Why?.......Do we wrap our brisket in a towel and throw in a cooler

fishlessman

probably the only one to do this but i usually have a bean pot or two going for this type of cook, it will keep the cooler temp up most of a day. 8 to 10 hours if need be

MaskedMarvel

nolaegghead said:

SonVolt said:

It depends on the size of your cooler. The less empty space the better. 

Not if you have a gasket on your cooler.   A towel has much more thermal mass than air so it's just another cold surface in the cooler to wick heat from the meat.

Sure, the towel acts as insulation to slow all that down (the heating of the inside of the cooler), but over time, it's worse than not having one at all.

I run hot water in the cooler
and the towels in the dryer 

heated up as much as possible

Woodchunk

On the  counter to stop the cooking, foil, then back in the egg which holds heat for about 2 1/2 hours after shutting down. 

EggerPalmerATL

I do it to keep the temp from dropping too much if the cook finished more than an hour before the party. If I’m within the hour, I wrap in a towel and leave it on the counter. If I’m within 30 min, I put it in the dish I’m serving in (whole) and drape a towel. I never pull/shred until the first guest has their plate in hand. 

unoriginalusername

I’ve developed the perfect method. Once your probing tender drive the brisket to the community centre and place the brisket in the sauna steam room for three hours or longer if you like. 

Not only does it hold temp but the relative humidity makes for the juiciest brisket I’ve ever had.  To prevent complaints that the food tastes like old man a$$ chose your spot wisely 

who needs franklins fancy cvap machines when this simple hack works like a charm 

JethroVA

I wrap in foil, then put in a clean trash bag, then into the cooler.  No mess to clean up. So its FTtbC.  

Bama_Man

I pull mine at 195, slow and low at 235. The last two I have poured a cup of red wine over and  triple wrapped in heavy foil. Set in cooler till ready to slice. It really puts the moistness all the way through and the wine adds a nice touch. 

mEGG_My_Day

I never use the towel.  My wife uses those dryer sheets when doing the laundry and I don’t want that smell on my food.  And im sure as hell not going to tell her how to do the laundry!! 

lousubcap

Just use garage grade towels-works for me. 

Dobie

I do it just so I can justify cooler purchases 

blasting

nolaegghead said:

If you have a decent cooler, the towels don't do a damn thing except turn into horror shows and get you into marital trouble.

If you're divorced, or looking to get divorced, the "Hers" towels work pretty good. 

JohnEggGio

I figured the towels were there to absorb any condensation.

bgebrent

It’s simply a rest. The big cut needs a big rest after the big cook.  It absolutely benefits the final product and for me that’s been in the 2-6 hour range. 

Tato

Smoked a brisket for 12 hours at 225-260 unwrapped. I’m the last I have wrapped at the 150-160 stall. However, on this one unwrapped it stalled at 197-198 and then went down a degree and has been sitting there for about an hour. Should I wrap it let it rise to 205 or pull it FTC? 

lousubcap

@Tato The key to the finish-line is when you get the "probes like butter" in the thick part of the flat feel, independent of temperature.  So, if you don't have the feel then don't pull. 
After that decision point, if the bark where you want it, then you can wrap in butcher paper-if pressed for time and you need to power thru then wrap in foil or if you want more bark creation let it run til you get the feel.  If the feel is still not present in the 208-209 *F range then I would pull it; give it 20 minutes or so of cooling rack rest (stop the carryover cooking) wrap in foil and FTC.  FWIW-
Edit: always remember, "The friggin cow drives the cook!"

nolaegghead

Not having read anything but the title, the answer is "because we are fvcking idiots".