Got roasted for my brisket bark on a competition forum

Some dude on a BBQ forum told me my bark looked like 'dirt with regrets' after I posted a pic of my last brisket. I was using the same rub recipe for years and thought it was fine. He said to ditch the sugar and go with a finer grind pepper, plus wrap later in the cook. Tried that on my last smoke at home and the bark actually set right for the first time. Anyone else have a random online comment that totally changed their method?

3 comments

3 Comments

clark.alex5d ago

Man I read something similar on a pitmaster's blog a few months back. He swore by cutting the sugar and using a finer grind pepper too. Tried it on my last pork butt and the bark was way better, almost glassy. Funny how one random internet comment can fix years of bad habits.

kevin_west5d ago

Yeah man, that dirt with regrets comment was brutal but it worked.

uma_ellis5d ago

Oh man, that's the wildest thing about BBQ (and honestly, most hobbies) - sometimes the best advice comes from strangers who don't care about your feelings. I had a similar thing happen with my chicken brine, some random commenter told me to swap half the salt for MSG and my birds went from "okay" to "why didn't I do this sooner?" It's funny how one tiny tweak from a faceless username can totally unlock something you've been fighting with for years.