How to Get a Good Bark When Smoking Meat

The bark is comprised when you rub perfectly marinated meat with some water vapors, Smoke, and the right portion of the heat for a long time until the mouth-watering meat gets ready for you.

The formation of bark is a result of a chemical equation which is a combination of the fantastic type of woods, the rubs and the fat on the meat. Isn’t it interesting how chemical reactions make you a tasty treat like the formation of bark that surprises you?

What is Bark?

The bark is like a dream comes true for people who like crusts on the meat. It is an exceptionally delicious layer that shapes on your smoked meat as a result of some chemical reactions. Don’t worry; the reactions take place during the cooking cycle.

In addition, you need to expose your meat to heat and oxygen to get this crust layer on your meat. And if you want to give your meat a dark and liquor ice color, you want to expose your meat to smoke as well. However, the meat will stay in red if not exposed to Smoke.

How to get a Good Bark?

Getting a good bark is not complicated anymore. You just need to have usual ingredients in your rub that are water and fat-soluble because they are kind of playing a vital role in the formation of good bark. The recipe of rub varies, but all the recipes must include salt, sugar, paprika, and pepper. You may add onions and ginger to give it more flavors, but please be easy with the spices. In case you are not planning to expose your meat to the Smoke, the meat will stay in red, depends on the ingredients in your rub.

The process is something like as the meat starts exposing to smoke, the water-soluble ingredients start dissolving either in the moisture of Smoke or meat like the salt penetrates the meat as a result of some electromechanical reactions. Whereas, the other ingredients that have a large molecule will stay on the surface of the meat, and will start creating a glaze. Then the fats in the meat will automatically induce as the meat continuous to cook. Finally, when the pellicle starts forming, the ingredients on the surface of the meat begins drying out, resulting in the formation of seasoning crust. The pellicle and the tasty crust are your bark on the meat!

Does Smoke affect the Bark?

Well, Smoke is also a critical factor that plays a crucial role in the formation of good bark. To get a good bark when smoking meat, you just need to expose your meat to the right amount of Smoke. You may have to be very careful, as revealing the meat to the Smoke is an art. The longer your meat gets Smoke, the more it looks like a burnt piece of meat. But the meat should taste delicious, right? So, keep it smooth or glossy not dry!

Do not try to wrap up your meat into a foil if you are not in a hurry. It can fast your cooking process but gives you a muddy, soggy mess of your meat. If you want to have a good bark when smoking meat, you may need to have some patience.

Besides, it would be good if you also be very careful about setting up the temperature. Low temperature would not be helpful for your rubbing and will give you a saucy topping. Whereas, high temperature will be more likely to burn your delicious smoke meat. So, your temperature should either too slow or too high. It should be between 200F and 250F. Also, check out the best charcoal grill for yourself to improve your smoking game.

Important Note: The temperature depends on the type of meat you are cooking. Different met types may require different temperature settings. Set it accordingly.

The last and essential thing you should be very careful to a good bark when smoking Meat is avoiding water use in the first two hours of the cooking process. We know that the chemical reactions in the cooking process will take place in the early few hours to give you the best results.

Tips to Get a Good Bark when Smoking Meat

• Do not put the meat in a pan while smoking because the pan would hold all the liquid ingredient that has to disappear while steaming naturally. It won’t give you a delicious taste you are expecting.
• You can cut your meat pieces wisely to get a more surface area for a good bark when smoking meat.
• Make the most surface area for getting a good bark on your meat. Because the more surface area you have, the more you can coat your meat with a dry rub. More rub, more bark! Also, you can consider splitting your meat and tie into a tube for better results.
• If you feel like a bone in the meat, remove it immediately. You can use a parking knife for extracting bone.
• Try to expose your meat as much as possible to the maximum convection airflow.
• Do not use shortcuts. Don’t wrap your meat in a foil. Yes, it would fast the cooking procedure, but makes your bark a soggy mess that you don’t want to try.

Try to exclude the fat from the meat. When there is no such fat, the meat will have more surface area to have a better pellicle, results in an excellent bark formation.

Final Words

That’s it! There you have a complete guide to get a good bark when smoking meat. Yes, it is just a consequence of patience and some simple steps that you have to follow throughout the cooking process.

I think getting a good bark when smoking meat feels like hitting the jackpot. It also adds more happiness when you have a barbecue party at home with your friends and family, and the meat turns out exactly you imagined. Finally, we are leaving you with a wish that you get a delicious and good bark when smoking meat with extra spices to satisfy your hungry eyes!