BBQ Chefs: Put The Foil Down And Slowly Back Away!

Mandeville, LA – The Barbacoa Brotherhood offers our BBQ tip of the day: Foil makes STEAM, Butcher Paper makes BARK. If you’re wondering how really good barbecue chefs make that crispy, delicious bark on briskets, Boston butts and St Louis style ribs, look no further than the choice of foil or butcher paper. It is IMPOSSIBLE to make a good, crispy (not burned) bark with foil, you’ll just wind up steaming most of it away and what isn’t steamed will be brushed away in saucing and cutting. And we all know that barbecue chefs LOVE to wrap things up, like they are putting a baby to bed for the night.
 
But, to make a crispy, beautiful bark, substitute unwaxed butcher paper for the foil. RIght now you’re screaming “FIREEEEEEE!” and yes, that is a possibility if you’re cooking at º375 but won’t be a factor if you’re where you should be º225-250. Experiment with the time for wrapping and the time in wrap and you’ll see amazing results. We wrap our ribs for 60-90 minutes and our butts for 2 hours; the result is the same juiciness as the sweat in foil but with a bark that truly has a “bite” louder than it’s “bark”. – The Barbacoa Brother