Switched to a drip pan under my brisket and the bark got way better

I used to let fat drip straight into my offset smoker's firebox, but after watching a video from Aaron Franklin, I tried a foil pan with water under the meat. In just one cook, the bark went from patchy and dry to a solid, dark crust all over. It seems like the extra moisture in the air kept the surface from hardening too fast. Anyone else get better results with a pan in the chamber?

4 comments

4 Comments

wood.uma24d ago

Franklin's water pan trick is basically a DIY humidifier for your smoker.

casey8181mo ago

Wait, so we're just putting water pans in smokers now? What's next, a humidifier for my grill?

felixlane1mo ago

That "extra moisture in the air" part is key. I always thought a dry chamber made better bark, but a pan of water proved me wrong. It just works better.

kevin3311mo ago

Yeah, it's crazy how a little humidity can change the whole texture.