Do I wrap a brisket?

[mls]

Bought 2 Boston Butts and 2 Briskets (Flats) today to smoke this weekend and then pull so we can take to the lake over Labor Day. Never done a brisket before but have had good luck with spare ribs.

Questions: Should I take the brisket out after a couple of hours and wrap it in tin foil like I do my ribs? If so how long or what temp do I wrap it. I didn't wrap the last Butts I did, just took them up to 205* then pulled them and they came out prettty good but I've never done beef before. I figure about 225* and internal 205* on both the Butts and the Briskets. Is that about right. If I want to slice the brisket, does it come off at a lower temp? I have seperate probes for the pork and for the beef. Can I use the same rub on both the beef and pork? Thanks.

 

[deejaydebi]

I like to cook my brisket to around 160° -165° F internally without foil, then finish my brisket by wrapping it in double layers of foil until the internal temperature is between 200° to 205° F. Next, leave it in the foil and let it rest wrapped in towels in a cooler for a few hours. This really makes it juicy and tender. Many purists object to this procedure. After an hour or so you will have much more meat juice, “au jus†to add to your dipping sauce or just pour over the slices before serving!

 

[smokebuzz]

Debi hit it,
i useally go to 195* and cooler it for 1-3 hours and EAT!!, And i am going to try taken 1 to 200* some time and see if it does make it more tender for me.

 

[bigal]

Deb is right on.

What I like to do is poke it w/a temp prob at 205, if it goes in like butter it is ready, if not I wait. Gotta slice it a bit thicker but it is fork tender and juicy.

Good luck. Be sure to slice it, pour the au jus over it and then vac seal it. I just got a vac sealer a few weeks ago and I use it on EVERYTHING! It is great! Next thing to vac seal is the kids when they are act'n like little POS's!!! (they take after their mother

)

 

[reflect]

And make sure to cut against the grain.

Take care,

Brian

 

[adb551]

If I get internal to 180* I take it out quickly, wrap it and put it in a cooler.

It does not immediately start to cool, the residual heat still cooks for a while, and then it starts to "rest".

I have taken it out at 160*-170*, closed up in a cooler for an hour (give or take), wrapped up, it is as tender as a mother's love.

In my opinion, brisket is just BEEF. A little rare is wonderful, and even better with the smoke.