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Butcher Paper - When to Wrap?

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flexfusion
flexfusion Posts: 240
in EggHead Forum
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!  
Auburn, Alabama
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
    edited June 2018
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    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. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • Teefus
    Teefus Posts: 1,208
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    I've been wrapping at 175*-180*. Iy seems to work out OK.
    Michiana, South of the border.
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  • bikesAndBBQ
    bikesAndBBQ Posts: 284
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    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. 
    Pittsburgh, PA. LBGE
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  • lkapigian
    lkapigian Posts: 10,765
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    ^^^^^ as above^^^^ about the time it leaves the stall
    Visalia, Ca @lkapigian
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    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
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,842
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    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.

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

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  • flexfusion
    flexfusion Posts: 240
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    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.  
    Auburn, Alabama
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
    edited June 2018
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    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. 

    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,378
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    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  
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
    edited June 2018
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    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. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 30,975
    edited June 2018
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    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.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
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  • Hans61
    Hans61 Posts: 3,901
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    Does this advice follow to butts as well?
    “There are three rules that I live by: never get less than twelve hours sleep; never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; and never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body.”
    Coach Finstock Teen Wolf
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    Hans61 said:
    Does this advice follow to butts as well?
    Yes but use foil and not paper. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • NDG
    NDG Posts: 2,431
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    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.
    Columbus, OH

    “There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as if everything is” 
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  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
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    Just take the probe out, wrap, then reinsert the probe. Done. 
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  • NDG
    NDG Posts: 2,431
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    @pgprescott ok thanks.  I feel stupid.
    Columbus, OH

    “There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as if everything is” 
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  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
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    NDG said:
    @pgprescott ok thanks.  I feel stupid.
    No need for that. Just never done it. I get it. 
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  • GregW
    GregW Posts: 2,677
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    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.
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