Brisket Bark Help

I'm betting #3 is the true culprit.

What temp do you cook at? Have you tried a lower and slower cook and not wrapping at all?

I would say stop using the mustard and don't foil until the bark is a little more set. Butcher paper will help if you still have issues with foiling but usually once the bark is set foil will not change it too much.

whiterockque said:

I cook around 220-240 and wrap when the internal temp hits 165 ish.

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It's been a long time since I cooked low and slow but that was about the same IT I used to wrap in foil. I was using a stick burner and I never had any issues with mushy bark. The stall is brutal at those cooking temps without wrapping. I know brisket is expensive but either use oil or something else instead of mustard or try BP. I am the have to know type so I would try one at a time so I would know for sure what the fix/issue was.

I'd guess with the given info your wrapping before the bark is set. The slather isn't necessary with brisket, the rub will stick just fine. That being said I tend to get more bark faster with the slather. It could be too much rub but hard to say sight unseen. Kinda doubt it, brisket can take alot of rub. I don't like to wrap based on temp but rather condition. Don't wrap until you can't wipe the rub off, that's what is meant by "set"

STOP IT..... JUST STOP IT!!!!!!!!
1. Using too much rub?
2. Stop using meat glue? I use mustard, but maybe I should stop.
3. Stop foiling? I use foil, maybe I should use butcher paper.

If you can t see through the rub you use to much
not a brisket but you get the idea

no need to use meat glue or anything for that matter to get the rub to stick if you must something that will add flavor like Wooster or hot sauce
Switch to butcher paper

whiterockque said:

I cook around 220-240 and wrap when the internal temp hits 165 ish.

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If your cooker will do it, cook hotter (275 - 300 range). As pjtexas1 said try butcher paper, unlike foil it'll breathe rather than steam the bark. I use oil before I apply my rub, it helps the rub stick but I think that it also helps in bark production.:wink:
Here's my brisket cooking method which always yield's a good bark and is very similar to Bludawg's KISS method, give it a try next time.:grin:
CENTRAL TEXAS STYLE BRISKET
To make a true central Texas style brisket you'll need four key ingredients, beef, kosher salt, coarse black pepper and smoke! Here's my method.
Start with a whole packer brisket. A whole packer consist of two parts, the point (fattier portion) and the flat (the leaner portion). Be sure and ask your market manager or butcher for that cut.
Once you have found your brisket, trim the fat cap layer down to about 1/4 inch or less. The idea is to have a thin layer of fat that will render down, marry up with your spice rub and become a sticky, crunchy and flavorful part of the bark.
After the fat has been trimmed down, I like to apply some cooking oil which helps the rub to adhere to the meat and activates the natural oils in the spices.
The spice rub will consist of a 50/50 blend of kosher salt and 16 mesh coarse ground black pepper. I like to dust mine with a little garlic powder as well but the important things are the salt and pepper. Coat the meat well with the rub and allow the rub to mix in with the oil for 30 minutes to an hour.
Heat the pit to 275 (different cookers like to run at different temperatures and you may be cooking at higher or lower temps but the method remains the same, only cooking time is effected).Smoke the brisket for 4 hours, after the first 4 hours wrap the brisket in butcher paper and continue cooking at 275, checking the flat for tenderness after 3 more hours of cooking. To do this simply find a sharp pointed object such as a thermometer or skewer and poke the flat in several places, (always determine doneness by probing for tenderness, not IT) when it has the feel of room temperature butter it's time to pull the brisket off of the cooker.
Allow the brisket (still wrapped in butcher paper) to rest on the kitchen counter for a minimum of 2 hours, at the end of the rest period it's ready for slicing. Slice against the grain and enjoy.:grin:
Using this method I can usually get a 15 pound whole packer done in 7 to 8 hours (not counting resting time).:wink:
P.S. If you are using foil to wrap with, vent it after removing the brisket from your pit until the IT has fallen to the 150 to 160 degree range and then reseal it for the remainder of the resting period.

Definitely stop using mustard. Just use the natural moisture of the meat or splash a little bit of water or worchestershire sauce onto the meat. You just want it damp to hold the rub, not soaking wet.

If you plan on wrapping using foil, don't wrap until the bark tells you too. This means that the bark is nice and crusty and set and the color is starting to get past the color you want. You can also use butchers paper instead of foil, but I use foil and have great results. My briskets normally don't stay wrapped for more than 2 hours when i cook hot and fast. Usually it is 1-1.5 hours but I have had a few go 2 hours in the wrap. This gives me a nice bark, a roasted meat texture vs pot roast texture, and allows me to capture some of the drippings to use make an au jus with.

whiterockque said:

Thanks for all the feedback. I am gonna nix the mustard and wait until bark is set before wrapping. If I can get my hands on it, I'll also try using BP Monday.

