Showerthought: I went from guessing spritz times to watching the bark color like a hawk
Six years back I would spritz my pork butt every 45 minutes on the dot, like some kind of robot, because that's what a guy at a contest in Memphis told me to do. Now I don't even own a spray bottle. I just wait until the bark looks dry and matte, usually around hour 4 at 250 degrees, then hit it once. My last two cooks at home in San Antonio came out way better, juicier inside and no acrid smoke taste. Anybody else ditch the timer and go by feel on their spritz? I'm curious if it's just me or if this is a thing now.
I heard a guy on a bbq podcast out of Austin say the same thing about ditching the spray bottle. His point was that opening the lid every 45 minutes just dumps heat and lets the fire breathe wrong, so you get that bitter smoke taste you mentioned. I started going by the bark at my place in Boerne and my butts got way better too. That matte look is the signal, not the clock. The one thing I still watch is not letting it go too far past matte before the wrap goes on.