I finally quit chasing 225 and my brisket got better

Last Saturday a guy at the butcher counter in Amarillo asked me what temp I run and I said 225 like always, and he just kind of laughed and said he holds his stick burner around 275 to 300 with no wrap until the stall. I thought he was nuts. But I went home and tried it on a 13 pound packer and the bark came out so much better than my usual, way darker and crunchier, and it still probed tender at about 203 in the flat. The whole cook took 8 hours instead of 12, which meant I wasn't fighting the fire at midnight for once. I have been cooking briskets for years (well, mostly just weekends, I'm a line cook the rest of the week so my time off matters) and I think I was repeating 225 because that's what everyone on here says, not because I tested it. The flat was just as juicy and I didn't lose any sleep. So what temp are you all actually running, and does anyone here hold under 250 on purpose anymore?

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wesley_hart1d ago

Ran into a buddy last month who swears his offset eats 285 all day and he stopped wrapping years ago.

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