Foiling a brisket....


 
H

Henry Joe Peterson

TVWBB Super Fan
I'm going to come clean here and admit to doing the unthinkable. I'm going to break down and use the ol' "Texas Crutch." I'm going to try foiling my next brisket.

Why?

Well, we're having a potluck at the office Friday and all I can seem to get my hands on is Select grade briskets. They tend to be tougher and take longer to cook and have a higher risk of drying out.

Plus, I just want to try something different for use when I compete.

SOOOO..... Who here foils their brisket? At what point do you start? And for how long?

Any and all tips are mucha appreciated.. including "DON't DO IT YOUR TRAITOR!!!" /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

Thanks gang!
 
I'd rather use an ol "Texas Crutch" and have it come out nice and moist than be a cowboy and have it come out as dry as an ol "Texas wheelchair". Take that Jason !

Just kidding, of course. I hope, and suspect, Jason has a good sense of humor.

I suppose I'm just not a good enough cook to master brisket without foil. The truth is I'm no expert with foil and will defer to others to direct you on this method.

Good luck.

Paul
 
HJP
Once the brisket hits 160 to 170? internal you can place in the foil. Add some apple juice to package before closing. Cook until it hits aprox 190? internal. Pull it off the cooker, I put one more layer of foil on and place in dry cooler, cambro or a styrofoam box and let it set for a few hours. It continues tenderize during this last set.
Jim
 
Hey, I use foil all the time. In fact, I've gotten to the point where I foil my biskets when they hit about 170 internal and leave them on the smoker until they hit the magic 200 degrees. I've found that the meat is moister when I use the foil. With the foil I can take the temp higher and get the meat falling apart more without losing moisture. Don't be ashamed of using whatever trick gets the job done.
 
Best brisket I ever did was select. I've used choice here lately (about 4 of them) and I don't notice one bit of a difference. Perhaps I'm not good enough right now to notice the difference. I'm probably going to use foil this weekend. I've done it before where I cook the brisket to 175 or so, slice it up and put it in a foil covered pan in the oven for the rest of the way. I've never had one turn out bad doing it this way. Whatever floats your boat, do it. Whatever tastes best to you is how you should cook your food.
 
Henry-

Select packer cut briskets from Cash and Carry are pretty much all I do in the WSM (12-15 lbs.). I cook to 190 or so and they always seem to come out great without foiling. But, there are times I foil them and put them in a cooler for 2 hours or so when they finish early, to hold until dinner. Don't notice much of a difference one way or the other.

Clark
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Clark Stone:
[qb] Henry-

Select packer cut briskets from Cash and Carry are pretty much all I do in the WSM (12-15 lbs.). [/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Yeah. Mine come from Smart and Final. For some reason Choice grade they just don't carry to often around here.
 
I did one this past weekend the way Jim Minion advises above. I took out of smoker at 170 degrees added apple juice and a bit of bourbon and foiled. After coming to 203 degrees I removed from oven, but only let it rest for about 20 minutes (it was 8:30 and we were hungry). It wasn't tough, but it sure wasn't falling apart either. It did taste good though. My recommendation is give yourself enough time to let it rest awhile after it comes out of the oven.
 
hehe- somehow "brisket" and "choice" or "prime" seems like an oxymoron to me. Geez, didn't they used to throw that cut away, or grind it up? Course, I also can't bring my self to pay $3+ per pound for it.
 
HJP,
Foiling makes a big difference. I foil about 175 and stop at 195 to 200. Depends on what the south side of the point tells me when I stick it with my big fork.

Mr. Minion gives excellent advice as usual. Double wrap in HD foil, heavy towel and place in a cooler. Keep in there covered for a min of at least 2 hours. Longer is better. This will make a difference.
 
Is it possible to decrease the cooking time by foiling the brisket when you start cooking..then removed the foil at some point towards the end of the cook in order to obtain the smoke flavor...
 
Bill--
I have not done this so cannot speak from the position of one who has but here's what I think you'd be up against: While it is likely that the rise in internal temp would happen more quickly, when the internal reached the stage where the collagen/fat breakdown occured you'd be stewing your meat in that along with the meat's juices; no chance of bark formation there, even after you removed the foil. Also, if this had occurred before you removed the foil, it is unlikely you'd get much, if any of a smokering nor much smoke penetration at all. If you were to remove the foil earlier that might help with the bark but so much of bark comes from the interplay of rub ingredients, migrating moisture in the meat, and exposure to heat and its evaporative quality. Smoke penetration, though not dependent on the rub, requires a similar interplay and, of course, the addition of some smoke.
 
Bill
If you need to rush a brisket smoke first then foil, I would wait till you get to at least 165 to 170 internal. Bark will be weak, you will have smoke flavor but chances arfe the texture will more like pot roast than what many folk consider good texture for brisket.

If you foil first you will have no smokering and the meat color will be gray in most cases.
As Kevin said the the bark will be in trouble because it is formed by the interaction of heat, smoke, spicies and juices, by foiling the rub will not cook as designed.
Jim
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jim Minion:
HJP<br />Once the brisket hits 160 to 170? internal you can place in the foil. Add some apple juice to package before closing. Cook until it hits aprox 190? internal. Pull it off the cooker, I put one more layer of foil on and place in dry cooler, cambro or a styrofoam box and let it set for a few hours. It continues tenderize during this last set.<br />Jim <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Jim:
Does this mean that you don't remove the apple juice prior to placing the brisket in the cooler?
I've wanted to do a brisket for a long time now and you guys have me itching to try it this weekend.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jim Minion:
Bill I don't foil till 190 internal and don't add juice personely.
Jim <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks Jim; just one more question. If you don't foil till 190, I'm assuming that this is when you're taking the brisket out of the smoker and placing it in the cooler. So you never have the brisket in the foil while it's in the smoker.
 
I started three pork shoulders at 10 AM yesterday, and put on a brisket at 2 PM.....at 10 PM the pork was ready to come off and the brisket needed more time, was only 160...cooking at 225.....there is still snow on the ground here and as it was mild my trail to my WSM was getting icy...I stumbled bringing in the tray of shoulders and almost lost them but luckily I didn't.
After letting the shoulders rest awhile my son and I pulled them producing alot of meat for out upcoming party.
Around midnight I was getting sleepy and decided to check on the brisket...it was around 178 and I decided I was too tired to keep making trips outside, I wrapped it in foil, put it in the oven and set the timer for 60 minutes, I fell asleep and awoke and checked the temps...still 10 less than what I like..it's now after 1 AM and finally around 2 AM it is at 200...I wrap it in more foil...put it in the cooler wrapped in newspaper and towels..
I awake at 6 AM and slice it up for storage...it is so tender and tasty....brisket and coffee by the way don't complement each other..sort of too early to crack open a beer....
icon_wink.gif
 
Bill that is correct, I'm looking for certain texture and this gives the opportunity to achieve it.
Jim
 
I've started doing the same thing. I pull and foil at 190 at rest it for at least 2 hours and as many as 4 if I time permits (and I can resist). I found I like the texture and it's nice and moist. When I used to cook unfoiled to 200-205 I found it too dry, and foiling early ruined the texture of the bark and meat IMHO.
 
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