# First Brisket, to foil or not to foil...



## Jer_ry (Jul 25, 2009)

I am making my first brisket tomorrow night going to set it going around 12 midnight and check on it at 7am. Since it will be going for 7hrs unattended would it be safer to have it in foil? One of my friends claims no foil over night for sure. Also he won;t give me a single tip on seasoning because he thinks he is going to patent his brisket or something someday.


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## Too Tall (May 21, 2004)

Personally I don't use foil. That said if you put foil on it when you put it on the fire how is it going to get any smoke. Most of the folks I know that do foil wrap the brisket when the internal temps get in the 150-160 degree range. Its had all the smoke it needs by that point. 
For seasoning I like to put a light coat of mustard on the brisket and then rub on the seasoning (heavy coating). Fiesta Brisket Rub is a good one to use if you don't already have a rub in mind. 
Brisket cooking is kind of a Chevy Ford thing. Everybody likes to do it a little differently so with the following posts that come pick one you like and go with it. Good Luck.


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## Gilbert (May 25, 2004)

Jer_ry said:


> I am making my first brisket tomorrow night going to set it going around 12 midnight and check on it at 7am. Since it will be going for 7hrs unattended would it be safer to have it in foil? One of my friends claims no foil over night for sure. Also he won;t give me a single tip on seasoning because he thinks he is going to patent his brisket or something someday.


how are you going to maintain the temp for 7 hours unattended?

don't wrap it and get some Sweet Moms BBQ Rub. Coat it good. Stuff taste great.

http://www.sweetmomsbbq.com/


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## awshannon (May 20, 2007)

If you r going to leave it unattended for that long, wrap it up. Best thing to do is cook it at least 3hours first then wrap it


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## jdot7749 (Dec 1, 2008)

If you cook it wrapped you might as well cook it in the oven. The only cooker I know of that will cook at brisket temperature for 7 hrs besides an oven is a Weber Bullet.

Good luck though, jdot


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## drfishalot (Sep 9, 2004)

jdot7749 said:


> If you cook it wrapped you might as well cook it in the oven. The only cooker I know of that will cook at brisket temperature for 7 hrs besides an oven is a Weber Bullet.
> 
> Good luck though, jdot


I sure love my cookshack. did a brisket labor day, in at 8pm..went and got drunk, checked temp at 9am next morning-it was about 182 or 3, took out one hr later. now thats roughing it!!


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## yer_corks_under (Mar 23, 2007)

No foil, it steams the smoke flavor out of the meat.


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## Red3Fish (Jun 4, 2004)

*When I do gameday briskets...*

I season, wrap in foil, put in roasting pan, and put in the oven about midnight at 200 degrees....sleep well all night...get up next morning about 5, light fire, fix bloody Mary, and put on smoker unwrapped for another 5 or 6 hrs. Total cook time about 50 min per pound. Is done about 11:30 or 12:00.

Not a "purist" approach, but works well for me, and I don't worry about tending fire, smoke, over done, under done!

Later
R3F


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## bonefish (Nov 24, 2006)

No foil. If your gonna use foil, use the oven, it a lot simpler. Here is a rub you might try:
*Ingredients:*


1/2 cup paprika
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons oregano
*Preparation:*

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Work into the surface of the brisket, especially over the exposed meat. This rub may be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.

Coat the brisket with the rub and but in in the pit fat side up. Temp should be about 225 - 250 degrees.
Good luck.


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## salth2o (Sep 21, 2004)

I only use foil AFTER I pull the brisket from the pit to let it rest. As stated before, cook it in foil if you want it roasted, not smoked. 

I would not worry too much about your "friend" not sharing his rub, most people hold their BBQ secrets pretty close to the vest. Use what bonefish posted or a variation of your own. The trial and error of finding out what combination's I like is the fun part of cooking/smoking.


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## thabeezer (Aug 13, 2007)

Bubba keg and Green Egg will hold a temp easily for 7 hours and longer. Like stated before using foil the entire time defeats the smoking process.


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## Cowboy1uhB (Nov 19, 2008)

I began to cover the brisket initially becuase the main consumers of my brisket were not fond of the heavy smoke. What good is a brisket if you can't share it? The thought process was to prevent early heavy bitter smoke from saturating the brisket. Once my fire was good and consistent, the foil came off. This amounts to about 70% of brisket cook time uncovered.

Hope this helps.


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## TOPHAND (Jun 29, 2009)

USE IT THE LAST 1/3 OF YOUR COOKING TIME. MAKES IT MORE JUICY AND TENDER


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## TOPHAND (Jun 29, 2009)

USE IT THE LAST 1/3 OF YOUR COOKING TIME. IF YOUR COOKING AT 250-275 COOK 1 HOUR PER POUND.


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## tbone2374 (Feb 27, 2010)

Cover it for the first 4 hrs, then uncover to brown it.


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## yer_corks_under (Mar 23, 2007)

Jer_ry are you going to tell us about it?


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