I'm still pretty new to smoking, having gotten my MES30 last Christmas, but I probably have upwards of 20 or more smokes under my belt. Until recently, I haven't wrapped anything, except for when I use the 3-2-1 method for St. Luis ribs. Recently, I was doing a cook for an event at work when my smoker fritzed out on me in the middle of the night (luckily this appears to be a fluke, as it's worked perfectly ever since). I had 4 pork butts in there and they had been in about 12 hours at this point, and were sitting between 170 and 180 IT. To finish them, I wrapped them in foil and stuck them in the oven, and later in a faux cambro to transport to work.
When I unwrapped the first butt and dumped it into a pan to pull it, I was amazed at the jiggle. I can only describe it as meat jello. It was soft, juicy, and melted in the mouth, and the flavor was just as amazing. The bark had softened, but bark isn't as important to me in pulled pork since it all gets mixed up anyway. These were by far the best pork butts I've ever made, and I will continue to wrap my butts going forward.
Because of the great experience I had with the pork, I decided to try wrapping my last brisket. It was a choice-grade flat from Costco. I've had great results from these in the past. They've never been quite as juicy as I know they can be, but they were still pretty fantastic. So, I thought why not try to add moisture and speed up the cook by wrapping it? I was really surprised at how fast it powered through the stall. It was basically nonexistent. And this was definitely the juiciest brisket I've ever made. The bark, however, was soggy and the flavor was nowhere near as good as my previous cooks. Personally, I'd much rather sacrifice a little moisture for good bark texture and flavor, especially since I really had nothing to complain about with the others. I am curious about wrapping in butcher paper, but at this point, it almost doesn't seem worth it to me. So I think I won't be wrapping my briskets in the future.
Obviously, everyone has their own preferences, and these are just my experiences. Just thought I'd share to possibly get insights from others with more experience, and to hopefully help those who are thinking about wrapping their cooks.
TL;DR: Wrapping pork butts in foil produced the best pulled pork I've ever made; disappointed with the results of wrapping brisket. The cost to the bark and flavor didn't justify the extra juiciness.
When I unwrapped the first butt and dumped it into a pan to pull it, I was amazed at the jiggle. I can only describe it as meat jello. It was soft, juicy, and melted in the mouth, and the flavor was just as amazing. The bark had softened, but bark isn't as important to me in pulled pork since it all gets mixed up anyway. These were by far the best pork butts I've ever made, and I will continue to wrap my butts going forward.
Because of the great experience I had with the pork, I decided to try wrapping my last brisket. It was a choice-grade flat from Costco. I've had great results from these in the past. They've never been quite as juicy as I know they can be, but they were still pretty fantastic. So, I thought why not try to add moisture and speed up the cook by wrapping it? I was really surprised at how fast it powered through the stall. It was basically nonexistent. And this was definitely the juiciest brisket I've ever made. The bark, however, was soggy and the flavor was nowhere near as good as my previous cooks. Personally, I'd much rather sacrifice a little moisture for good bark texture and flavor, especially since I really had nothing to complain about with the others. I am curious about wrapping in butcher paper, but at this point, it almost doesn't seem worth it to me. So I think I won't be wrapping my briskets in the future.
Obviously, everyone has their own preferences, and these are just my experiences. Just thought I'd share to possibly get insights from others with more experience, and to hopefully help those who are thinking about wrapping their cooks.
TL;DR: Wrapping pork butts in foil produced the best pulled pork I've ever made; disappointed with the results of wrapping brisket. The cost to the bark and flavor didn't justify the extra juiciness.
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