Question on my latest brisket cook

Thorasta

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Hey folks,

I recently did two briskets at the same time. both started around 13.5 lbs, but interestingly one I needed to trim about 4lbs off, the second I only needed to trim 1.

I paid more attention to the bigger one, it came out better, perfectly cooked on the inside, juicy and taaasty. But one problem. The bark was there but completely greasy and not dry.

Big brisket:
prepped with salt and pepper only
Started at noon, 225 degrees. (my previous 16 pound brisket took 20 hours to cook, so I ended up starting this one too early as a result)
19:20 (7:20pm) changed temp to 275 degrees.
23:30 pm wrapped -- ADDED TALLOW to meat side of paper to increase juiciness.
03:30 done cooking - set it out to rest.
04:30 180 degrees, put it in a cooler on top of the small brisket (which was finished 75 minutes earlier).
I left it wrapped.
13:30 it was at 110 degrees, I put it in an oven set to 175 to warm it back up.
15:00 it was at 135ish degrees, turned oven off, served 30 minutes later.

Small brisket:
Similar to big, but started cook at 16:00 and finished by 02:15.

Unwrapped, sliced, served. Everyone thought it was the most amazing meat they'd ever had, meanwhile I was stuck on wanting a damn bark.

By time it was served, what used to be the bark was still there, but it wasn't dry anywhere - it was basically pure greasy (the entire thing felt like a rendered fat layer). This is my second brisket cook, the tenderness and flavor were out of this world -- but next time I also want a great bark.

Some mix of adding tallow, wrapping, and leaving it wrapped for a long time ruined or 'rehydrated with grease' the bark. How do I make it better next time?

thx.
Thor.

P.S. rendering the trimmings in to tallow was easy and ended up clear when liquid and near white once solid. If anything I had the heat too low so it took 12 hours, next time I'll be a bit more aggressive about it. Now I have a bunch of tallow hockey pucks (from muffin pan) in the freezer.
 
Some mix of adding tallow, wrapping, and leaving it wrapped for a long time ruined or 'rehydrated with grease' the bark. How do I make it better next time?

Don't do that
 
What was the bark like before you reheated?
 
If you want a 'crispy' bark, you won't want to wrap. The process of wrapping will soften the bark.

Wrapping too long... now I wrapped one of my corned beefs I cook like brisket, and that bark was hard as a rock, but wrap was only from about 185 - 200
 
Wrapping too long... now I wrapped one of my corned beefs I cook like brisket, and that bark was hard as a rock, but wrap was only from about 185 - 200
I find even if it's the bark is hard at the end, it softens during the wrap and rest. I have yet to have a crisp hard bark after wrapping and resting. Especially now with adding tallow to the wrap
 
I think that's kinda the culprit
It was like that before I started adding any tallow. I got to the point I was draining the wrap prior to resting. Sometimes it seemed like it was braised in the juices.
Now I am re-wrapping the brisket before putting it in to rest, letting it come down to 180 and then in for the rest.
The bark is still always softened. It is still there, it just isn't hard or crispy
 
well then I guess you're right, just don't wrap
 
The last brisket I cooked was real greasy also and tasted like roast beef, wrapped at around 165f. I also did split pork butt no wrap it came out AMAZING.I’m beginning to think no wrap on everything might be the way to go.
 

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