brisket bark?

[js-tx]

I'm curious to know what sort of brisket bark does well in comps. Is it crusty and charred, mushy, somewhere in the middle or none at all? My guess is somewhere in the middle but I could be wrong. Thoughts? Thanks! I'm including a pic of some of the best bark I've had on a brisket.. pay no attention to the lack of smoke ring , my bubba kegs can be guilty of that sometimes.

[RWBTEX]

Me thinks your guess is right, i try to have a nice one like you have there and put a light seasoning or salt on it before slicing but I've seen some win that looked and tasted like they were boiled in an oven, go figure. the biggest thing I see losing at the judges table is a tough under cooked brisket or a over cooked very dry brisket. Good luck.

[bigbob73]

smoke rings are overrated and not should not be a part of the judging.

[jtilk]

I usually wrap my briskets in foil @ around the 150-160 mark on internal temp, and finish cooking it that way. (I know mentioning this is probably gunna open up a can of worms as to should/ shouldn't you foil) Obviously the foiling softens the bark, but I usually have a good showing with this approach... That being said I'm going to say the flavor and tenderness is going to effect your outcome more than having a soft/ crispy bark.

[RWBTEX]

Me thinks your guess is right, i try to have a nice one like you have there and put a light seasoning or salt on it before slicing but I've seen some win that looked and tasted like they were boiled in an oven, go figure. the biggest thing I see losing at the judges table is a tough under cooked brisket or a over cooked very dry brisket. Good luck.

Agreed but they sure make the presentation nicer, eye appeal, remember we eat with our eyes first.

[Southern Pride BBQ]

I know they say that "the smoke ring is not a part of the judging", I believe that is BS. If i'm judging brisket and theres no smoke i wouldnt score it as high as one with a smoke ring.......just my .02 cents......

[js-tx]

I know they say that "the smoke ring is not a part of the judging", I believe that is BS. If i'm judging brisket and theres no smoke i wouldnt score it as high as one with a smoke ring.......just my .02 cents......

I agree, I've even heard a head judge mention this as favorable criteria at a comp. last year that I helped judge. Right or wrong I know I heard it.

[PG Smoker]

We just hosted a BBQ Competition and though I was not part of the judging, I was around to hear much of the after judging chatter...They all seemed to be ecited about a couple of teams that had a great bark on their brisket. They didn't seem too excited about the ones that appeared too soupy.

Bottom line, the briskets with good bark, got high votes...go with bark my friend.

[PG Smoker]

the key is to have a tender and juicy center with a nice bark. This can be challenging to perfect, but if it were easy, we would all be BBQ Champions...I get my best bark when I do not wrap with foil. I have recently abandoned foil all together. It is hard to do on some smokers because they dry the meat out so bad. I have found that mine doesn't dry out the brisket when I cook it right. It comes out lloking like a hockey puck, but there is nothing but juicy goodness on the inside.

[critter01]

Your brisket looked great,but I do believe that some sign of smoke would help its appearance, maybe it's your wood what are you using?

[js-tx]

Your brisket looked great,but I do believe that some sign of smoke would help its appearance, maybe it's your wood what are you using?

Yes, I think a smoke ring would definitely help appearance wise. What I've been doing lately is sprinkling some regular salt over the brisket about 6-8 hours before I rub the brisket with regular rub and put it on the grill. I also put the brisket straight from the fridge onto the cooker. These 2 things gives me a slight smoke ring that IMO makes for a nicer presentation. I also use True Cue lump which is very dense along with some oak chunks which gives the meat a nice smoke flavor.