Used to wrap my brisket in foil every time. Switched to butcher paper 2 years ago after a competition in Lockhart.

I was a foil guy through and through. Always got a decent bark but the texture was more like braised meat than smoked. Then we did a comp at the Salt Lick grounds in 2022 and a neighbor pitmaster let me taste his paper-wrapped brisket. The crust was way better so I switched that week. Anyone else have a smoother bark after ditching foil?

3 comments

3 Comments

wadejenkins4d ago

Oh I feel you on that braised meat thing. I remember my first few attempts with foil, I kept thinking why does this taste like pot roast and not brisket. Then a buddy from Texas told me about the paper trick and I was like nah that cant work, but he was right. Now I run my smoker a bit hotter too cause the paper handles it better.

angela7284d ago

Wait hold on a second about running your smoker hotter cause the paper handles it better. Paper actually lets more heat through than foil does cause it breathes. If anything you might need to drop your temp a little or keep an eye on it more cause paper wraps can let the meat dry out faster if you run too hot. I learned that the hard way when I tried bumping mine up to 275 and ended up with a dry flat that took forever to render. Foil traps all that steam so it acts like a little oven inside there, paper just keeps the smoke going while protecting the bark. So yeah paper is great for bark but you gotta watch your heat different, not crank it up.

the_laura4d ago

So how much did you have to drop your temp after that dry flat? I keep hearing different things about the sweet spot for paper, some guys swear by 250 and others say 225 is the only way to go. Did lowering it fix the moisture issues for you or did you have to mess with the wrap timing too?