Hey, folks—successfully smoked this yesterday and want to dial in technique.
What can I do to prevent the pasty bark areas that didn’t become or stay hardened?
Why did portions get crumbly upon slicing?
Flat was a little drier than I’d like—any pointers?
Here are the cook details:
7.2lb whole packer, pre-trimmed, fat down
Foil-wrapped, pecan wood, no water in drip pan
250 target temp, hovered at 246
Smoked for 5hrs, wrapped for 2.5, rest for 2.5
Pulled at around 212 point, 200 flat, buttery feel
Spider Grills Huntsman, Jealous Devil briquettes
by seantsd
2 Comments
Dry is always over or under cooked. Seeing as you got to 212 and was crumbly, I’d say overcooked. Even though your flat didn’t get as hot, I still suspect slightly overcooked.
Pasty bark is likely due to pooling. Make sure the meat doesn’t have little “cups” when you trim that will hold moisture.
Looks amazing though!
If you like firmer bark, wrap in butcher paper instead of foil, or skip wrapping entirely if you have time to ride out the stall. You can also put the brisket back on the heat for ~10 mins on each side after resting to dry out the bark prior to slicing.
You can get more consistency by separating the point and the flat prior to smoking and starting the flat about an hour earlier than the point. There’s no need to pull the whole packer when one muscle is done but the other still needs some time. Other benefits are a faster cook time and more surface area for bark!