Yeah, lot of myths about the smoke ring - you can put on some prague powder #1 about 20 minutes before cooking in the oven and you can replicate the ring. It's

Yeah, lot of myths about the smoke ring - you can put on some prague powder #1 about 20 minutes before cooking in the oven and you can replicate the ring. It's not a sign of a well done cook in all aspects, though it does add to the visual appeal. Another misconception is the people who aim for exact degrees when smoking (e.g. brisket) - 195 F, 202 F, etc. It's the total time spent above 160 (roughly where the stall is) that matters (if I remember correctly there's a peak around 170 F or 180 F that is maximum breakdown rate). A small brisket is going to get up to 202 quicker than a 15 lb brisket, and will wind up "drier" because the collagen did not break down as far. If the cook dialed their recipe in for total time for collagen to break down, the results might not be identical, but there would be a lot less variation.