I was watching Pit Masters tonight. One of the competitors pulled and foiled his butts after 3 hours. He said after 3 hours, they wouldn't take any more smoke. I usually let smoke roll for about 5 hours, and foil about 170 or so. Thoughts?
He said it was for presentation so it didn't turn black. I find it hard to believe that the meat will only take smoke for 3 hours..... Just thought it was an interesting comment.Take what you see on those shows with a grain of salt. I like a more defined bark so I wait until way later to wrap, if I wrap at all. I am not competing though.
I do wrap my butts. I did one without wrapping, and the bark was just too crusty. I wrap around 170 or so. Has good bark, and it doesn't get crusty. Besides, wrapping speeds the process up as well. I did a whole packer brisket Friday(18 pounds-probably 15 after trimming fat). Trimmed it and smoked the flat separate from the point. Wrapped each when they hit 175. The point still took 14 hours to get to 200. Both turned out incredible.A competitive flavor and texture, which those guys aim to hit, is not always the best for my preferences. Some of the worst smoking advice I've ever heard came out of those shows (if you ever see a bottle of fake butter in my cabinet, the world is coming to an end). They have to smoke to a clock, and even then they still make mistakes with all their experience. Either that, or it's all scripted.
I don't wrap anything in foil (except chuckies), and only occasionally wrap with butcher paper. The way I build my fire the meat gets smoke the entire time, but the right kind of smoke. And remember, black butts are beautiful!
From what I've heard comp cooking in general is very different then how most folks smoke. I also believe the shows are scripted to make them interesting.
Chris
" It won't take no more Smoke after 4 hours..." HORSE HOCKEY!!!
I dont watch barbeque on TV because it's mostly a bunch of BS put out for commercial purposes. And barbeque ain't got anything to do with making styrofoam boxes of food look pretty. Besides I dont have to bury my meat in sauce so it can be chocked down. It's about cooking and eating not entertainment.
You know, while I don't necessarily disagree completely with your points, I do disagree with your attitude toward deciding what BBQ is. BBQ is whatever the cook wants it to be. If he/she wants to be competitive, then so be it. If he/she want's to banana leaf wrap and bury in hot coals, then so be it. If he/she mops/injects/rubs/wraps/sauces or leaves it naked as a jay bird, then so be it. But to try and pass judgment on what BBQ is more of a crime then what you are rallying against.
BBQ is great because it isn't just one thing. It isn't just one way of doing things. It is up to the cook/pitmaster and passing judgment is wrong in my opinion.