Should I stop spritzing my butts?

[Stopsign32v]

I've always spritzed them with apple juice every 30 minutes and someone here suggested apple juice and apple cider vinegar 50/50.

No complaints but I'm wondering if I should not spritz it at all? What is the benefits either way?

 

[gmc2003]

I don't spritz, never saw a need for it. Spritzing helps with adding smoke flavor to the bark, but it also adds to the cooking time. You loose a lot of heat opening up the smoker every 30 mins.

Chris

 

[uncle eddie]

I don't spritz either.
I usually throw a butt in overnight so spritzing wouldn't happen anyway.

Agree with Chris about adding cooking time...if you're lookin', you're not cookin'

 

[JLinza]

I think it's a personal preference. Me spritzing depends alot on what I'm cooking and how long I'm cooking it for. I used to spritz alot, but not as much anymore.

 

[Smokin Okie]

I spritz up to the stall. Moist surface attracts more smoke. It could just be water, doesn't have to be ACV or apple juice.

But I've found spritzing delays the stall. The meat is tightening, squeezing out moisture and the spritz just adds to that process.

I'm generally wrapping in foil and finishing in the oven, not long after the stall..

 

[normanaj]

Never really saw the need in my MES and I kinda just gave up on it with my WSM.

 

[Smokin Okie]

I should add that I smoke butts in my Franklin offset that has very strong air flow. I not only need to spritz, but I need water pan in the cook chamber also.

I might change in a cooker that had lower air flow and a water pan.

 

[thirdeye]

No complaints but I'm wondering if I should not spritz it at all?

Spritzing is a tool, not a rule. It can add flavor, help develop bark, add moistness and give big meats amazing color.

Water, seasoned water (salt, pepper, Worcestershire, bourbon), pickle juice with water, beef broth, juice, ACV are all good examples.

 

[Stopsign32v]

Spritzing is a tool, not a rule. It can add flavor, help develop bark, add moistness and give big meats amazing color.
View attachment 706490
Water, seasoned water (salt, pepper, Worcestershire, bourbon), pickle juice with water, beef broth, juice, ACV are all good examples.

I guess my thing is I don't know if I need to or not. Maybe I should ask if my method is right or wrong.

 

[Smokin Okie]

I guess my thing is I don't know if I need to or not. Maybe I should ask if my method is right or wrong.

Don't spritz and see if you can tell a difference.

That's the only way ya gonna really know. And its like that for a lot of this stuff.

 

[Hijack73]

I used to spray. It was more of a thing I'd learned when I was helping cook whole hogs, and they always turned out great. We just slathered it on the pigs. So after I built myself a pit, I figured a spray bottle on butts and even brisket was good to go. I stopped using it on brisket first, then eventually I stopped using it on pork. I can't definitively say that it helps, and since it doesn't help and increases the cook times (by a lot) it's gone by the wayside.

When I did spritz, it was a dark fruit or apple juice and acv.

Dark fruit juices are so friggin good in doctored up BBQ sauce. Blueberry, blackberry and pomegranate are some of my favorite flavors to cut Sweet Baby Ray's with. And when you cook for a crowd, you gotta have sauce for all of the heretics who put it on smoked meat ;)

(I'm a heretic sometimes with pork, but the only sauce I will use on beef is when I make burnt ends)

 

[Stopsign32v]

Dark fruit juices are so friggin good in doctored up BBQ sauce. Blueberry, blackberry and pomegranate are some of my favorite flavors to cut Sweet Baby Ray's with. And when you cook for a crowd, you gotta have sauce for all of the heretics who put it on smoked meat ;)

Sweet Baby Ray's for finishing sauce??? It's HARD to impress me with any store-bought sauces.

And you're from South Carolina!

 

[chef k-dude]

Sweet Baby Ray's for finishing sauce??? It's HARD to impress me with any store-bought sauces.

And you're from South Carolina!

I make a handful of my own sauces, but in a pinch Sweet Baby Rays (or any basic store-brand sauce for that matter) will work, but I never use it as is. I take the original and cut it with some ACV and Texas Pete. SBR is too sweet for me out of the bottle but not a terrible base.

A metal fabricator I worked for 30 years ago was making a prototype vertical stainless steel insulated smoker (basically a 6 foot tall MES-30 but with a propane flame) for Wilbur Hardee who was looking at a patent and a BBQ venture. When he came up to test drive the unit, he went to the local Food Lion grocery store and brought some whole chickens, salt and pepper, store brand basic BBQ sauce, ACV and I think it was Crystal hot sauce at the time. All tasted great and the memory stuck with me.

Also, Hijack was referring primarily to others in a crowd who insist on sauce...and we know the average folks out there are fine with most store-bought sauces.

Dark fruit juices are so friggin good in doctored up BBQ sauce. Blueberry, blackberry and pomegranate are some of my favorite flavors to cut Sweet Baby Ray's with. And when you cook for a crowd, you gotta have sauce for all of the heretics who put it on smoked meat ;)

He was Also referring to stepping on SBR, not straight out the bottle.

I agree that most major brand sauces like Kraft are usually not very good. SBR went off the rails with too many attempts at flavor combinations.

 

[Stopsign32v]

Ok so what SBR do you guys suggest for a base? I'm interested

 

[Brokenhandle]

It's not right or wrong either way... it's how you like to do it and what method tastes best to you. About the same as if you have half a dozen beers, or six beers.

Ryan

 

[Hijack73]

Ok so what SBR do you guys suggest for a base? I'm interested

I use the regular.

Typically I go (and I eyeball, but I'll try to get close)
2 cups SBR
1 cup dark fruit juice
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar (to taste, mainly for the zippy tang it adds)
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
squirt of yellow mustard
And if I collected any pork juice at all, a cup or so of that.

And yeah, I make a few bottles of typical non-tomato Carolina vinegar and pepper sauce. That's 3 ingredient - acv, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Believe it or not, there's also always a couple of bottles of plain and mustard SBR on the table. You gotta give people what they want.

 

[kelbro]

I spritz butts and pork ribs with 50/50 ACV/apple juice only if I'm not using the water pan.

 

[DougE]

Never spritzed and never had pulled pork turn out dry.

Constantly opening up the cook chamber to do it just adds onto the cook time by letting the heat out, and for what benefit?

 

[Gonna Smoke]

I'm wondering if I should not spritz it at all?

That's up to you, but I'm in the no spritz camp myself mostly because I have tried both ways and haven't tasted a noticeable difference...

 

[Gonna Smoke]

And you're from South Carolina!

South Carolina is a little bit different in that we have different sauce zones...

My wife is a vinegar/pepper fan, but her family heritage is from the upper coastal area. My family heritage is from around Beaufort, or the low country as we call it, so I grew up with mustard base sauce...