To wrap or not to wrap? That’s the question

Ruwallydog

Well-known member
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Question for you all who smoke brisket without wrapping. Growing up in TX that’s the way I learned to cook brisket so this is going to be an experiment for me.

Does it extend cook times?
Do you leave on more fat when trimming?
Bark? I’m thinking a bit thicker and crispier?
Spritz or no spritz?
Whey am I missing that I may not be smart enough to ask?

Thanks in advance for the help!!
 
lol, just play. You may find you love wrapping. I personally use wrapping for specific finishes to things. A butt i was doing a few weeks ago was getting a bit heavy and thick on the bark so i spritz'd and wrapped for that last few hours. But again was looking for a specific finish. If i had to choose 1 or the other, i am a no wrap, i just prefer the heavier jerky like bark it produces. As for spritz, again you just need to play. If i go heavy on the salt on purpose ill spritz a bit of applejuice because the sugar counteracts the salt and it comes out perfect. Some times i just play and use pepsi, carbonated apple juice, lemon juice or water. It all comes down to what finish you are looking for. Playing and experimenting is the best part...........And as a wise man said, its not about the best bbq is about the bbq you like best :).
 
I am not a wrapper myself, I prefer country and classic rock, lol. I tried it my first pork butt and not pleased with the lack of bark. I like the heavier bark I get without wrapping. I do spritz ribs usually. Not wrapping usually takes longer. i have had butts and briskets take 3-4 hours longer than expected.
 
My first Boston Butt on my 700 I used the wrapped method. It was good. I just did my second Boston Butt this past weekend and let it ride on 225, no wrap until the internal temp was 195. The bark was incredible as was the taste and tenderness. It took 19.5 hours (the butt was 11 lbs) and had a stall at 163 and then another at 180. I will not wrap again.
 
Can also let it form a good bark, wrap with foil or paper youll have to play to see what you like. Then unwrap for the last 60-90 minutes. This will yield bark that is close to non wrapped and knock a couple hours off a longer cook. Play Play Play :).
 
Naked...want all the bark I can get. That said, IF I were to wrap (and I have) it'd be with butcher paper...
Don't guess there is a wrong way...just a preferred way
 
I like to wrap to help increase cook time as it's trying to come out of the stall (165 degrees, and use peach (butcher) paper to help preserve the bark). Plus you get all of those nice juices to use as a sauce (I mix with my BBQ sauce...it's delicious ;)) or au jus.
 
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Question for you all who smoke brisket without wrapping. Growing up in TX that’s the way I learned to cook brisket so this is going to be an experiment for me.

Does it extend cook times?
Do you leave on more fat when trimming?
Bark? I’m thinking a bit thicker and crispier?
Spritz or no spritz?
Whey am I missing that I may not be smart enough to ask?

Thanks in advance for the help!!
This is a complicated topic that has more factors than are initially apparent. Personal preferences play a huge role. I love to wrap, but do it in a stainless steel pan covered in foil. The shorter cooking time and moisture control are one benefit. The biggest, however, is that I love the juice that I get from the leftover braising liquid. I separate the fat and use the remaining liquid to season the meat. This is liquid gold. One of my favorite smoked meats is chuck roast and I frequently chop it and make chili. The leftover braising liquid goes into the chili. I get hungry just talking about it. Using a stainless steel pan means I don’t have to worry about perforating the wrap and losing the liquid, it is fast so I don’t get much of a temperature drop and it’s less messy. Glad to hear what others think.
 
This is a complicated topic that has more factors than are initially apparent. Personal preferences play a huge role. I love to wrap, but do it in a stainless steel pan covered in foil. The shorter cooking time and moisture control are one benefit. The biggest, however, is that I love the juice that I get from the leftover braising liquid. I separate the fat and use the remaining liquid to season the meat. This is liquid gold. One of my favorite smoked meats is chuck roast and I frequently chop it and make chili. The leftover braising liquid goes into the chili. I get hungry just talking about it. Using a stainless steel pan means I don’t have to worry about perforating the wrap and losing the liquid, it is fast so I don’t get much of a temperature drop and it’s less messy. Glad to hear what others think.
I will put Chuck in an aluminum pan about halfway in with some beef broth, sometimes some onions too. You're right, it is like liquid gold. I just finished a 10# butt that took every bit of 12 hours at 225. I wrapped with B paper for the last 4 hours and it turned out great, juicy and a good bark to it.
 
Great stuff!! Appreciate all the feedback and ideas. Ordered some butcher paper and going to experiment with that this next weekend. But man do I love the drippings too...and not sure how that’s gonna work with the paper. Nothing ventured nothing gained I suppose.
 
I'm a novice brisket cook. I've done a lot more of them since getting the RT700. Lately, I've done both wrapped, using foil or pink butcher paper, and naked. Wrapped seemed juicier. But with my low number of cooks each way, it could just be other reasons.

If you want to catch drippings with butcher paper, set the whole wrapped brisket in a large restaurant tray.
 

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