Pellet Smoking at Altitude

PCH

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Does anyone have any advice concerning smoking at high altitude (Albuquerque, ~5500ft above sea level).

We recently traveled to my Parent's house in Kansas and smoked Brisket, Ribs and Pork Shoulder (on different days). They were the best we have ever smoked.

I smoked Ribs (in ABQ) before we traveled to Kansas and Brisket tonight and both were somewhat dry even though I followed the same smoking method (225 degrees until 160, pull, wrap and return to smoker until 205).

I know there are changes that need to made for baking at high altitudes. Are there any adjustments that should be made for smoking at high altitudes?

Thanks for the help.

ph
 
Nope, no adjustments necessary. Lots of variables but altitude shouldn't affect a pellet smoker. What was the grade of the meat you cooked? This can make a big difference in final product.
 
Yep, might have just got a tough slab. Happens...
 
Nope, no adjustments necessary. Lots of variables but altitude shouldn't affect a pellet smoker. What was the grade of the meat you cooked? This can make a big difference in final product.
This is curious though, the thinner air transmits heat less efficiently but at the same time speeds evaporation, this would imply that one would get dried out meat if they did not adjust the variables involved in the smoke.

it is likely that smoking at 225 untill 160 has a different result at higher altitude, I would imagine it to have some effect on when the stall happens even.
*for reference, the stall happens when the evaporation is happening at a rate which cools the meat*
if evaporation happens sooner with the thin air it is likely that more moisture exits the meat.

I have little experience with high altitude cooking, but if you are increasing the temperature of baked goods for these reasons it would make sense you should also increase the temperature of your smoker.

A brief google search appears to concur, and most pitmasters with experience cooking at high altitude do adjust things, adding moisture, adjusting when you wrap, and changing temperature can all play a part.

**if it was me I would read the first google result for "Smoking meat at high altitude" and I would consider adding a water pan, and wrapping based on how the bark looks instead of temperature, and see how your results improve.

likely you will wrap at 150ish, as the lowerd boiling point will cause a sooner stall, you can watch for when the probe temp slows its rate of increase, and check the bark at that stage, usually it feels sticky as it hits the stall because the fat and moisture is interacting with rub and gives a sticky feel, **this might not be the best explanation, but I hope it make sense.
 
I don't use a thermometer on ribs. I just cook them to color, then wrap, cook til they pull back from the bones and meet my tug test, then unwrap and tighten up the outside a bit and sauce, then tighten the sauce.

Maybe if you add some liquid or just plain water when you wrap, you might get a bit of moisture back.
 
Thanks everyone for the help and advice.

After smoking brisket in Kansas and struggling with brisket (multiple times) in ABQ, I believe there is difference. I have been reading and studying and have a plan for the next brisket. I'll update this thread and let you know what I did and the difference.
 
My best guess is the lower vapor pressure at higher altitudes could promote more evaporation.

It is possible that the increased evaporation from the surface delays the time it takes to get to 160F and more moisture is loss before the wrap.

That of course is just a WAG.
 
I plan to make several changes at once. I'll add a water pan, wrap sooner (maybe 140 instead of 160 although this will probably cause problems with the bark) and I'll pull the brisket at 190 instead of waiting for 205

I reduced the temperature to 205 for the initial smoke and then raised the temp to 225 once wrapped for this attempt. I think I'll keep this temp pattern for the next attempt.

I might also spritz the brisket along the way but we usually smoke overnight so it might be difficult to get out of bed at 0-dark thirty.

I need to eat the rest of this attempt before we try the next one so it'll probably be few weeks.

I'll post back to this thread after the next attempt.
 
I plan to make several changes at once. I'll add a water pan, wrap sooner (maybe 140 instead of 160 although this will probably cause problems with the bark) and I'll pull the brisket at 190 instead of waiting for 205

I reduced the temperature to 205 for the initial smoke and then raised the temp to 225 once wrapped for this attempt. I think I'll keep this temp pattern for the next attempt.

I might also spritz the brisket along the way but we usually smoke overnight so it might be difficult to get out of bed at 0-dark thirty.

