After my brisket kept drying out, I tried wrapping it in butcher paper at 165 degrees instead of foil.

The bark stayed way better and it was still plenty juicy. Anyone have a different temp they pull for the wrap?

3 comments

3 Comments

Wrapping at 165 is a mistake if you want real bark. That paper still steams the meat and softens the crust. The only way to get a proper bark is to skip the wrap entirely and just push through the stall. All that wrapping is just a crutch for poor temperature control. You end up with pot roast texture instead of real barbecue. A dry brisket is a sign it wasn't cooked long enough, not that it needed to be wrapped.

mark3611mo ago

Listen to you acting like the stall is some kind of moral test of a pitmaster. Guess I'll just tell my guests the dry parts are a feature, not a bug, because I was too proud to wrap. Nothing says real barbecue like serving shoe leather to prove a point.

kelly_nelson951mo ago

Honestly the no wrap thing is just for looks. Yeah you get a darker crust but it's like chewing on tree bark. I've had those dry briskets from guys who swear by it. The meat was tough and the fat never got soft. A good wrap with butcher paper still gives you bark but the meat actually finishes cooking. It's not a crutch, it's just how you get it done without wasting 20 hours.