Hit 200 briskets this week and I'm still not sold on the whole snake method thing

After smoking 212 briskets over five years, I tried the snake method everyone raves about on my last cook and the bark was just way too soft for my taste, has anyone else found it works better with a specific cut of meat or am I missing something?

3 comments

3 Comments

nancyramirez5d agoMost Upvoted

Try trimming less fat next time, that should help the bark set better.

anna7175d ago

Leaving a little fat on helps the bark stick better, @nancyramirez is right about that. I tried trimming closer last time and the rub just slid right off. Keep a thin layer on and you'll get that crispy crust every time.

lucashenderson5d ago

Yeah but here's the thing I've been wondering about for a while now - how much fat is too much fat? Like you said keeping a thin layer helps the rub stick but I've also had it where I left too much on and the fat cap didn't render down properly and I ended up with that chewy rubbery texture nobody wants. Is there like a specific thickness you guys aim for when you're trimming? I usually go for about a quarter inch but sometimes I wonder if I'm leaving too much or too little on different cuts of meat.