Marinade and Smoke Chips

I am planning on doing a pork crown for Christmas and have zeroed in on this recipe, which calls for a marinade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhgZN1zoLTE

I also would like to have a smokey flavor, for which I plan to use wood chips on my gas grill.

Will the smokey flavor play well with a marinade? Should I marinade the meat first and put it in the smoking grill (not an actual smoker) or should I rather smoke it first a bit and baste it in the middle of cooking?

For me it makes sense to marinade at the beginning to preserve the juices, but I am wondering if the marinade will prevent the smoke from penetrating the meat or if the smoke marinade combination will be weird?

I am also considering putting a dish with water in the grill to create some steam for moisture and only apply the marinade at the end, but am wondering if a steam and smoke combination would work?

Best Answer

Marinating means that your product will be in the marinade before cooking. It is a surface flavor application. It does not seal in juices, nor does it penetrate the protein. Marinate as you would for grilling. Grill/roast (with smoke chips if you wish). You are not technically "smoking," but that is beside the point. You can certainly baste, throughout, with your marinade. If this is the case, you may want to reserve some that raw meat has not come into contact with for this purpose. You will pick up the smoke flavor, even with the marinade and the basting.

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Should wood chips be soaked before smoking?

In truth, soaking your wood chips and chunks isn't necessary and here's why. Wood chips and chunks that have been soaked have to get rid of any moisture before they can produce smoke. The water on the wood will have to heat to 212\xb0F (the boiling point of water) and will stall there until the water has been evaporated.

Can you marinate meat and then smoke it?

For chicken and poultry, you will want to soak it in a marinade or brine for a full day or so before smoking. This will ensure that you get the meat thoroughly infused before you toss it in the smoker. For beef and pork, a dry or wet rub will do nicely.

Can you marinate meat with wood chips?

Flavored Wood Chips: Try soaking them in beer, wine or fruit juices before using. Cedar Planks: Try cooking chicken, salmon, fish and other cuts of meat directly on a cedar plank, this will give a light smokiness to the meat.

What do you soak smoke chips in?

By adding, whiskey, brandy, beer, wine, or juice the initial drying out process will infuse your entree with the liquid taste that you use. Once the liquid has evaporated, then your wood chips will char and burn to give it that extra smoke flavor.

How to use Wood Chips on your Charcoal Grill or Smoker | Grilling Tips

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Pavel Danilyuk, cottonbro, cottonbro, Pavel Danilyuk