Hot take: basting with apple juice every 30 minutes is a waste of time

Used to open the smoker every half hour to baste my ribs, then after a competition in Kansas City a guy told me to just spritz once at the 3 hour mark and wrap, and my bark came out way better with less temperature swings, anyone else ditch the constant basting?

2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

2 Comments

blair_gibson783mo ago

The science backs this up - every time you open that lid you're losing 20+ degrees of heat and stalling the cooking process. That constant temp fluctuation is what messes with your bark formation more than moisture loss. Letting it ride with one spritz and a wrap keeps the environment stable and your crust tight.

2

jadep413mo ago

So which internal temp do you usually wrap at? I've heard 150-160 is the sweet spot for keeping bark tight without stalling the cook.

3