating meat (Pork)
 

In another thread, there was an assertion made that: "Smoke penetration beyond a half inch is a myth" & "The meat deep inside has no smoke flavor"
We were discussing pork butts at the time.

At least one of these quotes was attributed to Ray Lampe (Dr. BBQ)

This would mean that for 25 years, I have imagined the smoke flavor in my pork?

I don't agree with the assertions made, and while I am the first to admit when I am wrong, I think there must be some misunderstanding.

IMHO - Beef (aka brisket) doesn't accept smoke as readily as pork, so I may could agree that smoke won't penetrate as deeply in beef as it does pork, but to say the meat deep inside a pork butt has no smoke flavor is in direct conflict with my experience (and taste buds)

What is your experience?

I kind of agree with this. Unless you inject, the interior of a pork butt will usually taste like roasted pork. I smoked a 6lb bone in butt yesturday for 10 hours or so and no foil. Great taste, but the interior still tasted like roasted pork.

I think people confuse absorption with adsorption. The best explanation of adsorption of smoke particles I've ever read likened it to dust settling on a sofa. Some of the dust particles(smoke)find their way through the surface because of small openings, but, barring any large tears or holes, none of it will penetrate very far. The majority stays on the surface of the sofa/meat. I wish I could remember who wrote that and give them the proper credit.

I believe pulled pork is always better after it is mixed up thoroughly and sets for awhile because some of the flavor of the smoke/bark on the surface is transferred to the interior meat that wasn't exposed to the smoke.

It seems I get more flavor with longer rest times. When the juices redistribute maybe more of the outer smoke flavor gets deeper. Maybe its just coincidence.

Oh yeah - You got to mix it with the bark that is the best part.

nothing beats a whole hog Q for that fine array flavors

This. :eusa_clap

Ding, ding, ding!

The first thing you said.

Here is how you can prove it to yourself and others.

Smoke two butts, roughly the same size, for the same amount of time, side by side on the same smoker.
When time to remove:
Take one and wrap in the foil and rest for 1 hour.
Take the other, immediately after removing from grate, slice the outer 2 inches off leaving a square shaped hunk of pork. Get at least 1 inch of the meat off near the bone also. Immediately pull this piece and taste.

I bet you'll be surprised, I was.

I have really been questioning the idea of redistribution of juices theory. I have become convinced, based on my own observations of meat while it's cooking and immediately after it's done, that there is no evidence to show this occurs. The most common theory is that as meat cooks the juices are driven into the center of the meat and then as it rests the juices somehow flow back to every corner of the meat. The idea of liquid flowing up to the top and sideways to the outer edges defies the law of gravity. If the juices somehow are forced to the center then how does one explain the visible juices that are exiting the meat and dripping off while it's cooking? And how does one explain all the juice that's in the foil from a brisket or pork butt? If the juices are being forced into the center wouldn't the foil pouch be empty?

I've sliced brisket, pork loin and steak straight off the grill and looked at the slices. I've also pulled pork butts immediately.The moisture content always appears evenly distributed through the entire slice or piece of pork butt. I've never seen a pool of liquid in the center and the rest of the slice is dry.

Has anyone ever taken measurements of the moisture content in the center of a brisket,steak or butt and compared that to measurements taken at various places out to the edges?

I'm convinced this redistribution of juices theory is another one of those things that gets thrown out on a regular basis, but has anyone ever actually proven it happens?

Huh?

I didn't even know adsorption was a word.
As usual I continue to learn from the Brethren :-D

What he said :-D

Mike

Even though I mix the pulled pork well to distribute the flavors, one thing we have done at big barbecues (where there are like 6 to 10 butts pulled) is to return aluminum pans full of pulled meat to a low temp smoker.

This sort of gives it all a little flavor bump.

While I can't prove anything about the moisture content and other points, I will say that a gravity argument doesn't necessarily work here. While I haven't had much study into the specifics of muscles, I do know they are made of fibers (or to think of general meat terms, the grain). If the resting of meat does allow redistribution of moisture within the meat, it may be due to capillary action. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capillary_action

EDIT: By the way, not trying to ruffle feathers, just bringing an idea into the conversation that might not have been considered.

I pretty much agree that the smoke does not penetrate more than a half inch or so into the meat. Pulling and mixing the pulled meat is what I do.

This is off track from the original post but the subject of resting meat after removing it from the cooker was brought up. When the meat is fresh off from the cooker it is at an elevated temperature, the juices are then at a very low viscosity (thin and runny). If you slice that piece of meat at this time, the juices are going to come out of your meat and run across your cutting board or plate, not stay in the meat. I say to let it rest a while. The term redistribute may not be entirely correct, but the juices will cool a little with the rest of the meat and increase viscosity (get thicker, have more resistance to flow), thus that flavor and moisture of the juices will be more likely to remain in the sliced meat and not go to waste running across your cutting board.