What is the Texas Crutch

Smoking brisket is predictable… until it isn’t.

The temperature climbs steadily, the bark darkens, everything looks on track. Then, suddenly the internal temp stops moving. That slowdown is called the stall, and every brisket hits it.

Large pieces of meat like beef brisket and pork butt take hours to smoke. By using the Texas Crutch method, you can reduce that time significantly and lock in moisture to create better barbecue.

This guide is part of my Ultimate Brisket Guide.

Brisket Stall
A natural pause in temperature rise, usually between 150F-170F, caused by surface moisture evaporating faster than the meat can heat internally.

When it comes to barbecue, everyone has their own style, and there are true diehards out there who swear by their methods. Some say the Texas crutch is a Texas cheat and others use it and win world championships.

What is the Texas Crutch

Put simply, the Texas crutch is a technique where you wrap large proteins with paper or foil part of the way through the smoking process to speed up the cook.

The brisket stall happens because meat is 70-75% water. As that water heats up, it reaches the point of evaporating. During that time, the cooking of the meat stalls because more energy is being put into removing water than cooking the meat.

Adding liquid to your wrap

I always add some sort of liquid or mop to my wrap before I seal everything up.

• When cooking brisket, I add some beef consume combined with some of my award-winning Brisket Rub.
• For pulled pork, I add Carolina vinegar mop sauce.
• For ribs, I add brown sugar, honey, butter and sometimes a little apple or grape juice.

Adding the liquid can be a little tricky when using foil and butcher paper. It’s easiest to partially enclose the meat first and then gently pour in the liquid. Then, wrap it as tightly as you can and return the package to the smoker.