Butcher Paper - When to Wrap?

flexfusion

I'm cooking a beef brisket and forgot when is the proper time to wrap with the butcher paper.  Is it before the stall or after?  I remember Aron Franklin saying he wrapped about 170º.  I look forward to y'all comments.  Thanks!  

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Depends on what you are trying to do. If I wrap during the cook it’s when the bark gets to the color and look that I want. If it never starts to go past that, I dont wrap until I rest it. 

That said, I wrap 90% of the time these days and 170-ish is a good window to start looking. This would usually be after the stall and the bark would be getting crusty on the edges. 

Teefus

I've been wrapping at 175*-180*. Iy seems to work out OK.

bikesAndBBQ

Franklin I believe says that sometimes he wraps and sometimes he doesn’t. It depends on the brisket and the cook. Wrapping is not required. I personally don’t wrap. It is up to you though. I prefer to just let the egg do its thing. 

lkapigian

^^^^^ as above^^^^ about the time it leaves the stall

The Cen-Tex Smoker

This one is not quite ready. Bark is setting but not dark yet. 



This is it a couple of hours later. Bark has darkened and ithe surface is drying out. I give it a couple a sprays of 50/50 apple cider vinegar/water and wrap when they look like this. 



Hope this helps

Foghorn

The link below has two videos of briskets that were wrapped. 

The first one was wrapped too early - but still tasted awesome.  It was wrapped at about 160 as part of a larger cook involving 5 briskets and a whole pig and we did it when it was convenient for us.

The second was cooked by @20stone and it appears perfect to me.  It was probably wrapped a little after the stall based on the appearance of the bark.

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1206857/food-pr0n-jiggly-brisket-videos#latest

This plus the pics from @The Cen-Tex Smoker above should help you out.

The basic principle is that wrapping with butcher paper arrests bark development - so wrap when you are happy with the bark.

flexfusion

Thanks guys I appreciate the quick feed back.  Every cook I try to learn something.  I like challenges and cooking on the Egg can be one.  

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Have fun and take notes of when you wrapped and what it did and how you liked it. You will get it dialed in quickly. 

lousubcap

Here's a great video that provides the differences in finished tastes based on wrapping (foil or paper) and nekked.  FWIW-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnRRDSYgdmw  

The Cen-Tex Smoker

I’ll add that the rub you use will have a lot to do with how your bark sets up. Rubs with a lot
of sugar will darken up and get crusty quickly. The rub in the pics above is basically salt and pepper but has zero sugar. 

JohnInCarolina

lousubcap said:

Here's a great video that provides the differences in finished tastes based on wrapping (foil or paper) and nekked.  FWIW-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnRRDSYgdmw  

Thanks for posting that one Frank - I hadn’t seen it yet.  I could watch Franklin videos all day long.

Hans61

Does this advice follow to butts as well?

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Hans61 said:

Does this advice follow to butts as well?

Yes but use foil and not paper. 

NDG

Quick Q . . How do you wrap (pink butcher paper) and still keep your thermometer in?  I am at 170 and bark looking about right, just not sure what to do with my thermoworks smoke meat probe that’s currently in the point portion of the brisket. Thanks.

pgprescott

Just take the probe out, wrap, then reinsert the probe. Done. 

NDG

@pgprescott ok thanks.  I feel stupid.

pgprescott

NDG said:

@pgprescott ok thanks.  I feel stupid.

No need for that. Just never done it. I get it. 

GregW

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Hans61 said:

Does this advice follow to butts as well?

Yes but use foil and not paper. 

I have used the pink paper on Butts. I have found that the pink paper preserves the bark. When I have used foil, it steams inside the foil destroying the bark.
@The Cen-Tex Smoker has more experience than me, perhaps I'm wrapping incorrectly or at the wrong time with the foil.