What to Rub on My Beef Brisket Before Smoking

We all know the importance of wrapping brisket during the long smoking process. Wrapping stops the meat from drying out and speeds up the cooking when the temperature stalls. So when should wrap brisket? What is the ideal internal meat temperature? I did some research and found out what temperature competition pitmasters wrap their brisket.

So what temperature do we wrap brisket? We should wrap brisket when the internal temperature reaches 150°F (65.5°C). Brisket usually hits the stall around 150°F, and the internal temperature of the meat will increase minimally. Wrapping the brisket will speed up the cooking and push the brisket through the stall and move up towards 203° – 203°F.

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Wrapping Brisket at 150°F

The minimum internal temperature to wrap brisket is 150°F (65.5°C). Once the brisket hits 150°F, the temperature will stall as the meat 'sweats'. When you wrap the brisket in foil or butcher paper, the brisket will power through the stall and the temperature will slowly rise towards 203°F. Make sure to double wrap the brisket in heavy duty foil so all the heat and steam are contained.

Wrapping Brisket at 170°F

You can wrap the brisket anywhere between 150°F and 170°F. Your brisket may not stall until it reaches a 170°F internal temperature. If the internal temperature keeps rising, smoke the brisket unwrapped until it stalls. This usually occurs at 150°F. The brisket should have taken on enough smoke at this stage and should be a reddish color.

Wrapping Brisket Too Early

You don't want to wrap the brisket too early, otherwise it won't take on enough smoke and you won't get a decent bark. Depending on the size of the brisket, normally you would smoke the brisket for about 8-10 hours before wrapping. It will usually take this long to reach the 150°F – 170°F range. If you wrap the brisket too early, you won't get that nice, crunchy bark. Wrapping will soften the bark, so one tip is to put the brisket back in the smoker unwrapped before slicing.

Wrapping Brisket Too Late

There are pros and cons when it comes to wrapping brisket. If you wrap the brisket too late, then it's going to take longer to cook and it may take on too much smoke. Wrapping will help the brisket push through the stall, therefore, take longer to reach the 203°F internal temperature. The meat will take on more smoke, can be good or bad depending on the type of smoke your smoker is producing. If it's a nice clean smoke, then the extra smoke time will make your brisket taste smokier. However, if you expose the brisket to a dirty smoke for too long, then you brisket will taste bitter. One positive for delaying the wrapping is it will give your brisket more time to develop a bark. Once the foil or butcher paper goes on, the bark will soften.

Does Wrapping Brisket in Foil Cook it Faster?

Wrapping brisket is foil is a good way to accelerate the cooking because it will trap the moisture inside the parcel and create a steaming or braising effect. As the meat 'sweats', the moisture will cool the meat, causing the internal temperature to stall. Wrapping will hold all the heat inside the tight parcel and keep the temperature moving upwards. To ensure the meat has enough liquid, mop, baste or spritz the meat before you wrap it up.

Do You Wrap Brisket During the Stall?

It's best to wrap a brisket just before it hits the stall, which is anywhere between 150°F and 170°F. You will notice the internal temperature will stop climbing and stagnate. Once the temperature has stalled, then wrap the brisket in foil or butcher paper. If you don't, the meat will continue to cool as it sweats and will take forever to reach the 200°F range.

Does Wrapping Brisket Ruin Bark?

Unfortunately, wrapping the brisket will soften the bark because a lot of moisture gets trapped inside the parcel. Make sure you have developed a nice crust before wrapping and you can always put the meat back in the smoker or the oven to crisp up a little just before slicing. If you have created a good bark in the first stage of the cook, then it should survive the wrapping phase. After the brisket has rested, remove the foil and place it in the oven until the bark hardens. The other option is to put the brisket back in the smoker or lay it on the flames for a short while until you are satisfied with the bark formation.

Should Brisket Rest Covered or Uncovered?

You should always rest the brisket in its wrapping. The meat will continue to cook in the carryover time, so keeping it wrapped in this phase is important. The wrapping will also keep the juices contained, so you don't lose your delicious sauce. The brisket will reabsorb much of its juices during the resting period. The best way to rest a brisket is to keep it in the foil, then wrap a towel around the parcel, then place it in a dry cooler. You should rest the meat for a couple of hours at least. It will still be hot even if it's rested for 4 hours.

Foil vs Butcher Paper

Foil is the most common way of wrapping brisket, but the popularity of butcher paper has taken off in recent times thanks to brisket guru Aaron Franklin. Butcher paper is a specific kind of paper that works really well for brisket. What you choose to wrap your brisket is a personal preference, and the only way to know which you prefer is to experiment. You will notice the difference in the texture of the bark, but there is no right answer as to which is better. You can buy the butcher paper on Amazon by clicking here.

So What's The Best Butcher Paper?

