The practice of encasing a beef brisket during the smoking process is a common technique employed by barbecue enthusiasts. The point at which this wrapping occurs is often determined by the internal temperature of the meat. This decision significantly influences the final product’s moisture content and overall tenderness. The temperature reading serves as an indicator of the brisket’s progress through the cooking process, suggesting when the wrapping will be most beneficial.
Wrapping the brisket at a specific temperature offers several advantages. It helps to mitigate the “stall,” a period where the brisket’s internal temperature plateaus due to evaporative cooling. Furthermore, wrapping aids in retaining moisture, resulting in a more succulent final product. Historically, various methods have been utilized to achieve similar effects, but temperature-based wrapping has become a widely adopted and relatively precise approach.