Bark


 
G

G Mercado

New member
Hey everyone, I've been having some issues with my bark. It seems as though every time I'm done the bark is always soft and never crunchy. I cannot complain about the flavor only the bark, any ideas?
 
Any cook in paticular? ribs, shoulder, brisket?.. The most simple, short answer I could give would be that if you put a pork shoulder roast or brisket on with a liberal amount of rub, ran them at 235-250 and left alone lid on for 90% of the cook, you should have a nice thick bark. Ribs, chicken, other stuff of course would/could be different, along w/ other things ( I cook them hotter). Things that i've personally found to be bark destroyers are continuous basting/spraying, and foiling. Foil is a VERY usefull tool but long story short for now (to keep post short), depends what your doing w/ it and how long your using it, and if you follow up by finishing your cook on open grates etc. I do sometimes use it w/ brisket lets say, but each brisket is so different, so often. I actually prefer to not use it myself, but if the fat content/marbeling or the quality is poor you would almost hurt yourself (I think anyway) by not using foil. Personally as just ONE example w/ ONE pork shoulder only, never a reason to foil, bast, open lid for anything unless im in a time crunch (in my opinion). If your focus is bark then that statement could be stated X3. If your doing/trying high heat cooks I'll let the experienced help, i've never achieved what I wanted bark-wise with it at all, operator error no doubt.
I cant find it but a long time ago Kruger had said along the lines of "Bark formation will not occur until enough moisture has left the surface of the meat for carmelizing" or something like that. Basicly stating not to cook things at too low of a temp. Which makes me want to try high heat again confusingly enough.... but like I said operator error no doubt. My mistake MUST be in the foiling and then firming, i don't know.
 
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I have found that rubs that are heavy( as in primary ingredient ) do not get good bark. I now avoid runs like that
 
It's mainly when I do brisket and shoulder. I'm starting to assume that it is the foiling that is softening up the bark. I usually only foil it after I'm done with the smoke to let the juices redistribute. Hmmmm? Other than that, everything else is good. I appreciate the post. I'm just wanting to bounce some thoughts off of some people. I'm the BBQ person in my circle of friends. None of them really know how to cook, LOL!
 
It's the foil. Steam escaping from the meat has nowhere to go so it softens up the bark. Alternatively, you can still foil as you like but then put it back in the smoker to dry out the crust to your preference.
 
It makes sense. Should I let the brisket sit out while it redistributes and if so, for how long? I do want to meat to get cold
 
Len Dennis said:
It's the foil. Steam escaping from the meat has nowhere to go so it softens up the bark. Alternatively, you can still foil as you like but then put it back in the smoker to dry out the crust to your preference.
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I have to agree with Len. Trapped steam and moisture will ruin any bark. A little extra time in the smoker at the end, uncovered should do the trick to get the bark nice and crisp. Also, for pork butts, I've found that applying a layer of yellow mustard to the butt before applying the rub helps to create a really nice and thick bark. If you've never done it, it's worth a shot!
 
Yeah, I like the mustard on the pork butt. I'm am thinking that it's foil. Now, how long would you say to let it sit out after pulling it from the smoker without the foil?
 
I've cooked 6 briskets this year. 3 HH and 3 low and slow. I really didn't notice much if any difference in the Bark except for the one I foiled around 150 degrees as Meathead suggests. That Bark did not recover well when put I put it back which suggests to me I foiled it too soon. The others I foiled around 165-170 and had great results. I'm thinking the meat was not in the stall mode at 150 therefore not sweating enough kinda like Dan H was referring to in Post 2.
 
low and slow........foil isn't necessary during the smoking process, only to preserve for long periods of time while you're waiting for folks to show up

high heat.......necessary to finish the high heat cook in the appropriate amount of time
 
Others on here will hopefully add their comments. I know Paul Kirk does not foil and I think that's the True Texas method. I've foiled all of mine. Been kind of afraid not to. There is a lot of reading on cooking brisket beyond this site as well on everything from selection to triming to videos not saying what's on here isn't all you need but it's good I think to take in as much as you can. I liked the HH method enough I cut a second vent in the dome of my smoker so now I have an outdoor oven when I need it.
Part of the reason for foiling is to get you through the stall process. Reading about the science of the stall I think is important for anyone cooking brisket or pork for that matter. I'm still learning and I have many more briskets to go with some variation in cooking methods. I am not abandoning the low & slow it just depends on my time frame. I might not foil at some point but up here briskets are $40-$50.00 and about another $10-$12.00 for the cooking fuel so I don't want to be spoiling one!:wsm:
 
Briskets are a different matter, but here's some simple rules that work for me to get great pork shoulder with good bark:

DO trim the butts of excess fat.
DO use sugar in the rub.
DON'T use water in the pan if planning on foiling.
DO cook at moderate temps. (235-275*)
DO maintain the smoke before foiling.
DON'T spritz or mop.
DON'T foil before bark is done.
DO let the cuts lose some heat by tenting before rewrapping when holding.

Don't get hung up on one thing like bark, though. BBQ is all about balance. You don't want to end up with what SOMEONE might call "great bark", but overall, a dry product.
 
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