TIL that not wrapping brisket gives a crisper bark

Many pitmasters wrap brisket to keep it juicy, but I think that hurts the bark. I learned to skip the wrap after a few smokes, and the crust came out way better. My last cook had a dark, crunchy bark that everyone at my party liked. The meat stayed tender because I kept the smoker temp steady. Some say wrapping prevents drying, but I feel it just makes the bark soggy. Give no-wrap a shot if you want more texture on your brisket.

3 comments

3 Comments

clairetaylor1mo ago

I remember when my friend Mark heard about skipping the wrap for ribs. He fired up his smoker and cooked them low and slow all day. The bark looked amazing, but when we bit into them, it was like eating jerky! He had to cut them with a sawing motion just to get through the crust. Now he always wraps his ribs after a few hours to avoid that mistake.

paigesanchez1mo ago

In Texas, we never wrap brisket, bark stays crisp.

emmam891mo ago

Ever try that with ribs? I smoked some without wrapping last week and they were almost too crunchy to eat.