logan_mitchell•10h agoProlific Poster

Had a conversation with my uncle about brisket stall temps and it messed with my head

I've been doing brisket for about 7 years now, always wrapped in butcher paper at 165 degrees like clockwork. My uncle came over last weekend while I was smoking a 14 pounder and said I was overthinking it. He told me to just let it ride without wrapping until the fat cap rendered down soft, usually around 195 internal. I thought he was crazy because that goes against everything I read online. But he's been cooking on an old offset smoker for 40 years and his bark is always perfect. So I tried it his way on a batch last Saturday and the fat rendered way better, kept more moisture. Has anyone else here ditched the wrap and seen better results?

3 comments

3 Comments

jakeb818h ago

Your uncle's method worked because he knows his specific setup, but that "shoe leather" result you got is exactly what I'd expect trying it on a different smoker. I've never had a dry brisket wrapping at 165 and I'll die on that hill lol.

nguyen.blake9h ago

My 2018 packer brisket came out like shoe leather when I tried the naked method on my Weber Smokey Mountain. I stuck with the standard 165 wrap in pink butcher paper for 8 hours then finished at 203, it was the best bark and moisture I ever got. The problem with no wrap is you lose too much moisture through the stall even if the fat renders better. I had a flat dry out on me at 185 because I waited too long for the fat cap to break down. Wrapping at 165 traps the steam and lets the collagen break down faster without drying out the meat. Your uncle might have a 40 year old offset that holds heat different than a new smoker so it worked for him but it's not gonna work for everyone.

claire_young766h ago

My buddy Steve tried the naked method on his Weber Kettle last summer with a Choice packer and it was a total disaster. He was so proud of that brisket going in at 6am but by 4pm the bark was like a rock and the flat was drier than cardboard. @jakeb81 is right that different smokers behave totally different, Steve's Kettle just couldn't hold steady humidity like your WSM does. He ended up tossing half the flat and using the point for chili just to salvage something. We all gave him a hard time about it at the cookout but honestly the chili was incredible. I think his problem was he trusted some YouTube guy who cooked on a ceramic kamado and didn't account for his own setup's quirks.