Shoutout to the guy at Kreuz Market who showed me why I was drying out brisket

Been smoking for about 2 years now. Always had good bark but the flat would come out dry half the time. Was at Kreuz in Lockhart last month for lunch and an old timer next to me at the counter asked where I was from. Told him Dallas area. He just said "bet you wrap in butcher paper way too early." He was right. I was wrapping at 150 degrees every time. He said wait until 165 minimum. Made one brisket that way last weekend and it was the juiciest one I've ever done. Anyone else been wrapping too early for years without knowing?

3 comments

3 Comments

wade_anderson16d ago

Wait wait wait, you've been wrapping at 150? That's wild to me (I swear I've heard people say 140-145 is fine too). I've always waited until 170 because that's when my grandpa did it, but I never knew there was a specific zone like 165 that makes or breaks the flat. Now I'm questioning my entire last two years of brisket life.

emma_jones15d ago

Wait, are we really sure 165 is some magic number? I mean, I wrapped at 150 for years too (mostly because every YouTube video says around 150-155) and yeah, sometimes the flat was a little dry, but usually it was fine. The old timer at Kreuz had a point about bark set, but I think the real trick is waiting for the stall to actually start, not a specific temp. Every brisket is different, right? I've had some that stall at 155 and others that don't hit it until 170. So I just go by feel now, wait until the bark is set hard and the fat renders a bit, then wrap. For me, that's usually around 160-165, but I've wrapped at 155 and still gotten juicy meat. Maybe it's more about your smoker or your fire management than the exact temp.

keith16415d ago

You're talking my language with that "go by feel" approach... I've ruined more briskets staring at a thermometer than I care to admit. The stall is different every single time, and I've had flats dry out because I wrapped too early trying to hit some magic number. Last weekend I had one that didn't even think about stalling until 168, just sat there for three hours like it was mocking me. I think folks get too hung up on exact temps when really it's about what the meat is telling you, bark set and fat render and all that. Good on you for trusting your gut over YouTube...