I need to eat the rest of this attempt before we try the next one so it'll probably be few weeks.

I'll post back to this thread after the next attempt.
Let us know how it turns out! Just make sure that it is probe tender when you pull it just in case 190 is too low.
 
PCH, I live in RR, so just a few miles north of you.

I cook my briskets at 225, wrap in pink butcher paper at 160, and keep it going until the internal probe reads 203. (You can use foil too, but it'll make the bark even softer).

In any case, I spray the brisket when I am wrapping it, and I wrap it with two layers of paper. What you use to spritz the brisket is up to you, but I use a mix of water and Worcestershire sauce.

Pretty much, I do it like this, but with a few tweaks here or there ;)

https://theonlinegrill.com/aaron-franklin-brisket-recipe/

Note: I think there is already enough moisture in the pellets, and the primary reason to a water pan is for maintaining temperature, and reducing hot spots. I guess it helps with smoke....adhesion, LOL, too. That being said, pellet grills already do those (maintain temp and reduce hot spots) things. Smoke is probably the one reason I can see someone using one, but a smoke tube might be the better bet. If I were to use one in a pellet smoker, I think I'd probably only have one big enough to last 3-4 hours or so.
 
Does anyone have any advice concerning smoking at high altitude (Albuquerque, ~5500ft above sea level).

We recently traveled to my Parent's house in Kansas and smoked Brisket, Ribs and Pork Shoulder (on different days). They were the best we have ever smoked.

I smoked Ribs (in ABQ) before we traveled to Kansas and Brisket tonight and both were somewhat dry even though I followed the same smoking method (225 degrees until 160, pull, wrap and return to smoker until 205).

I know there are changes that need to made for baking at high altitudes. Are there any adjustments that should be made for smoking at high altitudes?

Thanks for the help.

ph
FWIW. I live at 8,000 ft. I have used a bunch of smkoing recipes from people at sea level and never had a problem. I’d also guess that maybe the quality of the meat could be an issue.
 
I don't cook to a set temp, in your case 205. Once it gets up to about 195 I start checking to for probe tender or doing the bend test. Could yours have been over done?
 
I began smoking about 10 years ago on a master built electric. We lived at 9000 feet, 8883 to be precise, and I did you use water pans. I also did the occasional cake in the oven. Adjustment for altitude usually involves adding a bit of flour. I don’t recall a temperature change being required and we were so high that boiling spaghetti took at least 13 minutes as the boiling temperature of water was about 195f.
 
I began smoking about 10 years ago on a master built electric. We lived at 9000 feet, 8883 to be precise, and I did you use water pans. I also did the occasional cake in the oven. Adjustment for altitude usually involves adding a bit of flour. I don’t recall a temperature change being required and we were so high that boiling spaghetti took at least 13 minutes as the boiling temperature of water was about 195f.
Yeah, water boils at my house at @203F
 
Good news. We smoked a pork shoulder this weekend and it turned out nice. Although, it is really hard to screw up a pork shoulder.

Here are the changes I made:
- We smoked the brisket in the first phase at 225 (as everyone else does).
- We added a water pan to the 700 in the back center of the grate.
- We placed the shoulder on the right third of the grate instead of the middle of the grate.
- We spritzed the shoulder although not as often or as soon as I wanted. We started the shoulder at 10pm, I went to bed and didn't wake until 5:30am. By that time, the shoulder had a nice bark. I spritzed at 5;30, 6:30 and 7:30. We pulled the shoulder at 9am when the shoulder was at 160.
- We wrapped the shoulder at two layers of paper and I increased the temp to 250.
- We pulled the shoulder at 4pm when it reached 195. The shoulder was probe tender.

So, there you go. The next challenge is a brisket or ribs. I'll keep you updated.
 
PCH,
for my spritz/baste, I've come to the theory that it should have these basic ingredients: 1) a fat of some kind to promote the "air frying" formation of bark, 2) a sugar to promote carmelization initiation.

I've been using either some cooking oil or melted butter and a small amount of sugar added to a water base. If I'm basting with a brush, I add some rub.

Those two ingredients seem to be helping with bark formation better than straight water or broth.
 

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