Bark

I

IRubMyMeat BBQ

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The last 2 butts i have done the bark has not turned out "barkish". They had good color and it looked like bark but it was easy to rub off it wasn't crispy. I spray the butts once or twice while smoking so i am not adding that much moisture to it. I do foil them at about 170 degrees and dont add any juice to the foil. Should i maybe increase the temp at the end of my cook to kind of seer them? Any thoughts would be appreciated
 

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try not to use spray or foil and see if that gets you closer to what you are looking for... it should.

Are you looking for crunchier, hard bark or a softer, chewier tender bark ?

what temp are you cooking them at now ?
 
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I find bark does not stick as well after foiling as well. Of course, I'm sure someone will chime in with tips on how to make great bark with foil.
 
I used to have the same problem. With butts, I no longer spray anything on them (doesn't add anything, whether it be flavor or moisture). I also stopped using water pans long ago. Foil only after it's out of the cooker and resting.

Good luck!
 
sdb25 said:
I used to have the same problem. With butts, I no longer spray anything on them (doesn't add anything, whether it be flavor or moisture). I also stopped using water pans long ago. Foil only after it's out of the cooker and resting.

Good luck!
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Agreed.
 
You have to realize that once you foil, you are switching cooking processes to one which is essentially braising. It will soften the meat but at the expense of the bark.

One thing you could do is to cook as normal, pull the pork, put it all back into a pan and smoke the pulled pork itself for awhile. While that won't get you any more bark, it will make the bark you have a little crunchier, and it will add smoke flavor to meat pulled from the inside.

seattlepitboss
 
sdb25 said:
I used to have the same problem. With butts, I no longer spray anything on them (doesn't add anything, whether it be flavor or moisture). I also stopped using water pans long ago. Foil only after it's out of the cooker and resting.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

I agree that you should only foil after its done to let it rest, but depending on your smoker, I think spritzing or mopping a butt makes a huge difference.
 
I agree with the 'no foil' crowd here.
I have mopped with a red pepper vinegar sauce that has added some real bite to the bark, but it is not needed. Also look into the amount of sugar in your rub.
 
HumboldtSmokeBBQ said:
I agree with the 'no foil' crowd here.
I have mopped with a red pepper vinegar sauce that has added some real bite to the bark, but it is not needed. Also look into the amount of sugar in your rub.
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I in halfway with Humboldt, sugar is needed at a higher quantity than one would think to create the bark texture, if your rub is easily dissolved into the meat then there goes your bark you rubbed on beforehand.
 
I kind of had the same problem. Except most of the rub stayed on, only a thin top layer rubbed off. I foiled after about 6 hrs. smoking on wsm. put them back on for about another hour then put them in a ice chest to rest for 45min. before pulling. The butts had a nice bark on em, and the pork pulled nicely.
 
We are getting seriously some very wise newbies to our forum that eclipse the so called knowledge of our most seasoned members.

People need to back off their mics, close the high hat up and really think about what makes a real bark first before trying to simulate it with a myriad of ingredients.

Too much Milli Vanilli going on out there. Good gracious.

Of course now, here are some of my favorite Brethren authoriti s on the matter. If you mad I posted your picture of excellent bark... be mad.

View attachment 37065
Smittys I think - not a brethren but I'd love it if they were


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Thirdeye

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COWGIRL
 
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Oh and I mean seriously some of these newbies are really knowledgeable. Not joking.
 
I just had the same problem the other day cooking a butt on my WSM. I am currently using a water pan but i guess that is keeping the rub moist and not allowing the sugars to carmalize.Very frustrating... Thanks for the posts though I will try them out and post results.
 
No foil. No water in the pan. In the heat all the way. I do mop 2/3 times depeding on the length of the cook. I get good bark:

IMG_1421.jpg


IMG_1539.jpg
 
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