Watched a competition pitmaster from Texas use apple juice on brisket at a park cookoff last month

He said it kept the bark softer and sweeter than my usual water spray, so I tried it on my last smoke and dang if it didn't work better. Has anyone else found a weird trick like that from watching someone live?

3 comments

3 Comments

murphy.aaron20d ago

Apple juice? For brisket? That's wild. I always figured the sugar would burn up and turn the bark into a blackened mess. But you're telling me it actually kept it soft? I've been using a mix of apple cider vinegar and water for years, religiously, and never even thought about straight juice. Now I'm wondering if I've been missing out on something big. Did he spritz it right from the start or wait until the stall to hit it with the apple juice?

lindag3320d agoMost Upvoted

Try spritzing with half apple juice half water so the sugar doesn't scorch the bark right away.

joel_clark3720d agoOG Member

Had a buddy try this exact thing last month on his first brisket cook. He was panicking because his bark looked like it was hardening up too fast around hour two. He remembered hearing about apple juice somewhere and figured what the heck, he'd give it a shot. Sprritzed it about every 45 minutes after that and I gotta say, that brisket came out with this amazing dark mahogany color and the bark was soft but had a nice little chew to it. He didn't start until after the first couple hours though, said he was scared of messing up the early bark formation. The sugar thing is real but as long as you don't go crazy with it, it actually adds a nice sweetness that cuts through the smokiness.