The foil boat method for brisket actually saved my cook

I been doing brisket for about 3 years now and always hit a stall that dried out the flat no matter what I did. Saw some guy on YouTube talking about foil boats instead of wrapping tight and figured why not try it on my last cook. Set my smoker at 250 and after 6 hours the internal temp was stuck at 165 so I put it in a foil boat with the fat cap up. The bark stayed way crispier than wrapping in butcher paper and the flat came out juicy which never happens for me. Used a $25 offset smoker from a garage sale so it's not like I got fancy gear either. Anyone else tried this and had the fat render better on the point side?

2 comments

2 Comments

julia54912d ago

Well, did you try trimming the fat cap down a bit more than usual before the cook? I had a similar issue with the point not rendering right until I started leaving a thinner fat layer, maybe a quarter inch, and it made a world of difference. On my last brisket, I used the foil boat after the stall and the fat on the point just melted away instead of staying rubbery like it sometimes does. I also started spritzing with apple cider vinegar every hour during the first part of the cook, which seemed to help keep the bark from getting too hard before the boat went on. It is funny how such a simple change can fix a problem you have been fighting for years.

faith_thomas13d ago

That line about the bark staying crispier caught my eye. A buddy of mine tried the foil boat method on a pork shoulder and said the same thing about the fat rendering way better than his usual wrap.