Let's smoke brisket!

First you need to know how to wrap a delicious mouthwatering brisket to the point where all the juices are locked up. So, what are the secret tips?

"Wrap Brisket" and "Texas Crutch". These are the 2 techniques often used interchangeably referring to wrapping a brisket in foil or butcher paper when you smoke meat. This helps the brisket cook more quickly and evenly by trapping moisture inside, preventing it from drying out.

Knowing when to wrap a brisket is crucial for achieving the desired texture and flavor.

When to Wrap a Brisket?

Brisket should be smoked for several hours before it is wrapped in foil or butcher paper. This phase of smoking allows the brisket to develop a good bark on the outside and absorb smoky flavors from wood or charcoal.

Once the bark has formed itself, and the brisket has reached a certain level of doneness, usually around the 160°F-170°F mark, you can confirm the temperature with an instant-read thermometer.

Wrapping the brisket at this stage helps to keep it moist and tender, by trapping the juices, preventing it from drying out.

What Happens If You Wrap Brisket Too Early?

If you wrap a brisket too early, before it has developed a good bark, you may end up with a softer, less textured bark.

What About Wrapping Too Late?

Wrapping it late means you missed the perfect timing of locking the juices in. This may lead to a longer cooking time, and cause the meat to absorb more smoke than it should. This can significantly alter the taste of the brisket and result in over-smoked, undesirable flavors and dry meat.

Why Do You Wrap Brisket?

Cooks Faster

It cooks faster and it's more tender!

When you wrap brisket, you create an environment where the meat is essentially steaming in its own juices. This helps to accelerate cooking by increasing the temperature inside the wrapping material, surrounding the meat with heat. The increased temperature can help break down collagen and other connective tissues, making it more tender.

Juicier Meat

The wrapping material helps to trap moisture inside, creating a locked-up steamer that prevents the meat from drying out, resulting in juicier meat.

When the meat is exposed to heat and smoke for an extended period of time. The moisture inside the wrapped brisket breaks down tough connective tissues, making it more tender with a stronger flavor, created from trapped steam and the meat's natural juices.

But what do we wrap with? As you may have guessed already, different wrapping materials can affect the meat in different ways. For example, butcher paper allows more air and smoke to penetrate the meat, resulting in a richer flavor whilst retaining moisture. Whereas aluminum foil provides a tighter seal that locks moisture, creating a softer texture compared to butcher paper.

Control the Bark

Wrapping a brisket can help control the development of the bark, which is the crust that forms on the outer area of the meat during smoking.

When brisket is first placed in a smoker, it is exposed to direct heat and smoke, which causes the surface of the meat to dry out and form a layer of bark. However, if the brisket is left like this for too long, the bark may become overly thick or even burnt.

Wrapping the brisket in foil or butcher paper can help regulate the amount of heat and smoke that reaches the surface of the meat, allowing the bark to develop to a desired level without becoming too thick or charred. The material you use to wrap the meat acts as an insulator, trapping moisture inside the brisket, which can help prevent the bark from drying out or burning.

By controlling the development of the bark through wrapping, pitmasters can achieve a desirable balance of a flavorful, smoky, tender and juicy brisket.

Wrapping Brisket in Butcher Paper or Aluminum Foil?

Butcher paper or aluminum foil?

While both materials can be effective for wrapping brisket, there are some differences between them that may affect the final outcome.

Butcher Paper

Butcher paper is a type of food-grade paper that is permeable to moisture and air, which allows it to trap in steam while still allowing smoke and heat to penetrate the meat. This retains its moisture and develops a flavorful bark on the surface. Butcher paper also helps the brisket cook more quickly than foil, as it allows for better airflow around the meat.

Aluminum Foil

Aluminum foil, on the other hand, creates an airtight seal around the meat that traps in moisture and flavor. This can be beneficial for briskets that are prone to dry out, as the foil keeps the meat moist. Foil can also help speed up the cooking time by creating a barrier that reflects heat back onto the brisket.

Butcher Paper vs Aluminum Foil

In terms of texture and flavor, brisket wrapped in butcher paper tends to have a slightly crisper skin and a more pronounced smoky flavor, while foil-wrapped brisket has a softer texture and a mild smoky flavor.

However, the choice of wrapping material ultimately comes down to personal preference and what goals you want to achieve.

Some pitmasters may even use a combination of both materials, starting with butcher paper and switching to foil later in the cooking process to achieve their desired results.

How Long to Cook Brisket After Wrapping?

Size and thickness of your brisket, cooking temperature and your desired doneness. These are the factors that determine your cooking time after wrapping.

The best yet easiest way to ensure that your brisket is cooked after wrapping, is to check its internal temperature. Briskets are typically cooked to the temperature of 195°F-205°F (90°C-96°C).

Meat thermometers are commonly used to check the internal temperature regularly, aiming for the target temperature while also considering the desired level of tenderness and juiciness.

Here's an example:

Typhur InstaProbe™ is an innovative digital instant-read thermometer with 0.75s reading speed and ±0.5°F accuracy.

Downsides of Wrapping Brisket

1. Slight loss of smoky flavor

The wrapping creates a barrier between the meat and wood, which slightly reduces the flavor of smoke.

However, since the meat is typically exposed to the smoke for several hours before being wrapped, most of the desired smoky flavor is already absorbed during the process.

2. Loss of texture

The wrapping process can soften the bark on the brisket, which is the crispy crust that forms on the surface of the meat during smoking.

3. Risk of overcooking

Wrapping a brisket can accelerate the cooking process by trapping it in heat and steam, which can increase the risk of overcooking if you don't frequently check the temperature of the meat.

4. Difficulty monitoring meat

When a brisket is wrapped, it can be harder to monitor the color and texture of the meat. This can make it more difficult to judge when the meat is fully cooked and may require more frequent temperature checks with a thermometer.

Wrapped vs Unwrapped? What's Your Decision?

Ultimately, whether or not to wrap your brisket during smoking is a matter of personal preference. Some pitmasters swear by wrapping, while others prefer to cook their brisket unwrapped the entire time.

Are you a pitmaster? A griller? Or completely new to smoking and wrapping? Either way, it doesn't matter. As long as you are passionate and have the time, you can try different methods to achieve your desired smoked brisket.

Experiment to know what works best for you!