A competitor told me my bark was too dark at a comp in Kansas City

I was at the American Royal last fall and a guy from a neighboring tent said my brisket bark looked burnt, not smoky. He told me I was probably running my pit too hot in the first two hours and that was charring the outside instead of building a good crust. I went home and tested dropping my pit temp from 275 to 250 for the first 3 hours, and it made a huge difference. The bark came out darker but way more even, and the meat stayed juicier. I started paying more attention to when the smoke goes clear too, not just how dark the meat gets. Has anyone else gotten feedback like that at a competition that made you rethink a basic step?

2 comments

2 Comments

anthony_fox9014d ago

@stone.evan actually the Maillard reaction happens above 285 not 250 but you're spot on about sugar scorching.

stone.evan14d ago

lol I actually read something from Meathead at AmazingRibs about this exact thing. He talked about how a lot of folks mistake the Maillard reaction for straight up burning, especially when you're using a rub with sugar in it. The trick he mentioned was keeping the pit below 250 for the first few hours so the sugar doesn't scorch before the smoke has a chance to set. I tried that on my last pork butt and the bark came out looking like mahogany instead of black asphalt, haha. Your point about watching when the smoke turns clear is solid too, that's something I think a lot of weekend warriors overlook when they're chasing color.