Hot take: wrapping brisket in foil vs butcher paper is a real debate

I used to wrap my briskets in foil every time, been doing it for like 8 years. Thought it was the only way to get that tender bark. Then I went to a competition in Kansas City about 6 months ago, saw a pitmaster from Texas using butcher paper instead. He let me try a slice and the bark was way crunchier, not that soft mushy stuff I was getting. So I switched to peach paper about 4 months back, and my bark game improved a ton. But here's the thing - my cook times got longer by like 2 hours cause the paper doesn't trap steam like foil does. So which side you on for home cooks? Foil for speed or paper for texture?

3 comments

3 Comments

drewr151mo ago

Smoked a pork shoulder once and forgot to wrap it at all.

amy_craig281mo ago

Honestly @claire_davis31 is right, you don't always need to wrap for a good result.

claire_davis311mo ago

I dunno man, wrapping isn't always necessary, I've had great bark without it.