Brisket- need more moisture

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froman524

Fire Starter
Original poster
Sep 6, 2016
32
23
Hey everyone, first time posting here.  I've got a Char-Griller I found in an alley 10+ years ago, no offset fire-box (that's my next purchase) and I've used it a few times a year with good success, mostly for ribs.  On Sunday I smoked a brisket for the 2nd time, last time was 10 years ago.  I read up and watched YouTube videos on the Aaron Franklin method and tried to follow it, so with that in mind, here's a run-down of how things went:

4.8 lb brisket, had a some fat cap, seemed to require very little trimming
Salt and pepper

Water pan beneath the meat. 
8am start, fat side down. Flipped it halfway through the morning  

Added charcoal as necessary to maintain temp clost to 225 most of the day
Mid morning- added some charcoal with a few small dry wood chips (from a bag, bought at Home Depot), got lots of white smoke. Later in the morning used a few large mesquite chunks, better (thinner/blue) smoke. The rest of the day I just used charcoal, had good thin blue smoke or none at all.
12pm IT 160, wrap in butcher paper
1:15 temp got too low, close to 150, added coal to bring it back up, got up to around 300 for a little bit
2:00 internal temp 185
2:15 took off, wrapped in towel, put in cooler
3:30 unwrapped, cut, ate



Results:

Very pronounced smoke ring
Good flavor but not too distinct
A little drier than I'd like
 

Question- what can I do to improve the moisture?

Thanks for your help.

Abe
 
Looks pretty good...the zoom view of slices does appear slightly dry, as you mentioned. One thing you did that I never do when smoking...flip the meat...not to say that contributed to a drier meat, because I don't know, but I doubt it. Fat-cap up all the way for me...self-basting with rendered fat being the reason. Water in a pan underneath will aid in smoke reaction with the meat, and reduces the formation of bark on the meat...that's it. Does it help keep the meat moist while it cooks? No. It does the opposite and dries it out by keeping the surface meat fibers loose, which allows water vapor to escape as the meat temperature rises during cooking. Pick from this whatever fits your agenda.

Shout back if something doesn't make sense...I'll go into more details if you like.

Eric
 
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When I smoke a flat. I smoke it in a pan sitting in it's own juices.

I also put the trimmed fat above it so as it renders it bastes the brisket.

Never had a dry one yet.


Al
 
Last edited:
But you don't get a bark on the bottom when you do that, right?

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