Yoder Smokers Community Forum

Did a 7lb brisket this time wrapped in butcher paper. No more foil for me...I'll never go back. Did a low and slow - 240deg for about 4.5hrs, then wrapped it in white butcher paper I picked up at Sams Club.

Used a classic Texas Rub: Kosher salt and course ground black pepper.

Back on the pit for another 3 hours, then pulled it off. I did an internal temp test (poked the Thermapen through the butcher paper) and it hit 205deg - exactly where I wanted it. I then rested it for an hour in the oven on warm.

It was the best I've done so far....after slicing the meat it held it's slice shape perfectly but you could easily pull it apart with your fingers. The juice inside was incredible.

Here's a shot just before wrapping.




After the cook and resting.




I'll never again use foil. The butcher paper really does prevent the bark from turning to mush and has the interesting effect of preventing most, but not all, of the smoke from hitting the meat after the wrap. When I've used foil there's a lot of great juice...at the bottom of the foil and some in the meat. With the butcher paper, the meat was way more juicy. Nice!

I would slice little bits at a time for our Halloween party tonight, then just lay the paper over the meat until the next batch. Even after a full TWO hours, when I went to make new slices the meat was just as tender and finger pull apart as the first slice.

Looks awesome, my mouth is just watering thinking about great this brisket might taste. Thanks for sharing.

Which cut of brisket (new to this guys, being told to go for a tip cut?)?

Just recieved word that my ys640 was shipped on Thursday and will be here next week, can't wait.

Another question does the shipping transport carrier arrange for a delivery?

looks good Scott!!!

That's exactly how I cooked a brisket this past Monday on my YS1500. It was good and yours looks great as well.

pwrdave wrote:Looks awesome, my mouth is just watering thinking about great this brisket might taste. Thanks for sharing.

Which cut of brisket (new to this guys, being told to go for a tip cut?)?

Just recieved word that my ys640 was shipped on Thursday and will be here next week, can't wait.

Another question does the shipping transport carrier arrange for a delivery?

Hey pwrdave, the cut that I always smoke are flats. You mention tip cut but you might mean 'point'. Points are the thicker part of a full brisket (called a 'packer'). Getting a hold of a packer or point cut up here in West Michigan is actually somewhat difficult so I use flats. Points will tend to be more juicy because there's so much fat but most YouTube vids show guys smoking a flat or packer.

In my photos, the right side of the meat is about where the point cut of the brisket would start (the 'point' in the photo actually rides up on a section of the actual point....LOL.) Actually, here's a great video that shows this towards the end:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deIs5HL4OQs

I too just got the 640 almost 2 months ago and it's utterly fantastic. UPS Freight will contact you ahead of time to schedule the delivery and bring the pit on their lift to wherever you want it on the property, heh.

I'll add this as well - my local butcher shops and grocery stores get wildly inconsistent flat cuts while Sams are always very uniform. I'd much rather buy local, but brisket has only just started getting popular up in Michigan in the last 4 years or so and it's going to take some time for the locals to get their act together, lol.

Thanks for the response. Obvious flats work well, close to a SAMs and Cosco. Will check it out.

What part of the state do you live in? Have a clash of the clans friend located in Midland.

pwrdave wrote:Thanks for the response. Obvious flats work well, close to a SAMs and Cosco. Will check it out.

What part of the state do you live in? Have a clash of the clans friend located in Midland.

We're over in Holland. Near Lake Michigan.

Grab some of that butcher paper at Sams too!

Hmm, interesting! The butcher paper does intrigue me. Not sure of the science of things but always looking for ways to improve.

Yeah! Give it a try. I think you'll be really pleased. Going to do another brisket tomorrow - this time at a slightly higher temp of 250deg in order to really see if I can get the bark crispier!

Does the butcher paper have in wax on it?

No, if it has wax on one side it's called freezer paper. Do not use that to cook.

Great tips! Thank You.

Foil you can crimp closed, when wrapping with butcher paper are you just folding it over itself and then laying the brisket on the paper's ends or are you keeping the paper together some other way?

Wicked Chicken wrote:Foil you can crimp closed, when wrapping with butcher paper are you just folding it over itself and then laying the brisket on the paper's ends or are you keeping the paper together some other way?

You've got it. Just put the final fold on the bottom and the weight of the brisket keeps it closed.

I roll it at least once, then fold in the sides like a burrito, and let the weight of the meat seal the paper. If I want to try to capture some juice (which is hardly ever), I will roll it 2 or three times, then be much more careful about folding the ends in. I use 36" wide butcher paper, as it is easier to work with larger pieces of meat (briskets), but the 18" and 24" work just as well, you just have to be more careful and creative.

Ah, gotcha. Sounds like we're really just covering and not sealing like we do with foil. Thanks!

I switched over to butcher paper about 6 months ago with my stick burner. Not only does it provide a better bark, wrapping briskets at the stall is much quicker, the paper is just easier to handle. That was a huge deal for me when wrapping 15-20 briskets at a time. I was wondering if I would still use it with my Yoder, so thanks for the post. Not that I have seen or actually got to use my Yoder yet , but I am anxiously awaiting its arrival. This thing better be good.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess your not adding liquid like I do when I foil?

I've never seen the need to add liquid to a brisket. And the paper gets very soaked and soggy, but still holds in the moisture. It seems to allow the steam to escape, preventing the bark from getting mushy, but holds in the juices.

Craig

Wicked Chicken wrote:I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess your not adding liquid like I do when I foil?

Scott, may I ask where at Sam's Club do you find the butcher paper? I went there looking for it.
I asked two of the workers in the meat dept and they both looked stymied and didn't know what
I was talking about and didn't know where to find it. I left without it. Do you get it at the meat dept
or is it located somewhere else within the store. Thanks in advance.

PS: Your brisket looks yummy!

Our Sam's keeps it with the restaurant supply stuff like foil, cutting boards, pans, etc. Usually on that aisle somewhere.

I can't seem to find it at my Sams either.

Sam's Club only carries the 18" rolls, and are normally next to the restaurant pans, silverware, etc.

Thanks for all the replies. I will be going to Sam's looking for the butcher paper.