Butt Bark

Mattman3969 · July 2013

Prolly a stupid question but what do you consider good bark? The reason I ask is because I keep reading that people get better bark off of a low and slow and then FTC then they do turbo.
I will add I have only done a few low & slow and FTC on a couple of butts and the bark seemed soft. I have never done a turbo where you wrap in foil but have done Nitro at 350 straight thru with no foil, rest 30min and then pull and have a crispy & crunchy bark. That's the way I like it. What say you?

nolaegghead · July 2013

Foiling softens any bark development you may have. Sugar enhances bark. You can get great bark at a wide temp range, just don't foil if you like it crispy.

DMurf · July 2013

I have to agree with nola as I did turbo today and there was no real bark development. The butts were great, moist, and all the other porky goodness but no bark. I will use the Turbo method in the future but not if my goal is to get some bark.

Mattman3969 · July 2013

That is what I thought @Nola Don't you see a drop in crispness during a FTC?

nolaegghead · July 2013

You can turbo without foil - just cook at 350-400 and put a lot of sugar in the rub for thick candy like bark. Secret tip - you can add more rub while it's cooking.

Mattman3969 · July 2013

Will the addition of more sugar and rub during cook help keep bark crispy during FTC? Sorry for all the ???
I generally use Sirracha sauce and Byron's Butt Rub when I cook 350 straight thru.

nolaegghead · July 2013

The bark gets crispy because it's dry - caramelized some - dried out from cooking. when you foil at the end, there's a lot of steam that starts leaking out of the meat, that softens the bark by hydrating it. I don't know if more bark would help, but you can put the roast in the oven at low with no foil and keep the bark nice and hold temp for hours. Or time your cook so it's done less than a couple of hours before you want to serve.

Watch salt if you add more rub.

Mattman3969 · July 2013

Thank you for the explanation Nola. I never thought about using the oven for a holding tank. I think when you cook at higher temps you actually have more control on your finish times but I could be wrong cause it has happened before!!

boatbum · July 2013

I think bark'ng is binding and keeping bound a bark producing material that you allow to dry. My wife likes bark, so I try to bark on butts and brisket. I typically use yellow mustard as my internal binder. I don't think it does any for taste or tenderness, but, it does provide the inner binder for my bark. I then proceed with a heavy, heavy double application of a rub mixture. I then rub Brown sugar over the top of that - that becomes the external binder. I remove as much exterior fat for the meat as possible - when that melts it can wash away the bark. And I know, if I have to foil to finish it, I am softening up the bark, I try not to.

msloan · July 2013

boatbum said:

I think bark'ng is binding and keeping bound a bark producing material that you allow to dry. My wife likes bark, so I try to bark on butts and brisket. I typically use yellow mustard as my internal binder. I don't think it does any for taste or tenderness, but, it does provide the inner binder for my bark. I then proceed with a heavy, heavy double application of a rub mixture. I then rub Brown sugar over the top of that - that becomes the external binder. I remove as much exterior fat for the meat as possible - when that melts it can wash away the bark. And I know, if I have to foil to finish it, I am softening up the bark, I try not to.

thats exactly what I need to do!! thanks for the tip.

msloan · July 2013

Mattman3969 said:

Prolly a stupid question but what do you consider good bark? The reason I ask is because I keep reading that people get better bark off of a low and slow and then FTC then they do turbo. I will add I have only done a few low & slow and FTC on a couple of butts and the bark seemed soft. I have never done a turbo where you wrap in foil but have done Nitro at 350 straight thru with no foil, rest 30min and then pull and have a crispy & crunchy bark. That's the way I like it. What say you?

what does "FTC" mean?

SaturdayFatterday · July 2013

FTC means "Foil, Towel, Cooler," @msloan.

TexanOfTheNorth · July 2013

FTC = Foil, Towel Cooler.

Wrap the meat in foil and put a cooler with towels all around the meat so that is not dead space.

nolaegghead · July 2013

The towels aren't necessary if you have a good cooler. Couple hot bricks will help. I can go 12 hours before hitting 140F in my Pelican cooler.

msloan · July 2013

Thanks for explanation! I did that Saturday to my butt I just wasn't familiar with the acronym to describe it.

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