No Bark ...... Why?

Silver Rhino

New member
Yesterday I used my Pit Boss 820 for the first time.....results were actually very good except for the bark. Here is what I put on and how:

4.25 # pork loin & 2 # beef tri tip
temperature set at ..... 200 F P6
Outdoor temp ...... 50 F

Cooked the beef to 160 and then wrapped in foil and cooked to 190 ..... removed from smoker and placed in oven for 90 minutes.

Cooked the pork loin to 145 and then wrapped in foil and placed in oven for 90 minutes.

The smoke ring was very nice on both pieces of meat ..... meat was very moist and flavorful..... NO BARK!

Basic rub of spices with brown and white sugar ..... What did I do wrong?
 

TentHunter

Moderator
Your pit temp (200°) seems a bit low for a good bark formation. You need a little more heat for the maillard reaction (caramelization) to happen. For anything where I want a decent bark, AND I plan to foil, I will hot-smoke fore maybe an hour, then bum it to 225° minimum to 245° for a good 5 - 6 hours, and I do NOT foil until AFTER a decent bark has formed.

Then I kick the pit temp (or oven) up to around 300 or so while it's braising in the foil. The higher heat allows the bark to continue to darken.


Doing this I consistently get results like this:

URU1vlB-EpYWObt2oT1kICmIntzHvqKNFZ6IFoOMlloSxXi8ECP3sbSw7nJ4EoGbTSSgpp8oRuy0YyWGNOa8ZtEeQmUVaVKbs9X5oMp-qM1p3axAGnQ3KbMHe3ntsmZlCWAwJobUR07utGFUy8WmRmA2ePqnJFT8QbUCzaNOx65B8igM0vs8GvuVL-Om9ABgSseQn6a8hJsJ3mzSNtVjP4nDWdV95b9CDzg3ilFL5UXoUlni-JEbdtijiCr-4XSW8NW8ucKG0-hFw3kGhdnxgb178ZtdClbH5y8OkWwjic5RPE16n1UK7svQe3RxsOFjQBai1WTalYAFOchnhjeJM1eBeKJjKzkVpG_1oTJicdJGqBjCOZZuC5p9rhaYvkBpGrB2xddQwkz4bskWWU46PkyeHkVLhRnxbg6ojAtTsaAUYGOcTUi5aWOy50fA48ZW0MkKhphAN6KS6K7hrKAW9TVGvr8ASG45c9fe_CpC9WicIm8nOkmOw21_Qw81zaejm7XoH1mkaRhmLEbk7D8wjTXqatJPaCJsDpuAqT1aHe2lGJtsqCnyx5uBn6PsiTr3PlbMrcRSKjDnesVJ_oD0NXqE5IP4b_btc4-P_2nM6A=w740-h310-no


yfjQadORe1kLXb_n2nDEpZdJOtqOoFu4gMw7GcWrEB42uJRohgV9hnth0gWzhRcxyx0UGbMvhvbkOl8z8hhQtUuBBlfrpxTGLXSgoTwHQXNehHpfeRV0CzWW2J77fPfQ1mdbZKcYLv32gk1uebsePTX0huDgIq6XTKRb4HsSRiH3OOQK9reaFVxVuH-mgjHIKLwg0U-l-5E5a4TwJVjqIBtq4h64ymsYX4-tmvjQ8AbFGXDqgACcvPUZGhX8B1SiUZl2Cl8tH51luSxLWKzX30TaaiSqnXnDh-HcR7aKcHRi7WV9qtEGyIL9ZOtXfZlfJWBRFU7hYTfALgs-ksvEBrmAaBPcBdLsXEUL4F1l2TR_5wQrPRIfxGWCPgvYJnq-cKAS5fZdavU_U1Yj-TjwfFvB5P7z77hG6vYxgQVGhyAvIIDJ3DMwKsXguFD_WDRm_9RnXkFyn9zUJyoSP75Ukoy1srSb2gWMcq74AKI44zxeHkwsP7I09e9VAF1CG36D3bfXNIm62rEzWbVGpoprUWE8sYk5RIeXkwwN1QH4pMAUoxIE_CBc65dxJy6ItfILjV0Rizwy5CcgpNBjbHzIsLEqnSyRuCKzGAYaNpIdhg=w640-h463-no
 
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Silver Rhino

New member
Thanks for the response! So let me see if I understand this correctly: I should have started out at 275 - 300 and then lowered the temp to 225. I assume the initial temp of 275 would have taken the tri tip to 190 and the pork to the 145 temps....correct? So I would remove at that temp and place in foil? or do I need to foil??

Sorry about all the questions.....but like I said this was a first time so I am keeping notes so I can hopefully get this down and consistent!
 

scooter

Moderator
Cook tritip to about 143F rested temp. At that temp it's the most tender and juicy. I've heard others cook tritip like a brisket which puzzles me because there's no reason to need to cook a pricey tender beef roast like you have to cook a cheaper tough brisket in order to make it tender. I cooked the crap out of a tritip once just to see what they were seeing and afterwards needed months of psychiatric help to push through the emotional pain and regret. :)
I agree with Tent on the low temp and foil being your nemesis on the bark. Foil after a good bark formation (4-8 hours @ 250F +/- 25F for brisket or butt. 275F for ribs) then wrap extremely tight with little to no air pockets to preserve some of the bark you worked so hard to get.
 
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TentHunter

Moderator
Thanks for the response! So let me see if I understand this correctly: I should have started out at 275 - 300 and then lowered the temp to 225.

Sorry about all the questions...


No, you're fine starting out at a lower temp. Just don't keep it there too long if you want a good bark. The "hot-smoke" I mentioned above is temps between 165° - 185°, or "Smoke Mode" on a MAK. In other words, I usually start out in smoke mode for a good hour, to get a little more smoke flavor, then bump the pit temp up to 225° - 245°.


A couple Tips: First, when you're cooking something where you want more smoke flavor (pork shoulders, brisket, ribs, etc.), do NOT pre-heat your MAK! Leave it off until you get the food on, then turn your MAK on to Smoke Mode. The longer it takes the outside of your meat to get to 140°, the more time it has for smoke absorption. And it takes advantage of all the smoke from the ignition cycle. ;D

When cooking low & slow on the MAK, the reason I go to 245° and not 250° is because 250° is when the MAK's fan kicks into high speed, which means less smoke.
 

jeeps

New member
Cook tritip to about 143F rested temp. At that temp it's the most tender and juicy. I've heard others cook tritip like a brisket which puzzles me because there's no reason to need to cook a pricey tender beef roast like you have to cook a cheaper tough brisket in order to make it tender. I cooked the crap out of a tritip once just to see what they were seeing and afterwards needed months of psychiatric help to push through the emotional pain and regret. :)
I agree with Tent on the low temp and foil being your nemesis on the bark. Foil after a good bark formation (4-8 hours @ 250F +/- 25F for brisket or butt. 275F for ribs) then wrap extremely tight with little to no air pockets to preserve some of the bark you worked so hard to get.
Do you add any liquid before you seal up the foil? I put about a quarter cup of coke or apple juice in but it does soften up my bark.
 

scooter

Moderator
Do you add any liquid before you seal up the foil? I put about a quarter cup of coke or apple juice in but it does soften up my bark.

Yes, maybe a 1/4 Cup beef broth is all I use. Remember to do it after hours of setting the bark and then wrap it very very tight so as to have little to no air pockets. But also know that if you wrap, no matter how well you set the bark before wrapping, after wrapping the bark is going to be softer than it was at the point where you wrapped it. That's just a fact of life you have to live with when you wrap a brisket.
 
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