Tried that whole 'wrap brisket in butcher paper at 165' thing and got the opposite result

I've been using foil for years on my brisket runs, figured it was time to see what the paper hype was about. Got a nice prime packer from the local HEB in San Antonio, rubbed it with just salt and pepper like always. Stalled right around 162, so I wrapped it tight in uncoated butcher paper and put it back on my offset smoker. Checked it 4 hours later and the internal temp barely moved past 178, way behind schedule. Meanwhile the bark felt almost soggy and the paper was soaked through. Ended up cranking the heat to 300 just to get it finished by dinner time. The meat was still tender but that bark never set right, it was more leathery than crispy. Learned that my smoker's humidity and airflow might just play better with foil, at least in the winter months. Anyone else had paper go weird on them when conditions weren't perfect?

3 comments

3 Comments

amyh1211d agoMost Upvoted

That 'the paper was soaked through' line hit home hard, because my buddy Dave had the exact same thing happen on his WSM last fall. He was so proud of his paper wrap job too, but when he pulled it off after 3 hours the paper was literally falling apart like wet cardboard and the brisket temp was stuck at 170. He swore off paper forever and went back to foil after that, said it was a total waste of $15 on a roll of butcher paper.

felixhenderson12d ago

Wait you went FOUR HOURS without checking it?!

the_holly12d ago

My friend Sarah did this with her work laptop last month. She had a huge deadline and her boss kept sending emails about it. She was so stressed she just shut the laptop in her desk drawer and went to grab lunch with a coworker. Forgot her phone at her desk too. When she came back four hours later, her boss had called her cell phone six times and sent 12 emails asking if she'd seen the client's urgent request. She almost had a heart attack when she opened her laptop and saw all the notifications. Now she keeps her phone on her at all times even during lunch. Have you ever done something like that?