Meat Temp Before Smoking

Exocet · Sep 28, 2015

Okay, do you let your meat come to room temp (or slightly below) before going on the smoker, or do you pull it from the fridge and go?

On my UDS, larger cuts seem to suppress the temp a bit and take longer to cook if they are cold. Not too surprising, I guess.

I'm just wondering what other people do?

jham0077 · Sep 28, 2015

I've done both. Not sure if there's a diffence/advantage/disadvantage. I did read here somewhere that smoke penetrates cold meat better.

landarc · Sep 28, 2015

No more time on the counter than necessary to get the pit running right. Mostly about an hour

Doc6633 · Sep 28, 2015

I am no pro but I let beef come up close to room temp but not chicken or pork.

grantw · Sep 28, 2015

Fridge to smoker, I didn't find any real gains by warming meat up first, I even tried extra cooling in the freezer not freezing it but cooling it extra, I think it's something that you will see more on grub network than BBQ

smoke ninja · Sep 28, 2015

All ill say is for brisket its easiest to trim cold. if it sits or not after that is marginal

Jason TQ · Sep 28, 2015

Exocet said:
Okay, do you let your meat come to room temp (or slightly below) before going on the smoker, or do you pull it from the fridge and go?

On my UDS, larger cuts seem to suppress the temp a bit and take longer to cook if they are cold. Not too surprising, I guess.

I'm just wondering what other people do?

Stick a probe in the center of a butt and then put it on your counter and see how long it actually takes to come to "room temp" around 70 degrees. Takes a long time (more than a few hours). If you are actually letting raw bigger meats come to room temp there can food safety issues :becky:.

Q Junkie · Sep 28, 2015

Usually just take meat out of fridg, rub and then start the coals. Usually about 30-45 min until cooker is ready.

midwestsmokeboy · Sep 29, 2015

Take out of fridge rub it down and back in the fridge until coals are ready.

cheez59 · Sep 29, 2015

I put the rub on my butts the night before. Ribs get rubbed a couple hours before. Both go from the fridge to the smoker. I think the meat takes in more smoke which we like when it is put on the smoker cold. Now steaks and chops get left on the counter for a couple hours before grilling.

Caveman Bob · Sep 29, 2015

I know Aaron Franklin lets his briskets sit at room temp for a bit before throwing them on the smoker, purely to speed up the cooking process.

Cold meat doesn't take in more smoke flavor, but it does get a more prominent smoke ring and take a bit longer to cook. Maybe the extra smokey flavor some people perceive isn't due to the cold meat itself, but is instead related to the meat cooking for an extra ~30-60 minutes in the smoker.

cheez59 · Sep 29, 2015

Caveman Bob said:
Cold meat doesn't take in more smoke flavor, but it does get a more prominent smoke ring and take a bit longer to cook. Maybe the extra smokey flavor some people perceive isn't due to the cold meat itself, but is instead related to the meat cooking for an extra ~30-60 minutes in the smoker.

Lol this is quite the paradoxical statement right here.

bri134 · Sep 29, 2015

cheez59 said:
Lol this is quite the paradoxical statement right here.

Ah-ha!:clap:

retired trucker · Sep 29, 2015

^^^ This!!

Omar

Bludawg · Sep 29, 2015

COLD. I don't even take it out the fridge until the pit is warmed up. Prep is about 15 min and on it goes

Diesel Dave · Sep 29, 2015

landarc said:
No more time on the counter than necessary to get the pit running right. Mostly about an hour

Q Junkie said:
Usually just take meat out of fridg, rub and then start the coals. Usually about 30-45 min until cooker is ready.

Yup these 2 right here, also I trim my brisket cold then inject with 34f injection 10 hours before, then back in the fridge. Rub when I lite the pit.
See above time for that

RolandJT · Sep 29, 2015

Food safety would say don't try to bring a big piece of meat to room temp.

I see no reason to get just the outside to room temp either, but just my opinion--an hour or two on the counter probably won't hurt anything.

jimithing78 · Sep 29, 2015

I pretty much go light the smoker, go back inside and get the meat out, trimmed and seasoned and then it sits on the counter until I'm happy with the color of the smoke. I'd guess it's usually about an hour out of the fridge until the meat goes on. For big chunks of meat like a brisket it would take a long time to get the centers to room temp. Prob at least 4 or 5 hours. That doesn't seem a like a good idea to me.

pjtexas1 · Sep 29, 2015

straight out of the fridge with just enough time to get the cooker up to temp while I trim and rub. meat gets up to room temp quicker in the cooker.:heh:

Drkman47 · Sep 29, 2015

I like to have mine rubbed at least a few hours ahead of time. Put them in the cooler with Ice bag, etc. Then take the cooler out with the pit, from cooler to pit.

Meat Temp Before Smoking

Knows what a fatty is.

is one Smokin' Farker

somebody shut me the fark up.

Knows what a fatty is.

is Blowin Smoke!

somebody shut me the fark up.

somebody shut me the fark up.

is Blowin Smoke!

Full Fledged Farker

Quintessential Chatty Farker

MemberGot rid of the matchlight.

Quintessential Chatty Farker

Knows what a fatty is.

is Blowin Smoke!

somebody shut me the fark up.

Quintessential Chatty Farker

is one Smokin' Farker

Full Fledged Farker

somebody shut me the fark up.

Found some matches.

Similar threads