Best Bark??

[xtexan]

Hey guys long time no talk to. I switched jobs and things have been crazy...
Anyway I have a "gig" in a couple of weeks and have some questions about bark???
I love the taste of my brisket and pork. However the one thing I am lacking is a good bark. I think this is because I smoke, then foil, then put in the ice chest to rest. I read somewhere in her where Richtee (whats up man?) said to put it in the oven or on the grill after foiling. Sounds logical... Can this be done at low temps on the smoker or are we talking 300* plus? Also. does anything else contribute to a good bark besides sugars, alcohols, and rubs(thick or thin?) Let me know what has worked best for you guys.

It is good to be back on here talking to you guys again, I hope yoe are all doing well!!

Will

 

[desertlites]

hey Will glad your back-I did my best brisket last WE. search for the sticky in beef section-smokyokie way-I will never do a brisket different-and WOW what a bark it had.as far as my Butts-yellow mustard-my rub patted on heavy and spraying with apple juice works for me-but next time I injecting it with a rub juice mix-than full outside rub.

 

[walking dude]

sugar gives the best barq............butt to much sugar, and you will need to use a jackhammer to break it.........but i have found that spritzing when foiling, helps soften the barq. I get a great barq wether its in the oven or the cooler, as long as you wrap it good, in towels before placing in the cooler........

 

[xtexan]

Glad to be back, thanks!
I have always been afraid of the searing method. I have heard of people having great success doing it this way. I'm just worried that I will burn it up.
Maybe I should give it a whirl...
I think part of my problem is I never finish my brisket on the smoker, just my ribs. I think that alone should crispen up the bark, right?

 

[baz518]

Walking Dude nailed it, sugar is the key to a good bark. After mixing up the spices for my rub, I add an equal amount of dark brown sugar to get a 50/50 mixture. But this is for butts, which always turn out good... never tried this on a brisket. I cut back on the sugar for ribs and less meaty cuts, but with a butt... you can't use too much brown sugar (as long as you don't "cake" it on).

Another thing I always do is rub a generous amount of kosher salt on my butts before I put on the rub. I'm not sure on the specific chemistry of salt, but it seems to help my bark as it seems to dry the outermost layer a little bit... which keeps it firm. But if you foil something long enough, you can turn the crispiest bacon into a piece of mush.

 

[rwc565]

First I rub the meat with my rub. I then dissolve a 1/4 cup of brown sugar in warm water and then mix in my rub and ladle on my meat as it is cooking. That makes a great bark.

 

[baz518]

Yeah, that's another big bark helper. Baste/mop your meet with a mixture that has sugar in it. My injection/mopping liquid is cider vinegar, apple juice, brown sugar, and spices (mainly red, white, and black pepper with some herbs).

With a sugary (is that a word?) mop sauce, you'll get the cummulative effect going on. You'll get a caramalized addition to your bark each time you do a mopping.