Instructions for getting the hallowed BARK :)


 
R

Ron LaChapelle

New member
Howdy, I've fired up the WSM 3 times and its been great! I have seen the pics and the mouth-watering descriptions of the cooks and bark. I would like a reference to this technique. Is it just made on butts and shoulders? Or do you get it on ribs, too? It almost looks to me like a whole lot of rub that gets carmelized or fat that gets fried.
Thanks in advance--
Ron
 
Ron, to tell the truth, bark isn't quite cut and dry. Some folks say you need mustard. I don't, but do prefer to put the meat on the cooker after the rub looks wet and the meat has "sweated", as Harry Soo calls it. Look up his method.

Basically, the rub, smoke, and fat all contribute to the bark. You don't want it to dry out and be too thick by cooking too dry or too fast or slow. You don't want TOO much moisture in the cooker, and you don't want to foil your meat before the bark is set, either. I get by far the best bark on butts or briskets with no foiling, I like to wrap briskets with butcher paper. I usually don't foil st Louie's but usually do loin backs. You're asking about bark, so I'll go ahead and add that a dry pan gives better bark. However, there's other things that come into play, and to each his own. I'm still using water to cook ribs (when not foiling), but don't with butts or briskets. I also use an ATC, though. Water in the pan or too much smoke, even from the charcoal, can make the bark very dark. Supposedly too much or certain rub ingredients will blacken as well, at least if cooking too fast without wrapping. You can't taste the color though, so most seem to be proud of their meteorites. Best advice is to just get smoking.
 
Something else... bark is created in the same (chemical) process as seen when that brown crust is formed on bread.
 
Thank you, Dave. I use a dry water pan as well (so far) Been using rub recipes found here and in the Viviott Low and Slow book. I will look up the Soo method as well. Actually, his review on Amazon is what persuaded me to get the WSM. I was practically drooling reading the review :) Thanks for all the replies.
 
Not my best, but here's a couple of nine pound butts after a 17 hour cook with no water, but then held for hour and a half before pulling. Before holding, I let them sit for seven or eight minutes, then put both into one of the pans and covered with foil. Then I put it inside one of those "cooler bags" like you keep in your car to keep meats cold after shopping. The bark was pretty good, but you can tell that it looses crispness after holding for any length of time. It's always best right off the pit if you cook it right.

 
Dave Russell said:
Ron, to tell the truth, bark isn't quite cut and dry. Basically, the rub, smoke, and fat all contribute to the bark. You don't want it to dry out and be too thick by cooking too dry or too fast or slow. You don't want TOO much moisture in the cooker, and you don't want to foil your meat before the bark is set, either. I get by far the best bark on butts or briskets with no foiling, I Supposedly too much or certain rub ingredients will blacken as well, at least if cooking too fast without wrapping. You can't taste the color though, so most seem to be proud of their meteorites. Best advice is to just get smoking.
Click to expand...

I'm glad this got asked. This thread was very informative with all the back and forth. Good stuff. Thank you dave. And I liked that meteorite image. ;)
 
Dave Russell said:
Not my best, but here's a couple of nine pound butts after a 17 hour cook with no water, but then held for hour and a half before pulling. Before holding, I let them sit for seven or eight minutes, then put both into one of the pans and covered with foil. Then I put it inside one of those "cooler bags" like you keep in your car to keep meats cold after shopping. The bark was pretty good, but you can tell that it looses crispness after holding for any length of time. It's always best right off the pit if you cook it right.

Click to expand...

The color of those butts is great!

To your point about the bark being the best right off the pit - how long would you let the meat rest(or how far would you let the IT drop) before pulling?
 
Danny B (Albany said:
The color of those butts is great!

To your point about the bark being the best right off the pit - how long would you let the meat rest(or how far would you let the IT drop) before pulling?
Click to expand...

Danny, thanks. Chris Lilly recommends twenty minutes on the counter uncovered, and I love it when I nail the cook timing and can simply do that. Obviously, you're losing moisture if you see steam when you pull it, but you don't want the meat to start cooling off too much, either.

Another thing you can do is to shut down the cooker and let the temp fall. Myron Mixon recommends an hour for whole pork shoulder, but he foils...???...there's a few variables there, but it's something I'd like to try a lot more, even though I don't foil. Like with chicken skin crispness, you lose the bark's potato chip crispness when you hold hot in foil. Matter of fact, just from holding those yesterday for an hour and a half under foil, the texture suffered. Other than the color being better, I might as well have used water in the pan. Oh well...better luck next time.
 
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