what makes up the bark on a smoked brisket?
Bark is the combination of the spices that you rubbed on your meat and the smoke from your smoker, combining with the meat protein in a chemical reaction. Good bark on a brisket or pork shoulder will make the meat resemble a giant hunk of track ballast or a meteor (the flavor is out of this world too). Smoked meat, like onions, parfaits, and ogres has layers. There is the juicy inner meat, the thin, membranous pellicle, and then the bark protecting it all.