Pork butt bark help?

frosty91

Smoke Blower

Original poster

Sep 13, 2013

113

21

Illinois

• May 16, 2015

• #1

Smoking a couple butts today, I've done about 3 in the past and always have the same problem, great flavor great smoke but the bark never gets to hard or carmalized, it always seems to be a bit mushy, is it from too much rub maybe? Or I always put mustard on before the rub? But never had any problems with the rub on my ribs being mushy?? Here's some pics of the butts today.

image.jpg

• frosty91
• May 16, 2015

 

noboundaries

Epic Pitmaster

OTBS Member

SMF Premier Member

Sep 7, 2013

10,247

5,352

Roseville, CA, a suburb of Sacramento

• May 16, 2015

• #2

What are you doing during the smoke?  Spraying?  Looking? 

 

frosty91

Smoke Blower

Original poster

Thread starter

Sep 13, 2013

113

21

Illinois

• May 16, 2015

• #3

I don't spray the butts, at this point I was putting the meat thermo in at about 3 hours on the smoker

 

jrod62

Smoking Guru

OTBS Member

Group Lead

Jun 13, 2011

5,010

41

New Athens IL

• May 16, 2015

• #4

Do you foil ? That will keep the bark soft. What is in the rub ? Brown sugar helps get a better bark

 

frosty91

Smoke Blower

Original poster

Thread starter

Sep 13, 2013

113

21

Illinois

• May 16, 2015

• #5

I've never foiled butts before, and the rub I use is Jeff's rub, a lot of brown sugar mainly

 

sacedbysapp

Meat Mopper

Jan 16, 2013

225

20

Florida

• May 16, 2015

• #6

Bark always turns out great on my butts when time to foil them put in cooler to rest they end up sitting in juice comes ouy butt then bark turns to mush during the rest.

 

radioguy

Master of the Pit

Jan 12, 2013

1,165

605

Columbus, Ohio

• May 16, 2015

• #7

jrod62 said:

Do you foil ? That will keep the bark soft. What is in the rub ? Brown sugar helps get a better bark

Click to expand...

Jrods got the right idea. You need some sugar to carmelize. I don't foil at all, I spritz with apple juice and Captain Morgan's spiced rum. 2/3's AJ to 1/3 rum. You can kick up the temp the last hour or so.

RG

 

frosty91

Smoke Blower

Original poster

Thread starter

Sep 13, 2013

113

21

Illinois

• May 17, 2015

• #8

Bark turned out awesome this time, no pics though:/ next time for sure! And talking about spraying, last time I did ribs I did a mixture of apple juice and cherry dr. Pepper, flavor was awesome