I'm smokling a brisket & am not wrapping & using the"crutch" during the cook. Should it be wrapped after pulling? I want to keep as much bark as possible but I read that the hold for a couple of hours will give you in a more tender brisket. It won't be time to eat for a few hours, either.
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I often smoke briskets all the way to probe tenderness without wrapping.
If you want to hold the brisket, which is highly recommended for tenderness and maintaining moisture, then it should be wrapped and placed either in a cambro, faux cambro, or warm oven for a few hours. At this point, as long as you don't add liquid to the wrap, the bark shouldn't be affected much.
Plus there is such a thing as too much bark, in that the top is too dry, making it difficult to slice or chew. Wrapping the brisket for a warm hold for a few hours should help with that too.
Kathryn-
Your brisket is long-finished, smabrito , and I bet it turned out fine.
For future reference, take it to probe tenderness in the flat, which is usually somewhere between 195° and 203°. Prime briskets probe tender closer to 195° in my experience. Don't worry about the point; it will take care of itself.
At probe tenderness, pull it off the smoker, wrap, and cambro or faux/cambro for a few hours and it will be delicious.
Let us know how your brisket turned out.
Kathryn
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It's not simply a result of the finished cook temp, but time spent there as well. For example, a brisket taken to 205, pulled, sliced an eaten immediately could likely be less tender than a, equal quality brisket taken to 197, held for 1-2 hrs in a 150-170 degree smoker or oven, then sliced and eaten. That "hold" phase lets it bask in the warmth, without cooking further, but those tough fats and collagen will continue to render and soften into juiciness, affecting the overall tenderness and sensation of juiciness. I think it is VERY important that you give a brisket 1-2hrs hold time after reaching its finish temp.
If you're worried about the bark, try using butcher paper instead of foil. Or, you can unwrap it after the hold phase, but instead of slicing and eating put it back in your smoker for 20 minutes at 250* to firm the bark back up.
Another tip I like to share is if you do wrap, wait until well after the stall, say 180ish, before wrapping. Then the bark has had more time to develop and is already hardier when you wrap so it's less affected by wrapping.Comment
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I came here to say what fzxdoc and Huskee said …. They gave you great advice. Same advice I would give. I usually don’t wrap a brisket while cooking. If I do, it’s at the end of the stall and it’s pink paper, not foil. When I wrap to hold, it’s paper, not foil. I hold in a 170F oven for 2 hours usually.Comment
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Thanks for the post smabrito , and fzxdoc , Huskee , ecowper , and Jerod Broussard for your comments and expertise.
I'm doing a brisket this week, which is not my forte, overnight and not crutched, if the weather agrees, so this post is very timely.Comment
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So much good advice above. Occasionally if I’m doing brisket for family I’ll wrap in foil after the bark is formed during the stall to collect the juices to drag the slices through prior to serving as I have some family who prefer that to bark. The beautiful thing about BBQ is the opportunity to try it all!!Comment
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Good advice from the experts.Comment
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