Stumbled on a fact about Aaron Franklin's brisket temps that blew my mind

I was just scrolling through some old BBQ forums last night, not even looking for anything specific, and I found this post from someone who claimed they worked at Franklin Barbecue in Austin a few years back. They said Aaron Franklin actually runs his pit at 275 to 285 degrees for brisket, not the 225 everyone talks about. I always thought low and slow was the only way for perfect brisket, but this guy had photos of his log book with exact temp readings from the pit. I tried it on my offset smoker this morning with a small 8-pounder, cruising at 275, and the bark set in way faster than normal. The meat came out tender but not mushy, and I saved about 3 hours on the cook. Has anyone else tested higher pit temps like this or am I late to the party?

2 comments

2 Comments

rowan26214d ago

Wait, did you wrap it at all during the cook at that temp? I'm guessing the faster bark means you might have to adjust when you wrap or skip it entirely to keep that moisture locked in.

the_sandra14d ago

Nah @rowan262, I never wrap at that temp and just let the bark ride.