Shoutout to the guy who called my brisket 'aggressive' at the Austin cook-off

He was judging the amateur heat and said my bark was so dark it looked like I'd fought the cow myself. Happened right after I pulled it off my offset, and he wasn't even mad, just shook his head and laughed. When did a good, hard bark become a bad thing?

3 comments

3 Comments

susan6492mo ago

Maybe he just prefers his brisket to be more of a gentle suggestion.

vera5142mo ago

Honestly a hard bark can be way too much sometimes. It's like chewing on a piece of charcoal. A really good brisket should be tender all the way through, with a crust that adds flavor without being a separate tough layer. Maybe that judge just wants to actually taste the meat and the smoke, not fight through a burnt shell. A gentle bark doesn't mean it's undercooked, it just means it's balanced.

the_henry2mo ago

What even is a gentle brisket? That judge sounds like he's used to the pot roast his grandma makes. A real bark takes time and smoke, not a light sprinkle of pepper. If it's not dark, you probably didn't cook it right. In my book, a hard bark is the whole point.