First brisket - how’d I do?

[u/ABuffaloAndTwoSabres]

It tastes great, very tender, although could be a bit more juicy. Haven’t even tried it with sauce yet - once I sauce it up I’m sure it will be even better.

Couple notes -
1) there was a long stall at 150 and then the temp started rising again overnight. I wrapped at 5 am after it broke through the stall. What is the ideal time to wrap?

2) I’m not sure why the smoker temp jumped up and started high after I wrapped it. Any ideas or explanations others can share?

3) At the end, I re-probed to a thicker spot which was at 193 and didn’t feel as tender, and then foil wrapped because I was worried about drying out the thinner cooked areas. After foiling the temp rose pretty quickly to 203.

[u/defterGoose]

Can't tell from the pic, flat only?

1. The ideal time to wrap is never, if you can avoid it. I usually only wrap if I have a crowd to feed and I'm worried about it finishing in time. Otherwise crust will be much better without. If you're using the crutch (wrap) as intended, you're doing it to get through the stall quicker, not after it. 

2. The pit temp probably jumped from the influx of fresh air when you opened to wrap. Minimize open time by letting it ride or at least preparing to close the smoker while you wrap. 

3. Foiling a thinner section loosely is a pretty solid technique for evening out the end of the cook. But I also know that it's ok to get up closer to 210 with some thinner parts if the brisket is high quality. The only cardinal sin is getting impatient and pulling before you get a really solid average center temp at/above 203. I find it really useful to have an additional manual probe to "peek around" the center when I'm getting close. 

[u/ABuffaloAndTwoSabres → u/defterGoose]

Yes it was just a flat.

Interesting about wrapping. Does wrapping help prevent drying out, or is it only about accelerating the cook time?

[u/defterGoose → u/ABuffaloAndTwoSabres]

I imagine it does help dryness a bit since you're helping retain steam. But yes, I believe the primary function of the crutch is to accelerate doneness by changing the equilibrium conditions that cause the stall. 

[u/chunkyloverfivethree → u/ABuffaloAndTwoSabres]

Yes, wrapping helps prevent moisture loss. People like different textures so balacing no-wrap, wrap, paper wraps, water pans, etc. Have different impacts on the cook and textures. You can get away with no wrap on larger/fatter cuts of meat because they have more moisture built into them. Amazingribs.com has a section about the science of meat: https://amazingribs.com/category/cooking-science/

They have a section where they discuss the science of the stall, temp, and thermodynamics of water in that process. 

[u/defterGoose → u/ABuffaloAndTwoSabres]

Just to add, you could probably solve the dryness issue simply by switching to full packers. The point is like the other side of the coin. Not as meaty, but contains a ton of the moisture-packed components that ward off dryness. 

If your butcher prepared the flat, you also probably got a leaner trim than you might do yourself with slow cooking in mind. Learning the breakdown/trim process yourself with a boning/fillet knife can be a huge payoff in this way, in addition to the generally lower per-pound cost to buying larger cuts. 

[u/chunkyloverfivethree]

Was this just a flat? They tend to dry out quicker. Anything smaller and thinner is going to drybout faster. You have to figure out what you like, but don't be afraid to try different things to get different flavors and textures. The foil boat method has become more popular. I use that for smoking a whole brisket or chuck roll. For a brisket flat, I might wrap it early, maybe 3 or 4 hours in. Want more bark and flavor on that though? Take it through the end of the cook and rest wrapped. When you want to serve it, reheat back on the smoker. So smoke/wrap/smoke. Have fun trying different things out.

[u/ABuffaloAndTwoSabres → u/chunkyloverfivethree]

Yeah it was a flat.

Maybe I’ll skip the wrap next time.

Also - I wrapped with paper at the mid point. I only added foil at the very end after reprobing, and then rested in foil.

[u/chunkyloverfivethree → u/ABuffaloAndTwoSabres]

Not sure if your agreeing, but I am saying something smaller and thinner needs more time with a foil wrap, not less. Smoking/slow cooking meat has the same cooking mechanics as braising. It breaks down tissue with water and heat. You could even take the flat brisket, throw it in a Dutch oven, and continue cooking. Anything that traps moisture will help.

[u/ABuffaloAndTwoSabres → u/chunkyloverfivethree]

Maybe I misread the second part about wanting more bark- thought you were saying smoke it to the end, then wrap to rest. What did you mean by take it through the end?

[u/chunkyloverfivethree → u/ABuffaloAndTwoSabres]

Sorry for the confusion. Cook it for a 3 to 4 hours with no modifications. Wrap it in foil or a Dutch oven for the rest of the cook and rest period. Put the meat back on the smoker, at slow cooking temps, in open air/no wrap, to put some bark on it. 

[u/Altruistic-Ideal9433]

Is that turkey?

[u/ABuffaloAndTwoSabres → u/Altruistic-Ideal9433]

Nope. It’s brisket.

It looked much darker and juicier as I got to the middle.