Stop the basting, mopping, and spritzing. Just cut it out.

[pops6927]

I'm usually too busy spritzing myself... or having the grandkids doing it... they do love the water pistols...!

 

[richinct]

I stopped doing it, turns my bark into muck. I don't see that it does much good, just sits on the outside of the meat.

 

[stircrazy]

When I started smoking about 15 to 20 years ago (although it was on a BBQ with indirect heat and home made smoke packs I threw on ever hour)  I never knew about spritzing, mopping ect.. hell I didn't even know I was smoking, just thought it was slow cooking with inderect heat. 

but because I never did thoes things back then I still don't do it.  I tried mopping with a rib roast once but I didn't think it turned out as good as when I just left it alone.  even now when I do things, I don't even sause them, I just warm up the sauce and serve it on the side.  for me I just love the flavor of the meat and the rub is all I need.

after all why go through all that trouble just to hide the flavor with a sugar sauce.  but that is just my opinion.. my dad on the other hand things the sauce is the main ingreadent in BBQ

Steve

 

[wildflower]

if your looking, your not cooking         I rub the meat, put it in the smoker and go to sleep!!!   

 

[dick foster]

EXACTLY!! I can't agree more.

Shut the door and leave it shut till the thermometer says it's time to take it out. PERIOD!!

Rub it and let it sit over night. Take it out of the fridge and let the chill come off the meat as the smoker warms up to temp. Then put the meat in the smoker, close the door and leave it closed till it time to eat. 

Yes. you should let the meat sit around for 30 min to or an hour or so after you take it out and before you pull, slice into or chop it. You can even foil towel wrap and put it in a cooler for a while if you like. Just don't be messin with it while its tryin to cook. 

Playin with it might even cause blindness ya know.  

 

[pokey]

Well, I'm a newbie to this smoking game, but the first two pork butts I did, I didn't spritz and they came out great. Nice bark, good flavor, plenty tender and moist. I could see no reason to change how it was done. My attempts at brisket have been unsuccessful, but the more I think about it, foiling is likely the answer, not basting. Meathead made sense to me.

 

[danielh]

I've pretty much got to where i only mop the smaller cuts.  Ribs, chicken, etc..  A good mop is a MUST for even decent smoked chicken IMO.  And its still better open pit.

Butts, brisket, chuckies, etc (thicker cuts, for sure anything i'm pulling and want a good bark on), it almost doesnt seem worthwhile.

 

[carpetride]

I spritz lightly and in general like to tell myself that it's an opportunity to add a another layer of flavor.  More than once I have not had the chance to do it and can't say that I saw a big difference.  98% of what I do is bb's

 

[jagerviking]

 I have done both, and tend to lean towards the non spritzing ways. On things like chicken, turkey, ribs and pork loin, I use a pan next to my fire with apple juice and beer.

 

[mythmaster]

I've only spritzed once, and I'll never do it again.  It just makes the bark soggy which is exactly what I *don't* want.

 

[pignit]

The only thing I spritz is my ribs. I don't open the smoker to do it... I only do it when I have to open it for something anyway and I use strawberry margarita mix. It's very concentrated and since I don't use sugar in my rub it does give the final meat a color I didn't get before using it and a twang I didn't have before. I've tried to eliminate anything that doesn't have to be done without effecting the results.

 

[Dutch]

The one thing that I like about my Lang is the quick recovery time from when I have to open the door. Lately, I've been busy (Ma Dutch says "distracted) doing other things and haven't done a lot of spritzing. I'll spritz if I have the chamber door open adding stuff or taking stuff off or giving the WBB a stir. Now if I was using the GOSM, I'll spritz the meat everytime I add wood chunks to the fire box since there is just the single door for the whole unit.

 

[bacardi]

I've pretty much got to where i only mop the smaller cuts.  Ribs, chicken, etc..  A good mop is a MUST for even decent smoked chicken IMO.  And its still better open pit.

Butts, brisket, chuckies, etc (thicker cuts, for sure anything i'm pulling and want a good bark on), it almost doesnt seem worthwhile.

