To wrap or not to wrap a brisket?

[Sonoman]

Do you wrap your brisket or leave it naked during the second half of the cook?

I have a couple dozen briskets on my resume and I wrapped all but one either tight or in a foil baking pan. The one I didn't wrap came out dry and I have been afraid to try it again. I mostly use a Yoder pellet grill because I like to sleep at night and I foil it early in the morning at 150 to 160 (when my temp logger flattens out). None of the famous brisket restaurants (Kreutz, Franklin, etc) wrap their briskets and they are plenty moist.

I usually get spooked and I foil it because I don't want to dry out a $50-100 piece of meat (or disappoint a house full of people waiting for moist brisket) so I stay with what works...but I don't know if I am getting the best. What is your experience with non-foiled brisket? My biggest complaint with foiled brisket is the mushy (or worse, washed off) bark.

You guys who wrap, what are the pros/cons of wrapping tight vs putting in a sealed roasting pan? The roasting pan is easier and less mess, but Meathead's recipe calls for a tight wrap.

[Ernest]

I prefer unwrapped all the way THEN wrap during the faux Cambro ride (Minimum 4 hours in cambro).

[CandySueQ]

Got Franklin's book and he talks about adding moisture in the cooking chamber. That likely helps. Since pellet cooking is dry heat. Scientific friend once told me that after 162 degrees internal all the brisket does is lose moisture! You may try wrapping in butcher paper after that temp--that gives some moisture protection and preserves the "bark" better than foil. I've put it on a rack in a foil pan so I don't lose the juice! Warning! Wrapping in paper seems to add about 1 hour more to cook time (versus wrapping in foil).

[Jerod Broussard]

I let the bark tell me. You have to listen very closely. Some get wrapped, some don't.

Speaking of some don't....

Roses are blue,
Violets are red,
Some poems rhyme,
Some don't.

[Sonoman]

Thanks for the replies.

Ernest, do you take it all the way to 203 before putting it in the faux Cambro? How do you keep it moist? Do you do anything to it? What kind of smoker set-up are you using? I assume you are cooking at or near 225. I agree a good long rest in the faux Cambro is critical. Do you re-heat the cooler after a couple hours? I can't get mine to stay hot that long.

CandySueQ, I read Franklin's book too and I have not tried wrapping in butcher paper. Interesting to hear it adds time to the cook. I would like to try that for my New Year's Q...I have not found a good source for butcher paper without buying 1000 ft of it! Do you wrap in paper then put it on a rack in pan?

I put water pans in my pellet smoker to raise the humidity, but like Franklin's offset smokers, there is a lot of airflow through it. I have also tried pinching off the incoming air and/or the chimney to cut airflow and raise humidity in the cooking chamber but I worry about hopper fires.

Interesting comment about "just losing moisture" past 162...my understanding, and I could be wrong, is that fat renders at 170 which is why we take it to 203.

Barry Sorkin at Smoque told me it is important to bring the temp up slowly because if the meat gets hit with too much heat too soon (like above 300) the connective tissues tighten up and it will never get tender.

[vandy]

I have read Franklin's book also and he says he always wraps his in butcher paper and he gauges when to wrap by the color of the meat and says to get a really dark color on the meat before you wrap it in anything (pages 139 and 140 in his book). Hope this helps.

[CandySueQ]

Yes, wrap with paper then on a rack in a foil pan. If you can't find butcher paper, look for an unprinted paper grocery bag. That'll work too.

[Danjohnston949]

To date I have never wrapped or Cambro'd any thing, but I am willing to listen to my Betters! Just an observation from the uninformed, I believe the reason for Paper adding time to the cook may be related to why cellulose insulation is made from recycled newsprint? Just Saying, Dan

[Jerod Broussard]

I think the paper allows more moisture to escape thus resulting in less "wet heat."

[vandy]

Yes paper which is made from wood is a very good insulator so I suppose it would add time to the cooking of a piece of meat.

[David Parrish]

The paper adds time compared to foil because it's not as airtight as foil. Foil prevents the stall by keeping the moisture in the meat from evaporating away, which as a byproduct cools the meat. Same principle as why sweating helps us cool off on a hot day. The butcher paper doesn't have as good of a seal, so some moisture does evaporate away and cause the cook to slow. So butcher paper won't be as fast a cook as foil, but will still be faster than cooking unwrapped.

[Huskee]

I like going to 180-190, through and past the stall, then a tight foil wrap to finish the cook. To me it's the best of both worlds- plenty of bark w/o crutching, but speeds up the last home stretch of the cook and retains some au jus in the foil.

[Sonoman]

What is the advantage of going all the way without crutching? How does it change the end product? And with all that evaporation going on won't it dry the meat out?

[Huskee]

More & chewier bark mostly. When brisket is sliced thin, that thin layer of flavorful crust on each slice is quite divine. If you're using a tough brisket to start with, perhaps a lower end Choice or Select, it could quite possibly make it a dry piece of junk. It's best to use high quality meat to start with. The flats especially can be very susceptible to drying out.

[Ernest]

Sonoman I'm a 225 man through and through, lower if I can get away with it. I take it to probe tender, that could be 203 on one day or 215 on another day. Running KBQ or WSM
I pour boiling water in the cooler and leave it in there for about 10 minutes. Then pour it out and get the hunk a meat wrapped in foil and heavy towel. I've never had to reheat the cooler.

[Ernest]

Meat dryness depends on initial meat quality, fat content (marbling) etc. I hear folks talk about locking moisture in meat, total BS.

I don't crutch because I just don't want braised smoked meat. Advantage of not crutching is a better, matured bark and smoke flavor.
I'm not concerned about longer cook time neither, this is BBQ, meat is done when it is done.

[Sonoman]

Ernest. How does it impact your cook times? I know, it's done when the thermometer says it's done...I'm just trying to estimate how early to put it on the night before. I cook at 225 as well and I like your comment about not wanting braised smoked meat and getting that great bark. Does the faux Cambro mush up the bark? What brisket do you buy? Do you cut the fat caps off as Meathead recommends? I buy CAB brisket...so that should be Choice or better according to Meathead... and I look for the most marbled one they have. I can't afford Prime or Wagyu. Still, I worry about it drying out. Is that a false worry?

[CandySueQ]

It's pretty easy to hold a brisket when it's done. Easier to hold because you really can't rush the cook time.

I've cooked CAB and Choice (non-CAB) and select. I generally inject those heavily with added moisture to keep from having brisket jerky. I have always found Angus beef to have a dry mouth feel when you chew, whether it's dripping moisture or not. Injecting also means I don't pour juice in when I wrap -- the juice is already in the beef, I'm just catching it with the wrapping medium (foil or paper).

My opinion, brisket cooked well is good no matter how it was cooked!