Once again...Zero bark...Frustrated

nolaegghead

I think you're fvckin with us.  I don't understand how you could *not* get a bark after 5 years.

bgebrent

This can't be real.  Bark on a butt with any experience.  Flyovercountry flavor.

Mattman3969

Crockpot butts is the only explanation. 

XC242

nolaegghead said:

I think you're fvckin with us.  I don't understand how you could *not* get a bark after 5 years.

There you go...

Terrebandit

Can someone please show that blonde half-foiled dog-ugly butt again?  

thetrim

Are you currently or were you ever a member of the Navy?  Although @lousubcap and @CTMike have overcome that disability to become great BBQ cookers, I figured that might be one unsaid hurdle that you can’t quite navigate.  Good luck and Go Army, Beat Navy (again) 

MaskedMarvel

slovelad said:

MaskedMarvel said:

From what you’ve posted - the first thing that comes to
mind is: are you opening the lid a lot? Maybe that could be venting surface temps that could be  cooling the surface?

my bark is usually dramatic...

@MaskedMarvel unveil your secrets... that stuff is amazing 

Thanks - after years of changing one thing and trying new stuff, I feel pretty dialed in. 

My butts ALWAYS go in frozen solid.

I score the fat cap in a diamond pattern with a sharp knife. Then rub over it with cheap yellow mustard to cover. Then LIBERALLY apply the rub. Rub is black pepper and garlic salt with lots of brown sugar. Occasionally I’ll make a spicy butt and add cayenne And paprika. 

Set the frozen hunk over the PS legs up. No water bath. No drip pan. (This is my most recent change, previous drip baths held 50/50 Beer and apple cider vinegar which worked great too)

225-250 over rockwood and hickory. Lots of wood. Lots. 

Next day day I FTC them when the bone releases, around 195-200. Serve BT bear clawing in the next 8 hours. 

We use the cheapest buns we can find, simple Cole slaw on top, and homemade vinegar sauce. Couldn’t be easier. People go ape for it. Very popular. 

Ill ll see if I can dig up some pics of the rub on the butts before they go into the egg. 

MaskedMarvel

These aren’t my normal rub. But you get the general idea...

GoooDawgs

@MaskedMarvel I've had to put partially frozen butts on when I'm low on time, but that's funny you plan to put them on frozen solid.  I guess they're so forgiving it makes sense.   I've never noticed a difference in thawed vs frozen over here.   

Is the argument against it food safety related as it takes much longer to cross the 140 internal temp mark?

bradleya123

This is the bark I get every time, I never foil.

JethroVA

trim the fat cap and then place fat cap down.  Barkstorm!

DoubleEgger

Dear OP, 
You asked the exact same question last fall.
http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1208380/mission-impossible-bark/p2
A lot of people offered assistance. Did you try the things that were recommended? If you tried all of it and it’s still coming out badly, I’d recommend selling your egg and getting the pellet dropper that you really want. If you have indeed tried the things people have told you do already, then there’s really not much else to say at this point. Time to hang it up and move on. 

nolaegghead

MaskedMarvel said:

slovelad said:

MaskedMarvel said:

From what you’ve posted - the first thing that comes to
mind is: are you opening the lid a lot? Maybe that could be venting surface temps that could be  cooling the surface?

my bark is usually dramatic...

@MaskedMarvel unveil your secrets... that stuff is amazing 

Thanks - after years of changing one thing and trying new stuff, I feel pretty dialed in. 

My butts ALWAYS go in frozen solid.

I score the fat cap in a diamond pattern with a sharp knife. Then rub over it with cheap yellow mustard to cover. Then LIBERALLY apply the rub. Rub is black pepper and garlic salt with lots of brown sugar. Occasionally I’ll make a spicy butt and add cayenne And paprika. 

Set the frozen hunk over the PS legs up. No water bath. No drip pan. (This is my most recent change, previous drip baths held 50/50 Beer and apple cider vinegar which worked great too)

225-250 over rockwood and hickory. Lots of wood. Lots. 

Next day day I FTC them when the bone releases, around 195-200. Serve BT bear clawing in the next 8 hours. 

We use the cheapest buns we can find, simple Cole slaw on top, and homemade vinegar sauce. Couldn’t be easier. People go ape for it. Very popular. 

Ill ll see if I can dig up some pics of the rub on the butts before they go into the egg. 

Frozen solid def gives you a great smoke rings and max time for bark development. 

MaskedMarvel

GoooDawgs said:

@MaskedMarvel I've had to put partially frozen butts on when I'm low on time, but that's funny you plan to put them on frozen solid.  I guess they're so forgiving it makes sense.   I've never noticed a difference in thawed vs frozen over here.   

Is the argument against it food safety related as it takes much longer to cross the 140 internal temp mark?

I’ve never heard that argument. I try to keep ALL smoked meats as low and as slow as I can for smoke ring. Surface temp definitely gets over 140 quickly. 

Carolina Q

GoooDawgs said:

Is the argument against it food safety related as it takes much longer to cross the 140 internal temp mark?

But it doesn't. Oh, it takes longer to get to 140°, but it's not in the "danger zone" all that time. If the meat goes into the cooker at 0°F, the time it takes to get TO the danger zone means that it's not yet IN the danger zone. Once it reaches 40° (just out of the fridge temp), it's the same as starting a cook of a thawed piece of meat. 

GATraveller

Can harmful bacteria survive in the danger zone if it is a smoke heavy environment?

GoooDawgs

Thanks @Carolina Q that makes sense to me.  Egg on!

blasting

Great explanation @Carolina Q

saluki2007

jeffwit

That butt looks steamed, not smoked. 

nolaegghead

GATraveller said:

Can harmful bacteria survive in the danger zone if it is a smoke heavy environment?

As far as I know, yes.  What kills them is the heat and moisture loss on the surface.

If they didn't, smoking cigs would be a cure for Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus species, Staphylococcus aureus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. 

GATraveller

nolaegghead said:

GATraveller said:

Can harmful bacteria survive in the danger zone if it is a smoke heavy environment?

As far as I know, yes.  What kills them is the heat and moisture loss on the surface.

If they didn't, smoking cigs would be a cure for Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus species, Staphylococcus aureus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. 

Encouraging news:

Huber et al., (6) reported that the addition of marijuana smoke to pulmonary alveolar macrophage cultures resulted in the suppression of the bactericidal capacity for Staphylococcus albus and recently we reported (7) a similar finding in THC treated peritoneal macrophage cultures infected with Legionella pneumophila. Regarding drug effects on challenge infections, Bradley et al., (8) reported an enhanced susceptibility of mice to combination injections of THC and living or killed gram-negative bacteria and Morahan et al., (9) reported similar findings in a murine infection model with Listeria monocytogenes. 

nolaegghead