Found a way to fix bark that kept falling off my brisket

I kept having my bark slide right off when I wrapped my briskets around hour 8, even after trying different rubs. Last weekend I let the brisket sit unwrapped for an extra 90 minutes until the fat cap felt tacky and hard, and the bark stayed on perfect through the whole cook. Anyone else had luck delaying the wrap to fix bark issues?

3 comments

3 Comments

brooket432d agoTop Commenter

Oh man, I hear you on the bark struggle. It's like the worst feeling when you go to wrap and half of it just flakes off into the trash. I've actually been messing around with a different method that kinda works for me. I started spraying my brisket with a mix of apple cider vinegar and a little bit of Worcestershire sauce every 45 minutes after the first 4 hours. It keeps the surface moist enough that the bark sets in layers instead of just crusting over and falling off. It's not a miracle cure but it makes the bark kinda sticky and flexible. Plus it adds a nice tang that my family loves. Just gotta be careful not to overspray or it gets sloppy. That tacky trick you mentioned sounds solid too, I might try combining both next time.

holly7092d ago

I had a buddy who tried that tacky trick you mentioned and it worked great for him. He was always complaining about his bark flaking off like dried mud after wrapping. One weekend he left his brisket unwrapped for almost two hours until the fat felt like a dry rubbery patch. He wrapped it up after that and said the bark stuck on like glue. He's been doing it that way ever since.

the_oliver19h ago

Definitely get what you're saying @holly709 about letting that fat set up before wrapping. I've had the same thing happen when I'd get impatient and wrap too soon, the bark just turned to mush. Waiting until the fat feels like that rubbery patch gives it way more time to bond to the meat so it doesn't fall off when you foil it up.