My neighbor's pitmaster story made me rethink my smoker setup
I was helping my neighbor fix his fence and we got to talking about BBQ. He told me about a pitmaster from Kansas City who runs his smoker cooler than most folks do. The idea is to go low and slow with more wood chunks for a deeper smoke ring. I adjusted my temps this weekend and the brisket had way better bark. Crazy how a simple chat over tools can up your BBQ game.
My first brisket was a dry disaster too. Honestly, @the_stella, I started wrapping mine in butcher paper after the bark set, around 170 degrees. That kept it moist but still let the bark stay good. I also stopped going by time and just waited for the probe to slide in like butter. Took 14 hours last time but it was worth it.
Remember my buddy who used to rush his brisket? He finally let it rest for like three hours wrapped in a cooler, and it went from shoe leather to actually good. That wait is brutal but it fixes everything.