Author Topic: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking  (Read 19734 times)

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Offline irishboy209

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To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
« Reply #-1 on: December 19, 2016, 02:55:12 PM »
The famous questions? To wrap or not to wrap? I am curious to get a poll going and see which method is more preferred over the community? We are only talking about being during cooking AKA Texas crutch not wrapping during resting.9

Offline TMB

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Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
« on: December 19, 2016, 03:27:12 PM »
I don't wrap shoulders or butts till they are ready for the food holder.  I love a good bark and SRG butts have great bark if cooked without wrapping
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Offline sparky

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Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
« Reply #1 on: December 19, 2016, 03:29:23 PM »
It depends on how much time I have and what type of product I'm trying to produce. 
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Offline TentHunteR

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Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
« Reply #2 on: December 19, 2016, 04:11:58 PM »
This is another of those things where there is no right or wrong.

I have done both shoulders and brisket both ways, and I prefer wrapping to catch all the juices, which I then mix back into the pulled pork. And wrapping lets it cruise right through the stall.

But... I wait to wrap until after the bark has had a good chance to develop, and since I use a brown sugar based rub and kick the heat up to about 300° when I foil, the bark continues to darken even while wrapped.

As far as the bark softening during the foil, the bark is going to soften a little bit anyway once you pull the pork and mix it in, so it's not a big deal to me.  Maybe the brown sugar rub makes a difference, all I know is I always seem to end up with plenty of bark and have never had a complaint.

Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!  ;)
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Offline sliding_billy

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Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
« Reply #3 on: December 19, 2016, 04:17:33 PM »
Sometimes...
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Offline RAD

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Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
« Reply #4 on: December 19, 2016, 06:31:39 PM »
Since there wasn't a sometimes i voted no wrap.
Love to cook and eat

Offline old sarge

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Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
« Reply #5 on: December 19, 2016, 06:38:08 PM »
I wrap after the meat is finished and is placed in a cooler to hold till serving time. So I voted no on wrapping during the cook.  No crutch.
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Offline hikerman

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Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
« Reply #6 on: December 19, 2016, 07:18:48 PM »
No wrapping here and no rapping here, either! :D
I like crispy bark on my butts and ribs.

Offline irishboy209

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Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
« Reply #7 on: December 19, 2016, 10:39:08 PM »
This is another of those things where there is no right or wrong.

I have done both shoulders and brisket both ways, and I prefer wrapping to catch all the juices, which I then mix back into the pulled pork. And wrapping lets it cruise right through the stall.

But... I wait to wrap until after the bark has had a good chance to develop, and since I use a brown sugar based rub and kick the heat up to about 300° when I foil, the bark continues to darken even while wrapped.

As far as the bark softening during the foil, the bark is going to soften a little bit anyway once you pull the pork and mix it in, so it's not a big deal to me.  Maybe the brown sugar rub makes a difference, all I know is I always seem to end up with plenty of bark and have never had a complaint.

Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!  ;)

Great post and point. Have you noticed a dryer product when not wrapping compared to wrapping? Less tender especially briskets

Offline tomcrete1

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Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
« Reply #8 on: December 20, 2016, 08:27:47 AM »
Since there wasn't a sometimes i voted no wrap.

me too!
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Offline Hub

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Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
« Reply #9 on: December 20, 2016, 12:14:00 PM »
With me this is very situational.  In competition, many recipes and approaches involve a wrapped phase as well as several other relatively tedious steps necessary to pursue perfection.  So, in competition I wrap.  When doing "friends and family" barbecue, however, I usually have to split my time among lots of stuff and diversions so I limit the complications.  I have simpler recipes and approaches that lower the maintenance factor -- not too likely to wrap then.  The groceries still come out just fine  ;D

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Offline TentHunteR

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Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
« Reply #10 on: December 20, 2016, 12:42:48 PM »
This is another of those things where there is no right or wrong...

Great post and point. Have you noticed a dryer product when not wrapping compared to wrapping? Less tender especially briskets

Yes, I think brisket, particularly the flat, tends to be a bit drier when not wrapping.  But again, I think the key is waiting to wrap until the bark has sufficiently developed.

I love wrapping briskets with some onion slices and just a little beer.  I do the same with chuck roasts too.

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Offline tomcrete1

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Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
« Reply #11 on: December 20, 2016, 01:47:08 PM »
This is another of those things where there is no right or wrong...

Great post and point. Have you noticed a dryer product when not wrapping compared to wrapping? Less tender especially briskets

Yes, I think brisket, particularly the flat, tends to be a bit drier when not wrapping.  But again, I think the key is waiting to wrap until the bark has sufficiently developed.

I love wrapping briskets with some onion slices and just a little beer.  I do the same with chuck roasts too.

Sounds Delicious!
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Offline muebe

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Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
« Reply #12 on: December 20, 2016, 02:35:47 PM »
Trisket... yes
Butts and shoulders... no
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