That is the test of good brisket - gotta be sauce less (except burnt ends). If the pitmaster is serving it sauced he’s hiding dried meat. But people like condiments so I serve sauce on the side.
The crutch started as foil, but as you note it actually steams or besides the meat. It shortens the cook a lot. Wrapping in butcher paper is like halfway between foil and naked in terms of cooking speed enhancement. It also helps cook the brisket faster but not as fast as foil. The benefit is that it breathes unlike foil so you don’t steam your brisket and lose the bark.
You’re preaching to the choir here! Any more I almost always remove the cap and cook it separately. It just doesn’t make sense to try to cook one piece of meat that varies that much in thickness. I’m just glad briskets are finally starting to come down enough I don’t have to consider a mortgage just to buy a couple [quote=“jamesdhatch, post:41, topic:7695”]
The crutch started as foil, but as you note it actually steams or besides the meat. It shortens the cook a lot
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Actually there’s another way to do it without wrapping it, and works great in certain circumstances. If you’re cooking several briskets you can pull them off a couple hours early and throw them in a cooler. They will continue to cook under their own heat. Granted, it’s similar to foil in that it hold in the steam, but it can really help the connecting tissues break down and make for very tender brisket. Really good if you’re breaking it down into chopped brisket anyway.
I just ordered a big roll of butcher paper for this exact reason. Haven’t had an event lately that merits getting up at 3am to throw a brisket on the smoker, but when I do, I’ll be ready!
I split it to cook the flat & point separately. That also helps get bark on all surfaces of any burnt ends. It also lets me cook the thicker piece longer.
I do end up keeping them (wrapped in butcher paper & then towels or moving blankets) in coolers. Helps to mitigate any cook time irregularities.
But I never chop brisket - nice slices. If someone wants chopped brisket they have to do it themselves. I usually see people who don’t change their slicing to adjust to the change in grain from the flat to the point when they do both pieces together. That usually hacks it up.
I’m having GF withdrawal though. At a client conf in the San Fran area this week and then off to WV to do the brisket (and a dozen racks of baby backs for nibbles) for a motorcycle rally. I won’t be lasering for a week I feel like @marmak3261 in Mexico.
That’s my preference as well, but sometimes when you’re cooking for a group you have to give them what they want, even when you’re pretty sure they’re wrong
We would do a fundraiser for a friends step-daughters softball team once a year where we would do 15-20 briskets (large pit trailer) and then serve as chopped. From a profitability perspective, it was the way to go. From a labor perspective - that’s a lotta dang chopping!
But people like condiments so I serve sauce on the side.
[quote=“jamesdhatch, post:41, topic:7695”]
I feel like 