When to Wrap Brisket [Temperature, How-To and Smoking Tips]

Table of Contents [show]

Wrapping the brisket is one of the most effective ways to spice up your barbecue smoked beef. Find out why the BBQ technique works and how to wrap the breast with our easy smoking guide.

Beef Brisket barbecue Traditional Texas Smoke House

If you only want to master one classic grilled meat, it has to be the breast.

Not only is it steeped in rich American barbecue history, it’s also notoriously difficult to master. And that’s why anyone who can roast a good piece of brisket has campfire rights to brag about.

One of the things that makes it so difficult to use is that it can be difficult to heat up and keep from drying out.

One way to prevent this is to wrap it.

But when should we wrap the chest? At what temperature? and vomit?

Today we’re taking a look at everything you need to know to cook the best brisket in town.

Why should I wrap the brisket?

Many pit masters wrap their breasts, but can be at a loss when asked exactly why they are doing it.

It is a long-standing tradition that meat is often wrapped in foil when it is cooked.

In the case of brisket, it is important to understand what is commonly known as “Texas Crutch” and its role in brisket packaging.

Smoked grilled breast on pink parchment paper

What is the Texas crutch?

If you’re familiar with a BBQ cooking show or YouTube channel, you’ve probably heard this term before, but you’ll be forgiven if you don’t know exactly what it is.

In short, the Texas Crutch method involves wrapping the brisket in foil while it cooks. It is particularly useful for long-term cooking, such as Eg when smoking when grilling, so we can help to speed up the cooking process.

It’s a technique that’s grown in popularity decade after decade and is now considered an important step in brisket smoking in competition , as well as in some restaurants.

We Recommend: The 6 Best Ways to Reheat Pulled Pork

It’s now become a popular step for grill fans of all cooking levels and not only helps get things moving but also ensures your chest retains moisture multiple times for extra juiciness and helps de -flank the flenten

And what about that name? I guess it’s a bit of a joke and a bit of a tease because it’s a “crutch” for pit masters to fall on when they’re looking to speed things around the tables.

It’s also worth noting that it doesn’t have to be aluminum foil. Many people also rely on butcher paper because it allows for better ventilation around the chest. This means it can still help retain moisture without risking getting soaked. People who rely on this method also point out that they have a much higher chance of developing a breast bark using this method .

What exactly is the science behind Texas Crutch?

The goal here is to create a brisket that smokes faster, but most importantly, is incredibly tender and juicy.

Because if it comes out soggy or tasteless, what’s the point?

The problem with slow and slow cooking is that the internal temperature of the meat rises first, which expresses moisture on the surface of the meat. That means the moisture and juices in the center of the meat will dry out first, leaving you with a dry piece of meat.

It can also happen that the temperature no longer rises, but evaporation continues. This is what is usually known as “the post office”.

Wrapping the meat can help us avoid this. It can help lock in moisture and temperature, effectively searing the meat and leaving you with a beautifully tender and juicy brisket.

At what temperature wrap the brisket?

The key to the perfect brisket here is timing, and the point at which you wrap the brisket is critical to the success of your grill.

We don’t want to start with the breast already wrapped, but also don’t want to start too late when the meat is dry.

We want to expect two important things. We want a nice crust to have formed on top of the breast, and we also want the internal temperature of the breast to have reached 65°C(150°F).

We Recommend: 7 Best Woods to Smoke Brisket | Oak, Hickory and More

It can take a while for this to happen, so don’t panic and wait by your grill. It may take a few hours for your chestpiece to get anywhere near that 150°F mark.

Quick reminder, if you don’t already have a digital meat thermometer, I highly recommend getting one.

What are the benefits of Wrapping Brisket?

Using Texas Crunch can significantly reduce cooking time. Allowing him this shortcut through the dreaded “stall” allows us to reach our target temperature faster without risking the meat drying out.

Reduce Direct Exposure to Smoke: When your meat is engulfed in smoke for hours, its natural flavors can become overwhelmed. And if your charcoal or wood chips contain chemicals or additives, you even risk off-flavoring your food. By creating a layer of foil or paper, wrapping the brisket can help protect it from unwanted chemicals.
Makes the brisket more delicious: Smoking allows us to extract the fat content of the meat, which allows it to penetrate the meat and give it rich flavor. However, if you go too far, it will dry out quickly. Wrapping keeps the juices longer.
Brisket can “hold” its temperature longer: many people wrap the meat fresh from the smoker in aluminum foil to keep it from cooling too quickly. This helps “keep” it at the desired temperature longer, allowing the juice to further enrich the flavor of the meat.
You burn less wood: by speeding up the cooking time, we use less fuel. Wood chips can be too difficult(and expensive!) to shape, so it can be a big savings. Spending less time burning wood while your meat sits there on the farm for those 6-10 hours this means less wood is burned(and more money saved for you!).

What about the downsides?

It can mess up the crust – creating a layer of crust on brisket is one of the reasons we love that delicious cut of beef so much. Wrapping in foil can reduce the chances of developing that delicious coating and you end up with sloppy, soggy meat instead.

We Recommend: Top 5 Woods for Smoking Tri-Tip [Oak, Hickory, Pecan & More]

What should I wrap the chest with?

Thwart

Aluminum foil has been the standard raw material for years. It’s cheap, it’s versatile, and it does a great job.

Wrap your brisket in a foil bag for a tender brisket that cooks in less time. The only downside is that it greatly reduces the chances of you getting that nice bark on top, but it can be achieved with practice.

Just make sure to wrap the chest as tightly and securely as possible. If your foil gives too much, the juices can pool on the bottom and form puddles, creating steam and ruining your meat.

Wrapping paper

This is a relatively new discovery, but the butcher paper gives your chest a little more ventilation, meaning it improves your chances of a crust and lets in a little more smoke to improve flavor.