not sure if this has been discussed or if im posting in appropriate place please redirect me if im wrong
my question: how big of a factor is relative humidity when trying to create a nice bark on food
long slow cooks im getting golden brown or even reddish colour...i feel sugar/salt content is adequate but without burning food i cant get decent dark bark
happens ( or doesnt happen lol) on weber,electic traeger and homemade pit/stickburner
Humidity will definitely help in bark formation, helps the seasoning in that formation. That’s why most pitmasters spritz their meat. And although there is much debate over this, I believe having a water pan helps as well.
Hi, my name is Darrell. I'm an OTR truck driver for over 25 years. During my off time I love doing backyard cooks. I have a 48" Lang Deluxe smoker, Rec-Tec pellet smoker,1 Weber Genesis 330, 1 Weber Performer (blue), 2 Weber kettles (1 black and 1 Copper), 1 26" Weber kettle, a WSM, 8 Maverick Redi Chek thermometers, a PartyQ, 2 SnS, Grill Grates, Cast Iron grates, 1 ThermoPop (orange) and 2 ThermoPens (pink and orange) and planning on adding more cooking accessories. Now I have an Anova sous vide, the Dragon blower and 2 Chef alarms from Thermoworks.
for rubs i use slight variation of meathead Goldwyns memphis dust
most cooks are done @225F
in winter time i usually wrap at stalls cause just too cold to wait...happens on shoulders,ribs,chicken etc...
In that case, the answer is going to be to let it try to fight through the stall on its own for awhile. It is at that point where the bark formation happens. You could also try using butcher paper (untreated) instead of foil. It won't steam off the bark like foil tends to do.
Large Big Green Egg, Weber Performer Deluxe, Weber Smokey Joe Silver, Fireboard Drive, 3 DigiQs, lots of Thermapens, and too much other stuff to mention.
Hi, my name is Darrell. I'm an OTR truck driver for over 25 years. During my off time I love doing backyard cooks. I have a 48" Lang Deluxe smoker, Rec-Tec pellet smoker,1 Weber Genesis 330, 1 Weber Performer (blue), 2 Weber kettles (1 black and 1 Copper), 1 26" Weber kettle, a WSM, 8 Maverick Redi Chek thermometers, a PartyQ, 2 SnS, Grill Grates, Cast Iron grates, 1 ThermoPop (orange) and 2 ThermoPens (pink and orange) and planning on adding more cooking accessories. Now I have an Anova sous vide, the Dragon blower and 2 Chef alarms from Thermoworks.
Jerod is right as well, if you want dark black charred bark, just leave it on there. What I've found (since I don't normally cook on a stick burner), is the flat gets too dry if moisture isn't present. Tough enough when it is. Although dark bark certainly has some sex appeal, I'd concentrate instead on making my meat moist. But again that's my opinion, do some trial and error testing for yourself. Good luck !!!
Hi, my name is Darrell. I'm an OTR truck driver for over 25 years. During my off time I love doing backyard cooks. I have a 48" Lang Deluxe smoker, Rec-Tec pellet smoker,1 Weber Genesis 330, 1 Weber Performer (blue), 2 Weber kettles (1 black and 1 Copper), 1 26" Weber kettle, a WSM, 8 Maverick Redi Chek thermometers, a PartyQ, 2 SnS, Grill Grates, Cast Iron grates, 1 ThermoPop (orange) and 2 ThermoPens (pink and orange) and planning on adding more cooking accessories. Now I have an Anova sous vide, the Dragon blower and 2 Chef alarms from Thermoworks.
Yea each to his own, that is a good lookin' briskie DW. Like I said there are a ton of differing opinions on the subject, best to do what works for you....
The stall is required to dry the surface and get bark. If you are smoking at around 225-250F the stall should all but be guaranteed.
The stall lengthens the cook so it also gives collagen time to break down, time it wouldn’t get if you cook too hot.
If if you want good bark as others have said you’ll have to wait most of the way through the stall before you wrap. See graph and you can tell that i waited well into the stall before I opened the cooker and wrapped (and checked again an hour later)
Also you’ll need a little sugar in the rub to help form the bark. Meathead discusses the importance of this in recipes on this site. Though I’ve used sustitutes and some work okay, if you’re going to cook for 10-16 hours may as well use what we know works.
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