Heavy bark

Hey guys,

I smoked a rack of spares today and they came out with some really heavy bark. They cooked about 5.5 hrs at 250-275. I was wondering if it was the apple juice i was spraying on them that made that thick chewy bark. They were lightly rubbed the night before with brown sugar, garlic and onion powder. I sprayed them pretty heavy with the apple juice about 4 times throughout the cook. I sure didnt like all that bark. Thanks for the help. Clay

My bet is that the brown sugar's the culprit.

Another vote for the sugar being the culprit.

I guess my first question would be whether is was too much bark due to "crunchiness" or are you talking too much bark in proportion to the meat?

While sugar does help form a bark, it could also be that you had a lot of salt in your rub too and it dried out the outer portion of the rib as well.

With a 5+ hr cook you will always get decent bark... if it's not your cup of tea, try foiling as it will shorten the cook time as well as keep it protected from the drying heat.
Don't let the purists deter you... it's your food so cook it the way you like it.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Don't let the purists deter you... it's your food so cook it the way you like it. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
BINGO!!!