My buddy in Austin said my brisket bark was 'sandy' and it changed my whole cook

He told me my rub was too fine and the sugar was burning, so I started grinding my pepper coarse and using less brown sugar. Now my bark sets up way better and has a real bite to it. What's one piece of feedback that totally flipped your method?

3 comments

3 Comments

jaken232mo ago

Ever think about how your wood choice can mess with bark texture? I had a guy tell me my oak was too dry and burning too hot, basically baking the rub instead of letting it set. Started soaking a few chunks for shorter, hotter smoke and it made a huge difference. That bark needs a specific kind of heat to get right, not just the right rub. It's all connected.

robin4892mo ago

Man, that's so true. My buddy Mike swore his brisket bark was always too soft, like leather. He was using super dry hickory and cranking the heat trying to get color. Another guy at a cookoff told him to try a couple of soaked cherry wood chunks for the first few hours only. The steam and different smoke gave that bark a crunch you could hear from across the yard. He was just missing that wet wood sizzle at the start. Totally changed his whole process.

taylor_fox1mo ago

Is it really that deep though? I mean it's just bark on some meat.