Let's Talk BBQ

General => General Discussion & Topics => Polls => Topic started by: irishboy209 on December 19, 2016, 02:55:12 PM

Title: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
Post by: irishboy209 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
Title: Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
Post by: TMB 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
Title: Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
Post by: sparky 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. 
Title: Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
Post by: TentHunteR 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!  ;)
Title: Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
Post by: sliding_billy on December 19, 2016, 04:17:33 PM
Sometimes...
Title: Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
Post by: RAD on December 19, 2016, 06:31:39 PM
Since there wasn't a sometimes i voted no wrap.
Title: Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
Post by: old sarge 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.
Title: Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
Post by: hikerman 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.
Title: Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
Post by: irishboy209 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
Title: Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
Post by: tomcrete1 on December 20, 2016, 08:27:47 AM
Since there wasn't a sometimes i voted no wrap.

me too!
Title: Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
Post by: Hub 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

Hub
Title: Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
Post by: TentHunteR 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.

Title: Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
Post by: tomcrete1 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!
Title: Re: To wrap or not wrap your meat during cooking
Post by: muebe on December 20, 2016, 02:35:47 PM
Trisket... yes
Butts and shoulders... no