11hrs, perfect temp, wet bark ??

[mkedda]

So, I did 2 pork shoulders this past weekend.

I used a Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) with Charcoal and the water tray.

I smoked at about 215-255 for 9-11 hours.

I DID NOT foil.

When I took the pork out of the smoker the bark, was almost wet and not real dry and crunchy. The meat texture was very tender but I dont understand why the bark was wet.

Should I not use the water chamber? Is that the problem?

 

[geek with fire]

What kind of rub did you use? If you had any quantity of sugar in the rub, it should have been very crispy for that amount of time. Also, did you spritz, mop, or otherwise?

 

[richoso1]

Josh has asked some very valid questions, and is your therm calibrated? Just trying to help.

 

[mkedda]

thermo is calibrated usinb boiling water test, +/- 3 degrees

rub is mainly brown sugar (1/2 cup brown sugar) to about 8 tablespoons of spices.

i did mop several times and i was heavy with the mop, i bet that was my problem, now that i think about it. (doh)

does the water pan come into play?

 

[fire it up]

I always use a water pan but did notice once when I was smoking some pork that there was quite a bit of moisture forming under the bark. Pork was directly over the water pan in my sNp so I moved it further away from the water pan and all was fine.
Not sure if the water was the cause of your problem but if there was too much moisture floating around the smoker the whole time I suppose that could have caused the bark to stay on the damp side though I haven't heard of this problem from other WSM users.

 

[richoso1]

The heavy mopping sounds like the reason for the soft/wet bark. The water pan would not create that effect, being foiled w/lquid for a long while can also produce that same effect.

 

[herkysprings]

The water pan is more for temp regulation than anything else. Since water boils at 212F, the water absorbs heat. You could try using sand, and I've run my WSM with nothing in it without issue. I prefer moist meat to crisp bark however. :D

 

[geek with fire]

Also, if you suspect your mop being the issue, don't reduce the mop, just add a more sugar based product near the end of the run. Something like Applejuice seems to work well.

 

[mballi3011]

It sounds like the mop maybe specially if you just mooped it before you pulled it. The temp you were smoking at the eand was it on the high or low side. That might have caused the mop not dry out in time before you pulled the meat.