Foil or not foil or brown butcher paper?

[daricksta]

Didn't do well with brisket.

Spill the beans! Details, man! We've all been there. Let us know what happened. The great news is that there are always briskets to buy for more opportunities to practice and perfect.

 

[r2 builders]

So if you read at the top of the thread you can see all the parameters about my smoker and my concept for the brisket.
I ran the smoker at mid 230's and let the wood chunks burn off the heavy smoke before the brisket went in.
IT started out at 57 degrees and climbed steady for around 3 hours.
I got concerned about time as it was taking longer than I thought it would so I turned the smoker temp up to 250.
IT climbed a little faster to eventually hitting 160 and began to stall which I was anticipating.
Waited for the IT to reach 195 then pulled the brisket out to wrap in butcher paper.
Then I couldn't get the probe back into the the brisket where I thought it should be (I should have left the probe in and wrapped the paper around it) Then I was uncertain about the temp being accurate and from that point I think everything went south.
The brisket was tough and dry.
I have to give props to my Mother in law who bravely ate what was on her plate.
That is the saga.
Im sticking to ribs and poultry.

 

[daricksta]

So if you read at the top of the thread you can see all the parameters about my smoker and my concept for the brisket.
I ran the smoker at mid 230's and let the wood chunks burn off the heavy smoke before the brisket went in.
IT started out at 57 degrees and climbed steady for around 3 hours.
I got concerned about time as it was taking longer than I thought it would so I turned the smoker temp up to 250.
IT climbed a little faster to eventually hitting 160 and began to stall which I was anticipating.
Waited for the IT to reach 195 then pulled the brisket out to wrap in butcher paper.
Then I couldn't get the probe back into the the brisket where I thought it should be (I should have left the probe in and wrapped the paper around it) Then I was uncertain about the temp being accurate and from that point I think everything went south.
The brisket was tough and dry.
I have to give props to my Mother in law who bravely ate what was on her plate.
That is the saga.
Im sticking to ribs and poultry.

Just found the post! How much did the brisket weigh? I do the same thing you do: boost the temp if I think it's taking too long to fully smoke the brisket, making dinner time way too late. Only once have I smoked a brisket overnight. But please--don't fear the brisket! I've made one perfect one, and a few almost but not quite as good, and some that stunk on ice. The mistake I made last time was unwrapping the brisket from the butcher paper only to have all that built up grease spill out onto me and the ground. That won't happen again. I did keep the probe in, though. But even if I pull it out I find a similar place to reinsert it. That can be difficult when you stick it in the brisket and the temp starts falling. I like to smoke a brisket to about 201-203°F IT.  Anyway, the flat turned out overcooked because it was smallish and thin but the burnt ends from the point were incredibly good. Also, if you have the time to place the finished brisket in a cooler for a few hours, it really enhances the meat. Practice makes perfect, r2 builders. Oh, my wife pays me the same compliment that your mother pays you. But she also lets me know if it's too smoky or just right and I usually agree with her.

 

[r2 builders]

So if you read at the top of the thread you can see all the parameters about my smoker and my concept for the brisket.
I ran the smoker at mid 230's and let the wood chunks burn off the heavy smoke before the brisket went in.
IT started out at 57 degrees and climbed steady for around 3 hours.
I got concerned about time as it was taking longer than I thought it would so I turned the smoker temp up to 250.
IT climbed a little faster to eventually hitting 160 and began to stall which I was anticipating.
Waited for the IT to reach 195 then pulled the brisket out to wrap in butcher paper.
Then I couldn't get the probe back into the

 

[r2 builders]

Thanks for the response.
The Brisket was a 4 pound flat with a good 1/4" fat cap.
I pulled it 195 then wrapped and back in. I think the issue was when I couldn't get the probe back in I had no reference point to gauge the IT, so I just winged it to what I thought would be enough time to be right.
I didnt unwrap when it came out of the smoker and let it rest in a cooler for an hour or less.

 

[tbrtt1]

I waxed philosophical about wrapping brisket in this thread- post #26 http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/250599/need-brisket-help/20#post_1599757

First off , r2 on your brisket: it is generally accepted that if brisket is tough then it ain't done enough. Dry or not, tough usually means undercooked. You were right to be concerned with probe placement. I use a Thermopop to check the areas of the flat to determine where to put the cooking probe in after I wrap. Where I get he lowest reading on my Thermopop is where I place the cooking probe. The Thermopop is fast to read so it is easy to check for the cooler spots on the flat. Once you have that mastered you are in good shape for a properly cooked brisket.

Also, as mentioned in the link for my previous post, I don't wrap at a certain temp. I wrap when I get respectable bark. Once you get good bark to set, wrapping is fine and will still maintain decent bark. Obviously, no wrap will give you heavier bark, but you can have your cake and eat it too if you wrap after bark is set.

To the OP: I was a non-wrapper that now wraps most things. However, I don't wrap like a lot of folks. I always wait to achieve good bark first. Briskets get pink butcher paper. Foil is fine but you may have to get more bark before you wrap to maintain decent bark for the end product. For ribs I only warp for 30-45 mins, for both Babies and spares/SLCs. This seems to help tenderize and moisten but not result in mushy ribs. Butts get foiled after a hearty bark has set.

FWIW, a lot of comp Q-ers wrap to keep the meat from getting too smokey.

 

[HalfSmoked]

put something under the meat like Gary s bake beans the dripping makes them great.

Warren

 

[HalfSmoked]

Hey JJ I haven't been on in a while where did you and when did you make your move?

I get end rolls of news print from local news paper for table covers and most all the things you mention don't think it would work for smoking you think it would. Of course I don't wrap anyway.

Warren