Until you try it side by side, one moped, and one unmopped you cannot tell for sure.  The pro's de-bone thighs, remove the skin, scape off the fat from the underside of the skin, put the skin back on. This gives chicken the impossibly crisp skin that mopping/spritzing ruins.

 

I spritz lightly and in general like to tell myself that it's an opportunity to add a another layer of flavor.  More than once I have not had the chance to do it and can't say that I saw a big difference.  98% of what I do is bb's

Try spritzing at end, after it's off the smoker. The layer of flavor you crave will not be evaporated, burned off or hinder your bark, it will be concentrated :)

 

[ddigitalpimp]

ive always been a spritz and foil person with spares and backs.  i have a nice rack of spares that will be smoked on friday and even before reading this thread i was going to rub and smoke for 6 hours, no foil or peaking.  im also a convert to crisping up the ribs on a low flame propane grill while adding a BBQ sauce once they are done smoking.

 

[dick foster]

Last brisket I did turned out great. No foiling, basting, mopping or messing around with it.

Just watch the temp and give the piece of meat what ever time it may need. Some take a long time others don't.

 

[marlin009]

This thread has certainly cleared up the spritzing question for me, or not, but definitely one of the two.

 

[eman]

If you have the MES and use the water pan and keep it from going empty. you don't have to spritz or mop for moisture. At least i don't. Once i get it up to temp if i open the door i get a meat flavored facial from the steam.

 If you are spraying or mopping for flavor ou can just put the mop liquid in the water pan .

 It took me awhile to figure out i can get all the flavor and moisture i need w/o opening the door .

 The MES is really bad about heat loss when the door is opened . Especially the older 800 watt like i have. And it takes forever to recover.

 

[bacardi]

If you have the MES and use the water pan and keep it from going empty. you don't have to spritz or mop for moisture. At least i don't. Once i get it up to temp if i open the door i get a meat flavored facial from the steam.

 If you are spraying or mopping for flavor ou can just put the mop liquid in the water pan .

 It took me awhile to figure out i can get all the flavor and moisture i need w/o opening the door .

 The MES is really bad about heat loss when the door is opened . Especially the older 800 watt like i have. And it takes forever to recover.

I would to comment on your statements.  Meat is not a sponge absorbing liquid thrown at it thus you're not adding moisture by mopping or spritzing; wrapping in foil will increase moisture.  If you mop for flavor, you soften the bark and most mops contain 95% or more of water which evaporates away, if the goal is to increase flavor, make a more flavorful rub or sauce.  We simply just want to make mopping/spritzing work, but it doesn't.  :)

 

[jongonz70]

Ok. So i also read this article and find that there are good points to be made from it. However, as stated before, Man (and woman) has been smoking/ bbqing for ages. and they have been spritzing/ mopping for a long while now. i am sure that this study is not the first since the science of cooking meat this way has started. I am still very new to the smoking world and in fact my first time spritzing a meat is today. i am going to make my own opinion on this topic over the time and experience i accumulate. Everyone has there opinion and in my eyes... (again this is my opinion on the article) the person who wrote this article's opinion is not to spritz/smoke. I will update with my experience of spritzing.

 

[Bearcarver]

Ok. So i also read this article and find that there are good points to be made from it. However, as stated before, Man (and woman) has been smoking/ bbqing for ages. and they have been spritzing/ mopping for a long while now. i am sure that this study is not the first since the science of cooking meat this way has started. I am still very new to the smoking world and in fact my first time spritzing a meat is today. i am going to make my own opinion on this topic over the time and experience i accumulate. Everyone has there opinion and in my eyes... (again this is my opinion on the article) the person who wrote this article's opinion is not to spritz/smoke. I will update with my experience of spritzing.

Best way to do it, form your own opinion--That's the one that matters.

You can listen to others about safety stuff, but still do follow up checking, and when it comes to flavor & moisture things, do your own experiments. Just because one guy says you have to foil, or you have to spritz, and another guy says sternly "Shut the door & leave it alone!" doesn't mean any of them are right or wrong, it just means they are loud & think they know best.

Now suit up, You're going in,

Bear