First PBC brisket cook on the road - foil vs paper to finish wrapped on grate?

[Burntfood]

I'm am travelling to visit family and am taking my PBC to cook a brisket. No pressure here! I don't get to use my PBC much but this is the perfect opportunity. I have gotten into the habit of wrapping my brisket in butcher paper and throwing it in my oven to finish (sacrilege I know). I've had a couple of times where I get pot roast so I'm a bit paranoid of tin foil.

This will be the first cook where I hang it till wrapping it and then put it on the PBC grate.

I'm assuming paper is a bad idea that close to the flames so I have to go tinfoil. I plan on wrapping a little later (180-185). Any insights?

[TripleB]

Just me, but I don't hang brisket or pork butt in my PBC. Just ribs. I can manage the brisket/butt better on the grate.

I don't think you'll have an issue with butcher paper on the grate. You're far enough from the fire. But if you like butcher paper (as I do - not a foil fan), you can lay down a couple sheets of foil on the grate and put your butcher paper wrapped brisket on top. FWIW.....

[Burntfood]

Thanks, I think I'd like to try cooking it right on the grate. Fat side toward the heat?

[TripleB]

Burntfood That is correct. Fat side down. Also, put a small wood chunk under the middle of the brisket so that the meat center is raised. You want moisture on the surface (attracts smoke), but you don't want the moisture to pool on the meat. If there is a pool of liquid - smoke does not adhere to the meat there and also does not brown. Uniform browning (crust) is what you want.

[shify]

There is nothing sacrilege about finishing in the oven. Once wrapped the smoke means nothing, you just need heat. I almost always finish everything I wrap in the oven just for sheer simplicity and not having to worry about the coals running out.

That being said, if you want to finish in the PBC, butcher paper is fine. Unless you leave the lid off for a few minutes, there won’t be flames close enough to ignite the paper.

[DennyWoo]

I prefer to do briskets on the grate in my PBC as well. I just trim them to fit. I also do fat cap down till the stall, then foil boat to finish to keep the bark going.