Serious question, has anyone else tried wrapping brisket in foil versus butcher paper?

Last weekend I smoked two briskets side by side on my offset, same rub, same temp around 250. One I wrapped in foil at the stall, the other in pink butcher paper. The foil one came out way too soft, almost like pot roast, after about 14 hours total. The butcher paper one had a much better bark and held its shape. My buddy in Austin said, 'Foil steams it, paper just lets it breathe.' Anyone have a different method that works better?

3 comments

3 Comments

hall.nina2mo ago

My third brisket attempt turned into a sad, steamed pot roast, so I'm team butcher paper now.

andrew_rodriguez2mo ago

Remember my dad tried to wrap a brisket in foil once, and the bark just vanished, like it got scared and ran off. He ended up with this weird, gray, soft meat that tasted like it had given up on life. That's why @hall.nina switching to butcher paper makes total sense to me. It seems to let the smoke do its thing without turning everything into a steam bath. I'm sticking with that method now, even if it means buying the paper in a huge roll that takes up half a pantry shelf.

irismartinez2mo ago

Yeah @hall.nina, that steam bath is a total bark killer.