Any tips on getting a good bark?

don't wrap and mop once an hour.

Moping would ruin the bark in my opinion. Everyone does brisket so different. My advice it’s to let it get all the dry heat it can. Meaning dont wrap in tin foil. Wrap in butcher paper if you like. You can spritz a little before you wrap in thin places that tend to burn to promote even cooking. I’m definitely not the authority on the subject.

Salt, pepper, heat. Thin blue to clear smoke from the exhaust. Leave your exhaust damper wide open and adjust temp with the air intake only. This will enable you to have a good bark but not be too smokey. If it's bellowing white smoke, it's going to be pretty smokey by the time it's done and you have a good bark. The bark is all about salt/pepper/time on the smoker. I've never mopped or spritzed a brisket, and I don't wrap until it's done and time to rest. IMO a good bark makes a brisket, love it. I've been using my vertical cabinet water smoker for briskets the last couple of years, and it does a hell of a job. When I fire it up I'll do 2 to 6 briskets at a time, refrigerate them, slice cold/weigh/vacuum seal & freeze for quick meals later.

I like to trim my own packers. I use a sharp filet knife and remove the deckle, then trim the fat cap down to 1/4" to 3/16". Salt, pepper, and put on the pit fat side up. I've tried putting them on the pit both cold and at room temp after reading all sorts of theories and the science behind it from the experts, and IMO it makes no difference. Just cooked 2 more the other day, here is a cold brisket I was slicing. It's cold, not dry. Warm it up and it's tender and juicy with a good bark.

I do it just about the same way skinnerback does. Even got the knife to match. Except I usually wrap in butcher paper and I spritz any part that looks like it’s cooking faster than the rest of it. Neither of which make a huge difference in the end product over skinners method. Butcher paper maybe speeds up the cooking a little bit. Spritzing maybe gives me a 1/4 pound of moist meat that’s usually a hair dryer than the rest. I wish you had a picture of it warm, skinner. I bet that thing looks amazing coming out off of the rest.

Everyone likes brisket different. So try a few ways and see which work for you. Change one thing at a time. And build from there.

Thank looks amazing Skinner

Thanks buddy. BIL, what kind of cooker do you have?

This always works for me !!

Great thread. Much oblige for posting.

Just wanted to add some more since I haven’t seen anyone mention it. Temp consistency helps a lot too. If you have a pellet grill it’s easy. If you have a stick burner it’s a learning curve for your particular set up. I go through way more trouble with the fire than I do the actual brisket. I don’t have a big fire box. So I have to take your typical logs and cut them in half. Before I do that I put them on the table saw and cut them lengthwise down the middle. I “log cabin” stack them 3 high to start. Once I get good coals and blue smoke I can adjust the coals for temperature to an extent. Move them closer and use a pair of metal togs or a shovel to punch a hole under the fire so it can increase air flow and raise the temperature.. Move the logs perpendicular to the fire box to decrease the air flow and the temperature. I’ll spend the entire cooking time messing with logs and adding logs when it needs it to try and keep the temperature consistent. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but if it bounces from 200 to 300 your bark isn’t going to be what it should. But if you can keep a fire between say 240 and 275 you’ll be in good shape. Don’t fight your smoker to much. Some smokers like burning at 220-260 some smokers run better at 250-280.

Also, trimming the brisket correctly really helps the bark be consistent over the entire brisket. 1/8” fat on the fat cap and just cut off anything hanging that’s not uniform. It will be a lot. I trimmed 6 pounds off of a 17 pound brisket today.

Good point Thisbeer, I meant to say 1/8” to 3/16” of fat, not 1/4”. Another good tip is KEEP THE DANG LID CLOSED, quit looking at it! Lol

Almost forgot. I also like to keep a log on the fire box or actually inside the smoker. When you through a hot log on it lights quickly and keeps the smoke blue.

I would follow the directions of Skinnybear, salt, pepper, heat/smoke and don’t open the lid until the thermometer says 200-205


Oh, you ain’t getting that great bark with a ghey pellet smoker

Bingo.

I wrap in butcher paper and get that good bark that everyone likes. I also don’t wrap until the bark is to my liking no matter what the IT is at the time.

That is true. Temperature is irrelevant on a brisket. Wrapping at 160 or pulling at 205. Wrap when the bark is where you want it and pull it when it’s probe tender. Some briskets are done at 205, but others are done at 195.

I also do this. It does help.

Great thread and advice

Fact, they ain’t anything other than an oven with a little wood smoke flavor. It’s not pit smoked bbq at all.

Had one come out ok today.

That looks amazing!!

Thank you sir!

Bingo.