Franklin uses cider vinegar on his ribs as a spritz and then hits them with sauce, which will have brown sugar. The recipes mostly all have over a cup of brown sugar and he brushes multiple times during the cook. He also uses some type of red spice to help with color, like paprika. Photos in his book don’t show a thick, crusty bark on the ribs. Just a nice, reddish brown color to them with the salt and pepper rub standing out the most.
He doesn’t talk about his pork butt process in his book, so I’m not sure what that would look like. But, given he is spritzing, he is helping with the development of the bark. He does this with other types of meat, but none have a thick, crusty bark as well.
Do you have photos of what you are producing with your cooks to share with us?