My bark came out like a CRUST - what went wrong with my brisket?
I did a brisket last weekend for a family thing here in Portland and the bark came out super hard, almost like a shell. It was my first time trying a new rub with more sugar in it from a recipe I saw online. The meat itself was tender and juicy inside but the outside was like biting into concrete. I cooked it at 250 for about 12 hours on my offset smoker, wrapped it in butcher paper at the stall around 165. So here's the debate: is the sugar in the rub to blame, or did I wrap it too late and let it dry out? Some folks say wrap earlier to keep moisture in and others say sugar just burns if you don't watch temps. Has anyone else had this where your bark turns into armor? What did you do different next time?