Loose or tight wrap on a brisket?

[kawboy]

Yesterday I smoked my second brisket. Flavor was excellent, but not as tender as I'd hoped. At about 170 degrees I put the halves in aluminum pans and covered in aluminum foil. If I wrapped then tighter, would that make a difference? I pulled them at 205, I didn't probe them because of the foil. Wonder also if running a little longer would have helped. All in all, a tasty meal anyway.

 

[chef jimmyj]

If the Pans were sealed that would be similar to foil wrapped directly. There is a window between, Tough-Tender-Falling Apart. The Tender part can come anywhere between 190 and 210 it just depends on how hot the smoker is and how long it took to get there. This is where testing with the Probe comes in. At an IT of 190 I start testing and recheck every 5° or 30 minutes. IT is a good indicator but Probe Tender lets me know when it's done...JJ

 

[SmokinAl]

I agree with JJ. I've had them done at 195 & other times it's been 210-215, before they were probe tender. The bottom line is if they are not tender, they haven't been cooked long enough.

Al