Butcher Paper	Length	Width	Popularity	Price	Shop
Bryco Goods	175 Ft	18"	19.5 k+ Plus Reviews (Amazon Bestseller)	$16	Amazon
Bryco Goods	175 Ft	24"	7k plus Amazon reviews	$22	Amazon
Meat Hugger	175 Ft	17.25"	11.5k plus Amazon reviews	$20	Amazon
Reynolds	225 sq. Ft	20"	4.6k plus Amazon reviews	$30	Amazon
ABCO	1000ft	24"	Used at Franklin's and Kreuz	Check	ABCO Paper
DIY Crew	200ft	24"	2k plus Amazon reviews	$25	Amazon
Reli	350 ft	18"	200 plus Amazon reviews	Check	Amazon
Tenderlicious	175ft	24"	8k plus Amazon reviews	$25	Amazon
Traeger	150ft	18"		$45	Traeger
Pit Boss		18.3"		$36	Amazon
YRYM	175 ft	18"	1300 plus Amazon reviews (Amazon Choice)	$15	Amazon

Butcher Paper Comparison

What Makes Brisket Dry? Here's Five Reasons

There's nothing worse than dry, tough brisket. Here are 5 thing you can do:

1. Wrapping brisket is one of the most important steps in the smoking process. Not only does wrapping help the brisket push through the stall and cook faster, it also helps the meat retain moisture.
2. Temperature Control. Keeping the temperature of your smoker under control is one of the most important skills to master (if you are using a charcoal smoker). Brisket needs to be cooked low-and-slow over a long period, and if it isn't, all the moisture will escape and your brisket will become dry.
3. Resting. If you don't allow your brisket to rest for at least 1-hour (longer is preferred), then your brisket will turn out dry. The resting time will allow the meat to reabsorb the juices as it continues to cook. You can rest a brisket for up to 4-hours. If you must slice the brisket after 1-hour, retain as much of the juice as possible and pour it over the brisket slices.
4. Brining. Another way to ensure your brisket doesn't dry out is to dry brine the meat the day before. This is a simple technique where all you need to do is rub salt over the brisket, wrap it in plastic and leave it in the fridge. The salt will penetrate the meat flesh, and during the cook, the salt will help the meat reabsorb moisture.
5. Injecting. Injecting marinade, bone broth or other liquid into the brisket is another way of insuring that the brisket doesn't dry out. If you don't have a meat injector,they are inexpensive and simple to use. Check out the Beast Injector.

The Best Dry Rubs For Brisket

Dry Rub	MSG	Size	Description	Ingredients	Price	Where To Buy
Killer Hogs	Yes	12 Oz	Championship winning rub made by Malcolm Reed, the guy with the number 1 barbecue YouTube channel 'How To BBQ Right'.	Brown sugar, sugar, paprika, salt, spices, dehydrated garlic, oleoresin paprika, dehydrated orange peel, natural flavor, and less than 2% tricalcium phosphate added to prevent caking	$20	Amazon
Slap Yo Daddy All Purpose Rub	No	12 Oz	Multiple barbecue world champion Harry Soo now shares his competition-winning secrets with his line of barbecue rubs.	Sea salt, cane sugar, garlic, chili powder, paprika, cumin, chipotle powder, black pepper, rosemary, cayenne pepper, rice concentrate, spices, parsley flakes, natural flavors	$20	Amazon
Meat Church	No	14 Oz	Well respected name in barbecue. Southwestern style rub. Versatile, works on beef, chicken, pork and seafood. Adds great color to your meat.	Sugar, salt, spices including paprika, dextrose, dehydrated garlic, celery, silicone dioxide & spice extractives. Gluten free. No MSG.	$15	Amazon
Butcher BBQ	No	16 Oz	Works on great on beef, pork, chicken, wild game, and vegetables. Championship winning formula made by David Bouska, World BBQ Champion and featured on TV show Barbecue Pitmasters.	Sugar, salt, garlic, onion, spices, lemon powder, corn syrup solids, natural flavors and BHA as an antioxidant	$20	Amazon
Kosmos Killer Bee Honey Rub		13 Oz	Award winning rub. Sweet, savory rub. Works well on brisket, chicken and pork.	Sugar, Salt, Honey Powder (Refined Syrup, Honey), Spices Including Paprika, Dextrose, Dehydrated Garlic, Celery, No Greater Than 2% Silicon Dioxide To Prevent Caking, And Extractive of Paprika	$16	Amazon
Killer Hogs Texas Brisket Rub	Yes	16 oz	Award-winning Championship brisket rub made by barbecue guru Malcolm Reed.	Salt, spices, dehydrated garlic, dehydrated onion, dehydrated parsley, refined soybean oil, and less than 2% calcium silicate added to prevent caking	$20	Amazon
McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning	No	29 oz	Made with all natural herbs and spices. Very popular seasoning from a well-known brand.	Garlic, extractives of paprika, and coarsely ground pepper.	$20	Amazon

Dry Rub Comparison

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Source: https://meatsmokinghq.com/wrap-brisket-at-what-temp/

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