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Sounds like a plan to me. I use a real light coating of Worcestershire sauce, then rub with kosher salt and coarse black pepper. I only wrap in bp if my bark feels like it's getting too crusty. After my bark starts to setup I will spritz occasionally with a 50 50 Worcestershire and water mix to keep the bark moist.

There is NO RULE TO WRAP - just leave it on at 220 degrees for a couple more hours - it will get to temp. If it's dry make sure you inject.

Ive never had a problem due to the slather (i would swear mustard increases my bark formation) but i agree you should try try and eliminate as many variables as possible. I lost my way awhile back and my solution was to start from scratch. Just salt and pepper smoke and time. No wrap, no sauce, no spritz, no nothing that wasn't necessary. Built techniques, rubs, and such slowly one thing at a time, starting from the bottom up.

Salt.

smoke ninja said:

Ive never had a problem due to the slather (i would swear mustard increases my bark formation) but i agree you should try try and eliminate as many variables as possible. I lost my way awhile back and my solution was to start from scratch. Just salt and pepper smoke and time. No wrap, no sauce, no spritz, no nothing that wasn't necessary. Built techniques, rubs, and such slowly one thing at a time, starting from the bottom up.

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Absolutely this.

I got into bbq and then tried to do too much at 1 time. I was ending up with product that I wasn't completely happy with (albiet good product, but it wasn't my best) So I went back to basic fundamentals and slowly built my technique and flavor profiles. Now I know if I something did turn out, where exactly in my process I messed up. My consistency for turning out my bbq has greatly improved because of it.

No wrap at all is a possibility....
This looks a little dark, but pic's in the shade...



Indoors is maybe a bit more accurate....



It's a little soft from the rest period in foil, but not bad

Man that's a good looking brisky to me Buckie.

If one can reduce the amount of smoke but keep the heat I've found that I can get away with no wrap and guarantee firm bark. After about 120 degrees I understand that the meat will not absorb more smoke - however, and I think that's a big however, smoke will color the bark and lay on it heavily so it will taste bitter. So I often don't wrap if I can only lightly smoke by using only charcoal after reaching stall or cook in the pellet cooker not warping is a good option.

Unfortunately I rarely do whole brisket since it's usually just the wife and me eating and I don't get enough "practice."

smoke ninja said:

Ive never had a problem due to the slather (i would swear mustard increases my bark formation) but i agree you should try try and eliminate as many variables as possible. I lost my way awhile back and my solution was to start from scratch. Just salt and pepper smoke and time. No wrap, no sauce, no spritz, no nothing that wasn't necessary. Built techniques, rubs, and such slowly one thing at a time, starting from the bottom up.

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Solid advice, sometimes returning to basics feels like defeat. Then again, a good slap on the nose can get you thinking straight.

I'm a big believer in there are so many ways to cook bbq and not swearing off any one technique. I still don't get mustard at all though. Seemed like an extra step that didn't add much if anything. My rub sticks to meat great without it. I have been wanting to try mayo on chicken though recently. But some folks love it. Mess around with dropping it and see what you like if you haven't.

Wrapping is your culprit more than likely. I wrap and my bark is soft, but nothing wrong with that. I'd keep everything the same (including mustard) but wrap in butcher paper or no wrap and see what happens. Don't change too many variables at once or else you don't know what affected the end result.

And make sure you like the extra bark and not just doing it because others do or to more impress your friends who might not even care :-D. Have fun experimenting! Oh and for home I started cooking hot 325-350 so the cook goes faster and still gets great results. Maybe in the future give those hotter temps a whirl :mrgreen:

I use SGH and coarse black pepper no glue. I start out fat down until I get ready to wrap. I then place the brisket in an aluminum pan with a variation of Rick's Sinful Marinade. I put a few slices of onions and carrots and whole garlic cloves in the marinade and place the Brisket on top of of the vegetables , fat side down. On top I place a sheet of Butcher paper and fold it over the edges of the pan. The purpose is to capture the brisket stock as it cooks but allow the water vapor to evaporate and condense the stock and to prevent the brisket from being coated by too much smoke. When the brisket is tender. I remove the paper, brisket and vegetables from the drippings (stock). I then place the foil pan on a counter top and flip the brisket to meat side down to soften the bark in the juice but not remove it while the brisket rests. I leave it like this for about 15 minutes then remove the brisket and drain the juice into an ice chilled pan. I then flip back to fat down and lightly cover with foil while it rests.
The panned juices are then place in an ice bath to allow setting of the surface fat. Allow the brisket to rest until the fat becomes solid and can easily be removed with a spoon.
The liquid can then be adjusted with seasonings if needed and either added to your favorite sauce or just used as a sauce alone. If allowed to completely cool depending on the reduction, the juice will turn to a gelatinous substance ( smoked brisket stock)