# To wrap or not to wrap...



## ColoradoSmoker90 (Apr 29, 2021)

That is the question! 

Newb here, just really looking for opinions and how/why you enjoy or dislike wrapping. 

Excited to read over your thoughts.


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## kilo charlie (Apr 29, 2021)

Depends on  what you're smoking really. 

Me personally.. 
Brisket - never
Ribs - always
Pork shoulders - once in awhile to push through a stall if time is limited.

Wrapping softens the bark that your rub and the heat/smoke has created.


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## Hamdrew (Apr 29, 2021)

Why? Mostly to speed things up,  and push through temp stalls. Can usually throw something in the oven to save money on fuel, but if there's already coals lit..

Besides speeding it up through steam, you can crank up the temp with little to no downside. Bark might get a little soggy, but a few minutes unwrapped at the end will have it as good as it was before. Vinegar and/or a sugary spritz further help with that, too


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## NoCoPK360 (Apr 29, 2021)

I've tried it every way and I prefer to wrap. My offset runs at 275 plus easily and I'm also in Colorado. As you know it's pretty dry here so I think wrapping helps. I prefer butcher paper or the foil boat method and have had pretty good success.


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## chef jimmyj (Apr 29, 2021)

kilo charlie said:


> Depends on  what you're smoking really.
> 
> Me personally..
> Brisket - never
> ...



EXACTLY my reasons to Wrap. That and my Family prefers the result Wrapping gives Ribs to smoking Necked...JJ


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## Hamdrew (Apr 29, 2021)

chef jimmyj said:


> EXACTLY my reasons to Wrap. That and my Family prefers the result Wrapping gives Ribs to smoking Necked...JJ


Same here. I'll get excited about a rib cook I'd feel confident entering into a competition-







While the people actually enjoying them are dreaming about something like=







I think I'm with them, honestly. I certainly like a little more FOTB than "competition ribs"; just because it's easier doesn't mean it's any worse!


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## Fueling Around (Apr 29, 2021)

It is really a personal taste.  

I consider it "boil in the foil" to wrap ribs. Thus the need to unwrap and cook for another hour or so to steam off the liquid and crisp up a soggy bark.
I don't use sugar to spice so no caramelized bark that many desire in their ribs.

I usually finish my butt in a covered pan in in the oven.  The drippings are gold to mix into a pull.

I hope this is obvious, but do not wrap anything you are smoking versus cooking


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## SmokinEdge (Apr 29, 2021)

Welcome from Colorado!
That said, up here it is better to wrap, almost always. The general altitude here makes the air very dry. Sometimes in the 10-15% RH range. The meat dries faster up here. So wrapping makes sense.


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## smokerjim (Apr 30, 2021)

I personally dont wrap anything, I just put it in the smoker and let it roll Rotating the meat now and then.


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## SmokingUPnorth (Apr 30, 2021)

Don’t wrap unless it’s a butt and I’m trying to speed it up through the stall!


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## Cabo (Apr 30, 2021)

I never wrap, but I do use a water pan in my propane smoker.


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## sandyut (Apr 30, 2021)

smokerjim said:


> I personally dont wrap anything, I just put it in the smoker and let it roll


That is my stance as well.  The only rare exception is if my timeline is blown and I need it to hurry up.  Beside that - no wrapping here.


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## texomakid (Apr 30, 2021)

Only if I'm crunched for time. Let the smoker do its magic.

If 50 people reply to this thread I'd bet you'll get 50 variations 
It's why I love this place and none of the opinions will be wrong.


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## ColoradoSmoker90 (May 1, 2021)

NoCoPK360 said:


> I've tried it every way and I prefer to wrap. My offset runs at 275 plus easily and I'm also in Colorado. As you know it's pretty dry here so I think wrapping helps. I prefer butcher paper or the foil boat method and have had pretty good success.


A fellow Coloradoan! What part? I'm in the Springs. I have faced the many difficulties of high-altitude cooking, quite the learning curve for some foods lol


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## ColoradoSmoker90 (May 1, 2021)

chef jimmyj said:


> EXACTLY my reasons to Wrap. That and my Family prefers the result Wrapping gives Ribs to smoking Necked...JJ


That's what I'm excited to learn - what my family and I all love/prefer. I do prefer fall off the bone type ribs myself. Here in Colorado Springs, we have little to NO bbq joints besides chain restaurants.  Makes my heart sad


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## ColoradoSmoker90 (May 1, 2021)

Hamdrew said:


> Same here. I'll get excited about a rib cook I'd feel confident entering into a competition-
> View attachment 494535
> 
> 
> ...


I'm fall off the bone myself. Nice food pics you've got there!


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## ColoradoSmoker90 (May 1, 2021)

Fueling Around said:


> It is really a personal taste.
> 
> I consider it "boil in the foil" to wrap ribs. Thus the need to unwrap and cook for another hour or so to steam off the liquid and crisp up a soggy bark.
> I don't use sugar to spice so no caramelized bark that many desire in their ribs.
> ...


I do appreciate the advice, in your last line. I am literally new at smoking so any obvious tips and advice are welcome!


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## ColoradoSmoker90 (May 1, 2021)

SmokinEdge said:


> Welcome from Colorado!
> That said, up here it is better to wrap, almost always. The general altitude here makes the air very dry. Sometimes in the 10-15% RH range. The meat dries faster up here. So wrapping makes sense.


