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I’ve made brisket every which way you can imagine - wrapped in foil, paper, even steam trays baking in the oven - but nothing gives me quite the same satisfaction as a good no wrap brisket. If you’re looking for crunchy bark, maximum smoke flavor, and that “I did it right” feeling, this method delivers. Whether you’re a seasoned pitmaster or firing up your pellet grill for the first time, I’m walking you through the exact cooking process to nail this every single time.
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The best part? You don’t need fancy tools or butcher paper. Just a solid game plan, a full packer brisket, and patience. Let’s break this no wrap brisket recipe down step by step.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
You get that thick, crunchy bark everyone chases, and it’s hands-off once it’s on the smoker. No wrap brisket means no fussing with butcher paper or aluminum foil halfway through the cook. You’ll lock in maximum smoke flavor for the best results on large cuts of meat like this.
Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need
For this no wrap brisket, I keep things simple and classic: one brisket whole packer, yellow mustard for the binder, and a 50/50 blend of kosher salt and coarse black pepper. That’s it. The rub helps create a good bark without overpowering the meat, and the mustard helps it stick without adding any taste.
As far as tools, you’ll need a reliable smoker either a pellet grill or offset smoker works - for this cook I'm using my Masterbuilt Gravity Fed smoker, and feeding it post oak logs for smoke and fuel. And a good meat thermometer to track internal temperature of the no wrap brisket. I always use a water pan to help stabilize the heat and keep the cooking environment moist. It’s especially helpful when skipping the Texas crutch.
How To Make It
Preparation
Start by trimming the brisket. I like to leave about a quarter-inch of fat on the fat side to protect it from direct heat, especially on an offset smoker. Slather the whole brisket in yellow mustard and coat it generously with your salt and pepper rub.
While you’re doing that, get the smoker going and preheat it to a lower temp - 200F works great to start this no wrap brisket method off slow and steady.This also allows the meat to start cooking gradually as to not shock the meat with a high heat in the beginning and tighten it up.
Cooking
Once the smoker’s up to temp, place the no wrap brisket fat side up, directly above the water pan. Shut the lid and let it ride for the first two hours - no peeking. This lets the rub set up and begin forming that bark we’re chasing. After two hours, give the no wrap brisket a light spray of water or beef broth and bump the temp up to 250F to carry it through the rest of the cooking process.
From there, it’s all about monitoring and maintaining. Spray every 60 to 90 minutes to help the bark develop without drying out the surface. The beauty of a no wrap brisket is letting the smoke do all the work, without rushing it with butcher paper or aluminum foil. I know it’s tempting to wrap brisket when you hit the stall, but trust the process here. The no wrap brisket, won't disappoint
Cooking time will vary based on the size of your full packer and how your smoker behaves. I’ve had some briskets ready in 10 hours, others take closer to 14. The key is to go by internal temperature and feel. Around 200F, start checking for probe tender—your thermometer should slide in like warm butter, no resistance.
The beauty of this method though is that once the brisket is done, you can turn the smoker down to 165, or put it in the oven to hold it for up to about 12 hours. So if lunch tomorrow is done at midnight tonight, no problem at all!
Serving Suggestions
Once your no wrap brisket hits that perfect doneness, pull it off the smoker and let it rest. I usually wrap it tightly in with foil with the rendered down tallow from trimming it and rest it for at least an hour if I'm in a hurry - 2 hours is better. You want the internal juices to settle so every slice stays juicy.
I love serving brisket with classic BBQ sides like mac and cheese, baked beans, or a tangy vinegar slaw. It also makes incredible leftovers - stack it on a sandwich, chop it up for tacos, or pair it with eggs the next morning. If you’re storing it, wrap in foil or vacuum seal, then reheat slowly in the oven with a little broth to keep it moist.
Recipe Notes and Pro Tips
If you’re using a pellet grill, keep your hopper full and clean out the ash pot before the cook. On an offset smoker, keep your fire consistent and avoid big temp swings. With the gravity fed smoker, make sure you've got enough fuel for the cook, then top it off for the overnight "holding period" The water pan will also help here too by adding moisture and stability to the heat.
The first time I did a no wrap brisket, I was worried about drying it out. But after that cook, I realized it actually made for juicier meat in the end. Skipping the wrap lets the bark develop all the way and the flavor gets way more intense. It’s one of the main reasons I keep coming back to this method.
Don’t panic during the stall - that’s a normal part of the cooking process. With no butcher paper or foil to speed things up, it’ll take longer to push through. But that’s how you get that legendary crunchy bark and deep smoke ring.
Variations
This no wrap brisket method also works great with other large cuts of meat like short ribs or pork shoulder. If you want to experiment with flavor, swap out the mustard binder for hot sauce or olive oil, or try adding garlic and onion powder to your rub.
Some folks who still want a slightly softer bark might loosely wrap brisket at the end using butcher paper- but to me, that’s just a way to sacrifice quality in exchange for time. This is about unwrapped brisket, cooked slow and steady for the purest flavor and texture.
The most important part of the entire cook is knowing when it's done. The way I do is to start checking it once my leave-in thermometer hits 200F internal. To check the meat, grab an instant read thermometer and poke it into 5 or 6 differnt spots in the brisket.
If the meat probe slides all the way through the meat without resistance. It's done. Often referred to as "warm butter" you're looking for that feel all over the brisket before pulling it off.
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Ingredients
- 1 Brisket Whole Packer
- Yellow Mustard for binder
- 1 C Kosher Salt
- 1 C Coarse Black Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat smoker to 200F
- While smoker is coming up to temp, trim brisket as needed and then rub with yellow mustard binder lightly and cover with the 50/50 salt and pepper rib liberally.
- Place on smoker fat side up, with a water pan underneath. Close lid and allow to smoke at 200F for about 2 hours. At that time the rub should be dry, give it a spray with water or beef broth, and increase temperature to 250F.
- Continue to cook with lid closed, give a spray about every 60-90 minutes.
- Allow to cook all the way until the brisket is reading about 200F on a thermometer then start using a bbq probe to feel it's doneness. Brisket is always cooked to temperature and feel rather than time. When the entire brisket feels like sticking your probe into warm butter, it's done. Remove it and tightly wrap in aluminum foil with beef tallow if desired, for 2 hours. This does 2 things. 1.) it allows the cooking to stop so that it doesn't carryover to over cook. 2.) it's going to allow the internal juices to move back to the center of the meat to stay moist.
- After 2 hours either slice and serve, or keep wrapped in foil and hold in an oven or smoker at a temp of 165-180 for up to 12 hours.
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