wrapping brisket: how is the bark?

[reflect]

Been smoking for a while. I am debating trying wrapping after partial cook.

My ONLY question is:

How is the bark?

 

[Rings Я Us]

I would say the bark will be "Not as Dry" as not wrapped.
I wrap.. going for optimal moisture and not crusty or crunchy.

 

[SmokinAl]

I don't wrap my brisket if it's a full packer.
However, if I'm going to use the point for burnt ends, I usually separate them around 180 or so. Then I will wrap the flat to finish it off, while the burnt ends are smoking.
If I just smoke a flat I do it in a pan with some French onion soup, sitting right in the soup.
You can flip it half way through the smoke so each side gets some smoke, but I usually don't do that.
They always come out juicy & you have your Au Jus already made!
Al

 

[daveomak]

Read the part where the bark is not supposed to get soggy...

 

[troutman]

daveomak refers to wrapping in pink butcher paper which is an excellent alternative to wrapping in foil or placing in a pan to finish off. The paper allows some of the moisture to escape in the form of steam; however, in my experience there is still quit a bit of moisture and juices that are captured by the paper. This does seem to soften the bark on my briskets. I just don't want to wait the additional time during the stall, so I wrap.

I know a lot of competition cooks use foil pans, thus achieving a degree of meat braising in its own liquid. Usually they do them fat cap down arguing that you loose the bottom bark but you cut the fat off anyway. I have never done this with mine, preferring to do the more traditional Texas style.

Either way, there is some bark softening to any method that takes the meat away from its pure heat source. To me the bark is part of the brisket experience taste wise in my mouth, but a little softening doesn't decrease that experience significantly.

 

[chilerelleno]

"To Crutch or not to Crutch, that is the question..."

I've done it both ways with ribs, butts and brisket and yes, the bark is softened by crutching.
But if soft bark bothers you, it's nothing that can't be fixed by a little while out of the foil in a HOT smoker/oven.

I haven't tried paper yet, but hear good things and some true masters of the pit swear by it.

 

[reflect]

Thank you all for the input. Much appreciated.

 

[reflect]

Well, I did a foil run. Not bad on taste and the smoke ring. Was a little too soggy. The point was more like pulled. The flat was a nice pencil width slice.

Next time I will try butchers paper.

Que view.....