I live at ~7000' above sea level. What affect does this have on recommended times or temperatures when smoking meats?
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Well,I could ponder upon all those years in the college chemistry lab and come up with some % variables.
I could ponder the time in New Orleans,below sea level, and living here at the beach in east central Florida.
I'm sure some of our more sophisticated engineer members will answer specificly, and maybe even correctly.
But until the more learned of our members gets here, if you are cookin' in a Cookshack IMHO nothin'.
I've met few cows,pigs,or yardbirds that knew how high they were -
until they fell.
I've never known a brisket that knew nothin'.
The point of slow and low is sorta"don't boil the liquid outa the varmit".
To paraphrase Smokin'Okie,"its done when its done".
I could ponder the time in New Orleans,below sea level, and living here at the beach in east central Florida.
I'm sure some of our more sophisticated engineer members will answer specificly, and maybe even correctly.
But until the more learned of our members gets here, if you are cookin' in a Cookshack IMHO nothin'.
I've met few cows,pigs,or yardbirds that knew how high they were -
until they fell.
I've never known a brisket that knew nothin'.
The point of slow and low is sorta"don't boil the liquid outa the varmit".
To paraphrase Smokin'Okie,"its done when its done".
Argggggg.... I am very tentatively disagreeing with Tom. I hate to do this, as Tom posts so much great advice on this forum, but here is my experience. I found that two same sized cookshack smokers, one at about elev. 1500 and the other at about elev. 3600 cooked differently.
The smoker at the higher altitude consistently took longer than than the one I cooked on at the lower altitude. In fairness, while the models were the same size, one was an older model, with a different style of woodbox. (305 and 350) I found that at the higher altitude, meat took probably 15% longer on average to get done. I am guessing at the percent, because I never tracked it. Like Tom said, and Smokin always says, its done when its done.
As you get to know your smoker, you will rely less on times and temperatures, and more on just judging the meat by feel. While you are still battling the learning curve, however, you might allow extra time for the meat to cook if you have a set time to serve the meal. You can always hold the meat in the Cookshack at 140 or 150F if its done early. Some folks also like to wrap the meat in foil, wrap a couple of towels around it, and place it in a cooler until time to serve.
One other side note... If you are working from the Cookshack cookbook, it has been said on this forum that the times listed are on the low side. They may have updated it, but I'm not sure, anyway, you might try a search of the forum for the particular cut of meat you are cooking, and se what other users reccommend as a starting point. Good luck to you!
The smoker at the higher altitude consistently took longer than than the one I cooked on at the lower altitude. In fairness, while the models were the same size, one was an older model, with a different style of woodbox. (305 and 350) I found that at the higher altitude, meat took probably 15% longer on average to get done. I am guessing at the percent, because I never tracked it. Like Tom said, and Smokin always says, its done when its done.
As you get to know your smoker, you will rely less on times and temperatures, and more on just judging the meat by feel. While you are still battling the learning curve, however, you might allow extra time for the meat to cook if you have a set time to serve the meal. You can always hold the meat in the Cookshack at 140 or 150F if its done early. Some folks also like to wrap the meat in foil, wrap a couple of towels around it, and place it in a cooler until time to serve.
One other side note... If you are working from the Cookshack cookbook, it has been said on this forum that the times listed are on the low side. They may have updated it, but I'm not sure, anyway, you might try a search of the forum for the particular cut of meat you are cooking, and se what other users reccommend as a starting point. Good luck to you!
Matt,I'm always willin' & hopin' to learn.
That's why I said,"until the more learned members arrive".
Thanks for the input.
That's why I said,"until the more learned members arrive".
Thanks for the input.
Thanks for the advice. The general consensus is cook a little longer but I suspect I'll end up cooking till "it's done".
I have to agree with Tom on this one. I don�t see how altitude would be a factor when cooking a chunk of meat in a Cookshack oven. I can understand how altitude would affect the cooking time of boiled foods, but not oven smoke/roasted.
When boiling meat in water, the meat will be cooking at a maximum of 212 degrees F., and as we all know this number drops as the altitude increases. But an oven will cook at its designated temperature regardless of the altitude. Perhaps there are other factors at work which will affect the cooking time? Unfortunately, I�m not a food engineer so take my comments as just My Comments. Good topic to kick around.
If there�s a food scientist lurking out there, now�s the time to be heard.
When boiling meat in water, the meat will be cooking at a maximum of 212 degrees F., and as we all know this number drops as the altitude increases. But an oven will cook at its designated temperature regardless of the altitude. Perhaps there are other factors at work which will affect the cooking time? Unfortunately, I�m not a food engineer so take my comments as just My Comments. Good topic to kick around.
If there�s a food scientist lurking out there, now�s the time to be heard.
Because you are essentially "boiling the meat in its own fluids," wouldn't the boiling point for those fluids still be higher at the higher altitude?
Without really trying to think this one through,which maybe one of the physicists out there will,we are maybe talking about conductivity or heat transfer?
i.e.,does metal attain/achieve heat/temperature differently at different altitudes,with a constant heat source?
We are not talking about water boil temp.,unless we are trying to fix chicken skin.
The internals would always be below 212� and would also be affected by the impurities in the water[brining]?
Someone's experience,like Matt's,is usually better than the science-in bbq.
I agree with the others,when I can pull the bone out of that shoulder,I can run a toothpick between those ribs,and that brisket slides off a meat fork it is probably done.
Some days it takes one more cold beer than another.
i.e.,does metal attain/achieve heat/temperature differently at different altitudes,with a constant heat source?
We are not talking about water boil temp.,unless we are trying to fix chicken skin.
The internals would always be below 212� and would also be affected by the impurities in the water[brining]?
Someone's experience,like Matt's,is usually better than the science-in bbq.
I agree with the others,when I can pull the bone out of that shoulder,I can run a toothpick between those ribs,and that brisket slides off a meat fork it is probably done.
Some days it takes one more cold beer than another.
Ok, I thought I had read something about this recently, so I went and checked. Not very helpful, I'm afraid. The Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook lists some considerations for high altitude cooking. Most of them are relating to baking, but it does say that large cuts of meat may take longer to cook at high altitude. No further info beyond that. And, as side side note, this cookbook offers a recipe for BBQ brisket that I think is pretty out of whack, even for those without a smoker, so take it for what it's worth!
I'll agree with Tom, how can taking another cold beer longer be a bad thing?
I'll agree with Tom, how can taking another cold beer longer be a bad thing?
...
It's done when it's done
It's done when it's done