What can I spritz meat with while smoking?

We're here again to answer common questions that we often get asked in-store and online.

This image shows meat in a smoker being spritzed with apple cider vinegar.

We often get asked what the best spritz is when smoking in the offset smoker or any other BBQ smoker.

I'll start off by letting you know there is nothing to stress about and keep your spritzing simple. The reason for spritzing meat while smoking is to simply add a little moisture into the meat, a coating to the outside of your meat for the smoke to stick to as well as to keep the bark nice and moist.

With that in mind, what I tend to use and find is the best spritz for smoking is apple cider vinegar but water will work as well, or a 50/50 mix. Another great alternative is apple juice where the sugars in the juice also add another level of flavour to your bark. Simply pour the liquid you choose into any spray bottle and mist the outside of your meat.

Another popular question we get asked is when to spritz your meat while smoking and how often to spritz.

The best time to spritz your meat while smoking is just after the bark has formed. The bark on meat generally forms about 1:30 to 2 hours into your cook. It is important to spritz the meat every half hour to 45 minutes to prevent it from drying out. It also adds a coating that allows the smoke to travel over the meat and stick to it. Because the surface is slightly cooled by the liquid being spritzed on, any sugars in the rub are also cooled down slightly which prevents the rub from turning black.