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I used to think wrapping brisket was cheating, but a guy at a Kansas City competition changed my mind
I was helping a friend at the American Royal last year and saw this older pitmaster, maybe in his 60s, carefully wrapping his brisket in pink butcher paper. I made some comment about how real barbecue doesn't need a crutch, and he just smiled and said, 'Son, the goal is to serve the best meat, not to win a tough guy contest.' He explained how the paper helps push through the stall without steaming the bark like foil does. I tried his method on my next cook and the bark was perfect. Anyone else have a moment that made them switch up a core belief?
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charlescraig7mo ago
That line about the paper pushing through the stall without steaming the bark is spot on... but I gotta say, foil doesn't always steam it either. If your wrap is tight and you're careful, foil can give you a really good result too, sometimes even juicier. It's more about how you use it than what you use. I went through a phase of thinking paper was the only way, but now I pick based on the specific brisket and how much time I have.
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josephadams7mo ago
Man, that's so true about life in general. We get these hard rules in our head about the "right" way to do things. Like, I used to insist you had to hand wash a cast iron skillet, no soap ever. Then I saw my grandma, who's used the same pan for 50 years, use a tiny bit of soap. The sky didn't fall. The pan was fine. We cling to methods as identity, when really it's just about getting the job done well.
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mark4364mo ago
Totally had the same rigid mindset about cast iron. Seeing your grandma prove that old rule wrong makes me rethink a lot of the "must do" stuff I've been following.
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charles_mitchell7mo ago
So when you pick paper or foil now, @charlescraig, what's the main thing that tips you one way or the other? Is it just the cook time or something else?
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