To spritz or not to spritz

[TXpitMan]

Seeing who likes the spritz their brisket, ribs, pork butt, etc? I’ve been experimenting with using 50/50 water and apple cider vinegar. I’ve used this method on all of the above mentioned. I have noticed that I develop a better bark when I do spritz vs when I don’t. This cools down the surface of the meat which allows more smoke to stick. It also helps the meat not dry out too quickly. This does slow down the cooking process so keep that in mind. Sometimes I don’t spritz with that mixture and I’ve used plain water. On pork I’ve done apple juice and that gave it a nice flavor. Usually when I do the above 50/50 mix on brisket I cannot taste it. Ribs sometimes I can. So do I think this is necessary? No I don’t. I’ve done plenty of cooks without doing it and had great results. I have found I like the results from doing it so I try to.

 

[primeone]

I always do it with pork butt/ribs but haven't tried it with brisket. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll give it a try next time.

 

[TXpitMan]

Your welcome. Once the bark has set and is starting to dry out, I will do it once an hour until I wrap if I wrap.

 

[BobbyQ]

Water pan for brisket; spritz for butts and ribs.

 

[Shedd]

Coming from a BGE I didn’t spritz anything ever. I did at first with my 780 Pro but realized it doesn’t make enough of a difference to warrant opening the lid. I do keep a water pan underneath my cooks. Before my BGE using offsets and even pits I mopped everything periodically because it’s a dry heat.

 

[RayClem]

The main purpose of using a water pan or spritz it to increase the humidity in the cook chamber. Those who live in areas of higher humidity might not need to do either. The OP lives in TX. In West Texas, the weather can be quite dry, In the DFW or Houston areas, it can be humid. My daughter lives near Denver, CO in the high desert. There, adding moisture is a necessity.If you are doing a cook in late fall or winter, adding moisture might be needed.

 

[Shedd]

Also even if you don’t need the water/moisture for the cook it really helps with cleaning the grates and if you use a quality foil in your pan then it’s easier to rinse it off and reuse.

 

[Parrothead1809]

Water pan for brisket; spritz for butts and ribs.

Interesting; I spritz for all of the above. Why the water pan for brisket?
-PH