Tried wrapping my brisket in butcher paper instead of foil and got a totally different result

I've been smoking briskets for about 8 years now and always used foil for the wrap phase. Last weekend I finally gave butcher paper a shot on a 14 pound prime packer from Costco. The bark came out way better, nice and dark with a good snap to it. But the weird part was the moisture level. It was definitely drier than my foil wrapped briskets, not dry dry but noticeably less juice when I sliced it. The flavor was cleaner though, less of that steamed taste you sometimes get with foil. I think I need to dial in my temps better with the paper because I ran it at 275 and maybe that was too hot. Has anyone else switched and had to adjust their cooking time or temperature to keep the meat from drying out?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_ruby24d ago

That "steamed taste" thing is exactly why I switched to paper too. I dropped my temp to 250 and let it go a little longer in the wrap and that helped keep more moisture for me.

violar3524d ago

Had the opposite reaction at first, honestly thought paper was a gimmick. But after trying it on my last cook I totally get it now, the bark difference is night and day. Gonna mess around with lower temps like you mentioned and see if that helps the moisture issue.

spencer98124d ago

Yeah that "steamed taste" thing is real. My buddy tried foil wraps on his brisket and said it came out like pot roast. He switched to paper and never looked back.