Bark Formation with Propane Smoker - Water Tray Creating too Much Moisture?

[MilwaukeeBBQGuy]

Hey everyone, new to the forum and relatively new to smoking! Picked up a Camp Chef Smoke Vault 24 earlier this year when Covid hit and have absolutely LOVED smoking everything from chicken and ribs to brisket and fish.

However, one thing that has had me puzzled is that I often seem to have trouble getting a good bark on things. My first ever brisket was a fair success, however no bark. Second time around I didn't fill up the water pan, and got a much nicer bark but brisket seemed drier.

I haven't been doing this long enough to have the experience to know what is causing what. So my question to the group is, using a vertical propane smoker with a built in water pan, is there any reason that the water pan would be causing trouble with bark formation? Do the water pans in vertical smokers create too much moisture that it can inhibit bark formation?

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated!

Jeff

 

[JLeonard]

Welcome from Mississippi. I have a masterbuilt gas house vertical smoker. Havent had any trouble with bark formation on stuff, with or without the water pan.
Jim

 

[HalfSmoked]

Same as Jim I have a Master Built propane and never had a bark problem and I do use the water pan. What temps are you running at?

Warren

 

[MilwaukeeBBQGuy]

Hey guys! Typically aim for about 250, but can be slightly lower or higher. Out of curiosity, how big are your water pans? I feel like the Smoke Vault's is pretty large. Roughly 14" x 10", and several inches deep. Lots of surface area for evaporation. Have been wondering if that is also part of the issue. Are yours that big?

 

[HalfSmoked]

I have a large water pan in mine. The smaller on that came with the smoker always run dry before cook was finished. So I modified it it and it now holds a full size chaffing pan.

Warren

 

[SmokinAl]

I’ve had a SV24 for several years & I filled my water pan with lava rock, then when I smoke something I fill it to the top with water. The water will evaporate after a few hours & the lava rock acts like a heat sink. Never had a problem with good bark, but I run mine at 250+. I don’t think the water in the pan would inhibit bark formation, because the SV leaks so much that the moisture will escape quite easily. It may be your rub, I always use sugar in my rub, & that helps with the bark. Good luck & keep experimenting!!
Al

 

[MilwaukeeBBQGuy]

I’ve had a SV24 for several years & I filled my water pan with lava rock, then when I smoke something I fill it to the top with water. The water will evaporate after a few hours & the lava rock acts like a heat sink. Never had a problem with good bark, but I run mine at 250+. I don’t think the water in the pan would inhibit bark formation, because the SV leaks so much that the moisture will escape quite easily. It may be your rub, I always use sugar in my rub, & that helps with the bark. Good luck & keep experimenting!!
Al

Thanks for the suggestion! I was gonna do some wings this afternoon and just experiment with the clay saucer in the water pan to replace the water. Never thought of lava rocks. How is cleanup with the lava rocks considering the meat juices drip right on top?

 

[SmokinAl]

I put a disposable aluminum pan on a rack below the meat to catch all the juices. You don’t want to get any grease on the lava rocks. I have done that & it is a bitch to clean.
Al

 

[HalfSmoked]

Just to show you my set up.
The start

Almost done

As said that is a full size chaffing pan.

Warren

 

[MilwaukeeBBQGuy]

Just to show you my set up.
The start

View attachment 463064

Almost done

View attachment 463063

As said that is a full size chaffing pan.

Warren

Warren, that's super helpful. It's been awhile since I've made ribs, but that might be close to what mine looked like. What I've been trying to get is a little darker, thicker bark, similar to this.

Have you achieved this level of bark with your water pan? Thanks again!

 

[HalfSmoked]

No that's more bark then what my family would eat.

Warren

 

[JLeonard]

M MilwaukeeBBQGuy I took the stock water pan and filled it with sand and covered with foil to act as a heat sink. I use a 9x13 aluminum foil pan filled water 3/4 full as a water pan.

 

[MilwaukeeBBQGuy]

M MilwaukeeBBQGuy I took the stock water pan and filled it with sand and covered with foil to act as a heat sink. I use a 9x13 aluminum foil pan filled water 3/4 full as a water pan.

Hi! I actually tried putting a clay saucer from a flower pot in my water pan this weekend. Wrapped it in tin foil, and then placed a two sheets over the water pan. (Second sheet I could just rip off at the end for easy cleanup)

Just did some wings, but came out really good, and in much less time than I'd seen in the past. Might try this approach with my brisket next time, and just use a little water tray to see what happens.

 

[JLeonard]

The heat sink really helped the temp recovery for my vault. Glad thinks are getting working out for you.
Jim

 

[zwiller]

Welcome Jeff. IMO the key to getting bark is mostly about making sure the meat is dry before smoking. Overnight uncovered rest in fridge or fan dry half hour or even both. For more info search pellicle. Learned that here. Total game changer for me. My butts resemble meteors and we love it. On ribs, my local rib joint sears on a hot grill and does the work. I smoke one day and then sear/sauce/serve another.

 

[MilwaukeeBBQGuy]

Welcome Jeff. IMO the key to getting bark is mostly about making sure the meat is dry before smoking. Overnight uncovered rest in fridge or fan dry half hour or even both. For more info search pellicle. Learned that here. Total game changer for me. My butts resemble meteors and we love it. On ribs, my local rib joint sears on a hot grill and does the work. I smoke one day and then sear/sauce/serve another.

Thanks for the suggestion! I hadn't thought of that or really tried that yet. I've patted my meat dry before smoking, but not to the extent you're describing.

 

[zwiller]

Our smokers are small and move little air compared to say a big old stick burner, so we need a little help. This also explains why others have no issue with bark. In fact, some have the opposite issue and will need to mop or wrap to prevent it from getting out of hand.

 

[MilwaukeeBBQGuy]

Our smokers are small and move little air compared to say a big old stick burner, so we need a little help. This also explains why others have no issue with bark. In fact, some have the opposite issue and will need to mop or wrap to prevent it from getting out of hand.

That's a great point. So many methods to try, so little time! lol

 

[bill1]

These two articles seem pretty good:
https://davidsbbq.com/how-to-get-a-good-bark-when-smoking-meat

https://pitboss-grills.com/smoke-science/how-to-tuesday/perfect-bbq-bark