Pull or not to Pull?

btircuit · Apr 30, 2009

I just went out to turn the brisket and cover with foil just as Smokie Okie said to do and I put in my digital temp prob in the thick part of the brisket and she shows me 203...

Keep in mind that I seared it whole on a 550 degree grill until nicely charred, put it in the smoker at 250, smoked for 2 hrs fat side up, flipped and smoked for another hr and was going to cover until finished at 200. It now shows 198 maybe because it was out for a couple of minutes.
Now what do I do? It looks moist and feels tender but at 4 hrs in I'm afraid to pull it too soon.... HELP!

grothe · Apr 30, 2009

First thing I'd do is double check the temp with another thermometer

the dude abides · Apr 30, 2009

Probably too late to respond...but move the thermo to another part of the meat and see what it says.

alx · Apr 30, 2009

I have done okies seared brisket a bunch of times.When you sear you speed up cooking time by half -from my experience.I have cooked a 10 pounder in 5-6 hours after searing-then smoking at 250 degrees.How big was brisket- i have cooked them anywhere from 185-205 internal depending on when meat is tender to a probe-or as you said moist and tender..

scubadoo97 · Apr 30, 2009

I hope that after checking a couple of other spots in the roast you pulled that baby off. Looks wonderful

btircuit · Apr 30, 2009

Well I tried a different probe just to check and it also showed 200. So I decided to put it back in and let it go for a while longer... took it off when it registered 214... let it rest for about 20 mins. (took a lot of patience on my part by the way).

Results: Very tender, juicy and flavorful! Not much of a smoke ring to speak of though. Lots of smoke for 4 hrs. maybe not long enough? I think it was because it was seared. What do yu guys think?

Still a very good result!

Thanks for your all you help.

alx · Apr 30, 2009

Yep-when you sear you will lose alot of smoke ring.After searing I put on smoker at 225 for two hours without being in foil pan and get a little more of a smoke ring-then do the rest of okies procedure.His method is great way to make a 3-6 pound flat tender or a quick 12 pounder as well.

pineywoods · Apr 30, 2009

Looks good

every once in awhile it just seems a smoke goes too fast and when it happens it kinda makes ya think something must be wrong but that sure doesn't look like anything went wrong nice job

mulepackin · May 1, 2009

Hows the smoke flavor. I think searing inhibits the kind of chemical reaction that needs to occur for smoke ring development, but not sure about smoke flavor absorption.

btircuit · May 1, 2009

Smoke absorption was definitely reduced. After thinking about this last night, I think it was because of the size of the pan I had it in. The sides where a couple of inches tall which didn't allow the smoke to make it's way to the meat. You would think that in a confined space, smoke would engulf as long as it's open but as heat rises so does the smoke...
Next time I think I'll use a flat pan with a small lip or no pan at all.

pignit · May 1, 2009

Here's my take on it. The thing looks shweeeeet and if it tastes good then what you did worked. Everyone in here does a smoke a little to a lot different. I just don't think there is any reason to question results.
I think personally that your best smoke absorbsion is the first 4 or so hours of a smoke. I think the smoke penetrates and blends with the meat more at this beginning stage. As a matter of fact... I either quit adding smoke or cut way back at the last half of my cook. I also think that the meat still takes on a smoke flavor after that point but not so much internally as externally. The searing process in my opinion cuts down on that absorbsion in the beginning of a smoke. That in no way makes it any less a great method. I've seared chuckies and they were excellent. Once you bite into a piece of fresh hot brisket and it melts in your mouth and the taste makes you decide not to share it with anybody else... you did it right...... but can you do it again.... dang...... just gonna have to give it another shot.

Shweeeeet!

alx · May 1, 2009

I haven't smoked a brisket under 275 degrees in years.Great smoke ring tender and moist.The competition circuit is probably 50/50 on temp-225-250-others 275- 325.Nobody i have met can tell difference- if final product is excellent.

bigsteve · May 1, 2009

If it tastes as good as it looks, I'd say it was a roaring sucess!

papoo · May 1, 2009

As mentioned before, after verifying temperature in other spots, that the searing has drastically reduced your cooking time. Brisket is a proportionally thin cut of meat, so it doesn't take much time to sear a way in.

The searing also will have inhibited the smoke ring development, as you've basically made the outside of the meat more robust. Perhaps the pan dimensions didn't help..

That said, it looks great, and if it's tasty and juicy, then you're in like flint, congrats!

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Pull or not to Pull?

btircuit

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grothe

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the dude abides

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alx

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scubadoo97

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btircuit

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alx

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pineywoods

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