Tried a brisket on my Weber kettle with a water pan and the bark was a total letdown

I followed a video guide from a pitmaster I respect, setting up indirect heat with a full water pan on the grate. After 14 hours, the meat was tender but the bark was pale and soft, almost steamed. I think the humidity was way too high inside the kettle. Has anyone else run into this and found a way to get a better crust on a kettle without a dedicated smoker?

2 comments

2 Comments

josephmartin2h agoMost Upvoted

Man, that sounds exactly like my first brisket attempt. I was so mad after all that time. Did you try skipping the water pan next time? I found just a drip tray with a bit of broth gave me way less steam and a much darker crust.

val_williams1h ago

Hold up, I gotta disagree hard on ditching the water pan. That steam is what keeps things from drying out during a crazy long cook. A darker crust is cool, but what good is bark if the meat underneath is like shoe leather? I tried the dry method once and the flat was totally gone. I'll take a slightly less dark bark over dry brisket any day, lol.