Update: A judge told me my brisket was 'mush' and it made me rethink everything

I entered a local comp in Kansas City last fall, and one of the judges wrote on my score sheet, 'Texture is off, feels steamed, not smoked.' I was using a water pan in my offset, thinking it kept things moist. After that, I pulled the pan out completely and focused on managing my fire for clean, dry heat. The bark on my next brisket was night and day better. Has anyone else had a piece of advice that flipped a basic part of your process?

3 comments

3 Comments

black.amy3mo ago

Oh man, that hits home. I used to wrap my ribs in foil way too early because I was scared of them drying out. A friend finally said they tasted boiled, not barbecued. Leaving them unwrapped for most of the cook changed everything for me.

william_taylor3mo ago

You wrapped them for how long? That's basically steaming them at that point.

paul_thompson671mo ago

The unwrapped time is where all the magic happens. A good bark and smoke ring are what separate real BBQ from just cooked meat. Keep it simple and let the heat do the work.