I always thought wrapping brisket in foil was cheating until a 3AM stall changed my mind

I was at my buddy's place in Waco last weekend for a backyard cook. My first brisket hit 160 and stayed there for almost 4 hours. He grabbed the foil and said 'trust me.' I was ready to fight him over it, but I was out of charcoal and tired. We wrapped it, bumped the heat to 275, and it was done in 2 more hours. That thing came out tender and juicy. I felt like I sold out, but the family ate it all. Has anyone else given in to the crutch and regretted or loved it?

2 comments

2 Comments

leo_mason3d ago

Isn't real life just learning that the shortcuts you swore you'd never take actually save the day?

the_abby3d ago

Foil is a tool, not a crutch. I switched to butcher paper a few years back and never went back to foil for brisket. Paper lets it breathe just enough to keep the bark from turning into mush, but still pushes through the stall. Texas crutch works either way, but paper gives you a better crust at the end.