Smoke ring or no smoke ring

[IndyEFI500]

So a friend of mine and I bought a bunch of oak to use in our smokers. One thing that I am noticing is that even though the flavor is out of this world, I get almost no smoke ring compared to using hickory, mesquite and other woods. Has anyone else noticed this as well? I have done pork roasts, ribs, and pheasant with the same results. Anyone else have any ideas or thoughts or observations?

[SkunkedAgain]

If the flavor is there, who cares? Some people get caught up in presentation, but you could serve me orange ribs and I'd sing their praise if they tasted good.

[thirdeye]

For starters, a smoke ring is NOT caused from smoke that has penetrated and colored the meat. Smoke rings are formed when gases in the smoke (mostly nitrogen) interact with myoglobin. Myoglobin is the pigment that gives muscle its color. Beef muscle has more pigment than pork muscle so beef has a darker color than pork. Pork loin is lighter in color than a pork shank or picnic. Chicken thighs have a darker color than chicken breasts. This is all because of the amount of myoglobin in each muscle.

So, when wood burns, the nitrogen combines with oxygen in the air to form nitrogen dioxide. Nitrogen dioxide is highly water-soluble and early in the cook, it's absorbed into the surface of the meat and forms nitrous acid. The nitrous acid travels inward and creates a colored smoke ring. Smoke rings are usually pink, but the myoglobin in the meat can produce a darker red ring. Have you ever wondered why ham, bacon or corned beef has a different color than fresh muscle meat? That's because the chemicals sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite are added to salt and used to cure those products.

So back to your question about oak, which is a nut wood like pecan or hickory. As long as your wood has not been overly dried and as long as you have a properly vented fire (not a smoldering fire), you should have the proper ammunition for a smoke ring. Some easy tips to get a better ring is to put cold meat on the pit and keep the temp lower for an hour or two. Smoke rings stop forming around 140°, after that you only get smoky flavor. Have you switched charcoal? Some brands of briquettes have more nitrate fillers, lump does not have any fillers.