First Brisket - Semi Fail.....

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rdel90

Newbie
Original poster
Jul 22, 2017
24
28
Started with an 8 LBer. Cut in half since I was only cooking for 3 of us (plus leftovers). Scored fat. Coffee rub. Put in fridge for about 8 hours. Took out 1 hour before smoking.

Dry Rub - (basically my pork rub with coffee, cocoa, and a little more salt since I didn't brine the beef).

2 Tbsp Espresso Coffee

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1/4 cup turbinado sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

2 tbsp paprika

2 tbsp celery salt (or can use something like Lowry's)

2 tbsp kosher or sea salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons black pepper (coarse cracked)

1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1⁄2 teaspoon onion powder

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

Wood: 50/50 Oak and Mulberry

Was going for low and slow overnight targeting 220-225F smoking temp and anticipated around 10 hour smoke time. Apple Juice in water pan, no foil, and no spray. 

Timeline:

8:00pm preheat to 225F with MSE built in probe. 

8:45pm Mav ET-733 reads 218F (dropped as low as 210F) air temp. Brisket in (second rack from bottom)...this mission is a go!

1:45am 5 hours open smoker and insert ET-733 probe 2 into middle of flat. Reading 160F. Refill wood chips in SSK (slow smoke kit). Bumped MES30 set point to 230F. Mav air temp reading 216-222F.

8:00am Mav probe reads 178F. Refill wood chips. Bumped set point on MES30 to 235F. ET-733 reading air 223-230F

11:30am Pull at 195F and towel wrap and in the cooler

1:30pm Sliced for Lunch....

Overall 14.5 hrs smoking time. 

Results:

Flavor: 10/10 spot on what I was looking for Oak/Mulberry combo was fantastic

Appearance: 8/10 Great bark and coloring

Tenderness: 3/10 sliced nice but pretty dry 

I didn't really get much for drippings in the catch pan below.

Must say I was so excited smoking this but pretty disappointed in the end.... Will try round 2 in a couple of weeks with 250-275F temp and some spray. Hopefully I can get it more tender.



 
Last edited:
Brisket flats can be finicky.  It looks done, but 195F IT can range from perfect to underdone, never overdone.  The probe test is always the best indicator.  I rarely do flats alone, but with packers (10-14 lbs) I've had flats probe tender at 190F, and others not probe tender until 205F.  I usually target 200F for just that reason before I probe.   

The issue with big hunks of meat is temperature differential between the meat itself and the chamber.  As the meat heats up, stalls (sweats out water), then starts climbing again, the temperature differential makes a huge difference in how much heat is available for the meat to absorb to melt the collagen in the muscle to make it juicy.  Some folks tightly wrap their meat to put it in a moist, slightly higher pressure environment.  Personally, once a meat stalls, I crank the temp up in the chamber.  There's nothing magical about 225F.  If you don't want to wrap (I'm a non-wrapper) you can max out your MES at 275F so the meat can absorb more heat.  The meat will get probe tender more quickly and will not suffer at all.  

For flats that come out tasting dry, just chop it up, add some BBQ sauce, and throw it on a bun.  Pickles, slice of sweet onion, and you're in heaven.   
 
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