This is cool, two fellow Coloradoans! I'm in the Springs myself.


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## ColoradoSmoker90 (May 1, 2021)

texomakid said:


> Only if I'm crunched for time. Let the smoker do its magic.
> 
> If 50 people reply to this thread I'd bet you'll get 50 variations
> It's why I love this place and none of the opinions will be wrong.


I do love this place so far, so much valuable advice! I don't mind the variations at all haha!


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## NoCoPK360 (May 1, 2021)

ColoradoSmoker90 said:


> That's what I'm excited to learn - what my family and I all love/prefer. I do prefer fall off the bone type ribs myself. Here in Colorado Springs, we have little to NO bbq joints besides chain restaurants.  Makes my heart sad



I'm north in Weld County. I was told the Rudy's in Colorado Springs was their busiest location in the country. There was one in Greeley for a few years but it closed down not too long ago. Rudy's isn't bad but authentic BBQ joints seem to struggle here.


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## noboundaries (May 1, 2021)

No wrap: ribs (beef or pork), butts, meat loaf, and poultry (whole or parted). Why? PITB.

Wrap: chuckies, packer briskets, and pork loins. Why? Better end result and recipe versatilty. 

Sometimes wrap, most times not: tri tips. Tri tip is the pork butt of beef because it is so forgiving and mimics other cuts from steak to beef roasts to brisket flats as you smoke to a higher internal temp.


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## whistlepig (May 1, 2021)

Brisket, chuck roasts, and pork butts get wrapped. Not ribs or anything else.


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## Fueling Around (May 1, 2021)

Fueling Around said:


> ...
> I hope this is obvious, but do not wrap anything you are smoking versus cooking





ColoradoSmoker90 said:


> I do appreciate the advice, in your last line. I am literally new at smoking so any obvious tips and advice are welcome!


Smoke into meat  supposedly stops around the 150° mark.  Don't wrap too early or it defeats the smoke flavor.
I frequently smoke mac-n-cheese.  The slurry is very very warm fresh out of the pan.  Dump in a foil pan and in the smoker to get get a good flavor.  I stir the foil pan 2-3 times for an hour or so.


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## whistlepig (May 1, 2021)

Fueling Around said:


> Smoke into meat  supposedly stops around the 150° mark.  Don't wrap too early or it defeats the smoke flavor.
> I frequently smoke mac-n-cheese.  The slurry is very very warm fresh out of the pan.  Dump in a foil pan and in the smoker to get get a good flavor.  I stir the foil pan 2-3 times for an hour or so.


Correct. Wrapping the meat pertains to the texture. Not the smoke flavor.


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## noboundaries (May 1, 2021)

Fueling Around said:


> Smoke into meat supposedly stops around the 150° mark. *That's a myth that persists like an old wive's tale. *
> 
> Don't wrap too early or it defeats the smoke flavor.  *Absolutely factual.*



See my comments in the quote.


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## sandyut (May 2, 2021)

RE: comments about how dry/humid.  I am in Utah and its dry here too.  Doesnt change much.  I used a water bowl with and without water in my WSM and there was not change in the meat product at all.


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## GaryHibbert (May 2, 2021)

I wrap anything requiring a long cook.  We prefer soft bark to hard, and my pork rub has a lot of brown sugar in it that burns fairly easily.
Everything else gets cooked nekid.
Gary


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## retfr8flyr (May 2, 2021)

A lot of wrapping choices depend on what you are using to cook with. Personally I don't wrap anything on my Big Joe. I much prefer the flavor and bark from cooking unwrapped. I do wrap some things on my Timberline, due to the pellet grills tendency to dry meat a little more than I like. When using a stick burner, gas, or Weber style charcoal grill, then I would wrap meats on the long cooks. Kamado type grills retain so much moisture during a cook that I never have any fear of something coming out dry.


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## SmokinEdge (May 2, 2021)

Fueling Around said:


> Smoke into meat supposedly stops around the 150° mark. Don't wrap too early or it defeats the smoke flavor.


The way I see this is around the 150-160 mark the meat starts to sweat or stall because of evaporation. At around 150 the myoglobin changes color to grey, this is irreversible. So the pink ring penetration stops at around 150-160* but I agree, the smoke flavor continues to build.


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## Displaced Texan (Jun 25, 2022)

There was a mention of using a "foil boat" method for brisket. Is anyone doing this? I have seen some videos from this guy from "Chuds BBQ" that I stumbled upon. His brisket looks great, and he uses that method in an offset smoker. 

I have been doing the butcher paper wrap but am open to new ideas. This is totally going against the over thinking I have been trying to avoid lol. I wasn't looking for any new wrapping method, I just saw a YouTube video linked on a Facebook group and watched it. 

Like Michael Corleone, they pulled me back in!


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## cal1956 (Jun 25, 2022)

i  live at an  elavation of 6,700 feet and never wrap anything .it just comes down to what you like


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## sandyut (Jun 25, 2022)

cal1956 said:


> i  live at an  elavation of 6,700 feet and never wrap anything .it just comes down to what you like


Same - I never wrap anything


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## Displaced Texan (Jun 25, 2022)

I have been finishing my briskets overnight in the oven. I guess with a water pan in there, not wrapping would be fine, but it does really hold in a lot of the juices.


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