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Smoke ring: A trademark of barbecue-technique. This is the 2-8 mm wide pink ring
right below the outer meat crust. This comes as the result of long-term, low-
temperature cooking with clean, properly handled and fed quality smoke.
The 110-120°C (230-250°F) temperature smoke starts an acidy reaction when it arrives
on the meat surface. Technically the molecules released by the slow burning wood mix
with the moist on the meat surface, coloring it and slowly permeating into the meat
core.
Apart from the taste, consistency and juicyness, the smoke ring qualifies the value of
the cooked barbecue meat. The smoke ring can only appear as a result of precisely
built-up ember and long-hour wood smoking.
Wider smoke rings are not necessarily more valuable. They can appear easily by using
more than necessary smoke or by smoking with water soaked wood chips. These
methods result in impressive smoke rings. Smoke rings can even be more effectively
created by rubbing meat-tendering mix (salt, sodium-nitrate etc) on the meat, but this
is cheating and self-delusion. The only really valuable, elegant, though not so wide,
smoke ring is the one that is created by just the necessary amount of smoke for
cooking.
Bark: is a spice crust on the meat surface.
Bark is created, just like smoke rings, by using barbecue technique and constant 110-
120°C (230-250°F) temperature heat-flow. The slowly surfacing moist from the meat
melts the salt, sugar and other spices in the dry rub and gradually creates the bark
character. This is supported by the smoking wood smoke. The bark will only be
mahogany colour and less memorable on meat that are cooked on charcoal only,
without smoking wood. Bark also appears if we only use the classical Texan salt-
pepper-smoke method, the rub does not have to contain sugar as the natural sugar and
protein dissolving from the meat is enough for a good bark.
The well-prepared bark gives the best bites of the barbecue, it makes the crust of the
pulled pork and the burnt ends of the brisket great. It is a special delicacy, rich,
complex and concentrated in flavours. Its colour is mahogany after 4-5 hours of
cooking, while after an 8-hour session it is like liqourice.
