First time smoker

[MrJP34CH]

Hey all, recently got a ninja wood fire outdoor oven and smoker and gave smoking a try today,
Had a nice 1kg brisket with a simple salt pepper and garlic rub, followed the instructions of straight from the fridge, 120°c for 4 hours then rested for an hour wrapped in foil, and it was delicious but rather tough, any ideas what went wrong?? Like I say flavour was awesome but was very very tough and chewy

 

[DieselTech]

Hey all, recently got a ninja wood fire outdoor oven and smoker and gave smoking a try today,
Had a nice 1kg brisket with a simple salt pepper and garlic rub, followed the instructions of straight from the fridge, 120°c for 4 hours then rested for an hour wrapped in foil, and it was delicious but rather tough, any ideas what went wrong?? Like I say flavour was awesome but was very very tough and chewy

Welcome. I'm a newbie to this stuff too. But I think after you hit your target IT, then you wrap it in foil & increase your temperature to achieve a internal temp of 203°f

Lmao I could be way off, soo don't take my advice.

 

[gmc2003]

Welcome MrJ. Glad to have ya join the fun.

then you wrap it in foil & increase your temperature to achieve a internal temp of 203°f

Close D DieselTech . When you hit the stall then you wrap. When the meat hits about 195* you start probing for tenderness. Tenderness can happen anywhere from 195 to 203+ degrees. It's meat dependent, and make sure you probe all over the meat. Just because it is tender in one section doesn't mean it's tender all over.

At 1kg it sounds like you had the flat part of the brisket. Flats are often harder to get tender then the point or a packer. For your next one start a post asking for help, and we'll guide you thru the process.

Chris

 

[02ebz06]

DOH! Chris typed faster than I did. Haha

Howdy and welcome to the group from New Mexico.
First thing, when doing briskets or an long cooks you need remote thermometers.
One probe for monitoring the grill and one for the meat.
Internal temp of a briskets needs to be around 195-205.
When it gets up there, you start testing it with a toothpick, or similar, to see if it goes in like butter, then it's done.

 

[DieselTech]

Welcome MrJ. Glad to have ya join the fun.


Close D DieselTech . When you hit the stall then you wrap. When the meat hits about 195* you start probing for tenderness. Tenderness can happen anywhere from 195 to 203+ degrees. It's meat dependent, and make sure you probe all over the meat. Just because it is tender in one section doesn't mean it's tender all over.

At 1kg it sounds like you had the flat part of the brisket. Flats are often harder to get tender then the point or a packer. For your next one start a post asking for help, and we'll guide you thru the process.

Chris

I don't want to be messing OP thread up. But this Stall you mention, is it a certain temperature?

Or a guess a better way to ask. What does the Stall mean/definition in the smoking meat world?

Thanks.

 

[gmc2003]

I don't want to be messing OP thread up. But this Stall you mention, is it a certain temperature?

Usually in the 160ish range. Could be a little higher or lower.

Or a guess a better way to ask. What does the Stall mean/definition in the smoking meat world?

As your watching your meat temperatures rise. You'll usually come to a point with larger cuts where it seems to stop rising in temp. It just sits there at that temp for what seems like an eternity. Wrapping the meat with a little juice and extra spices will help power the meat thru this stage of the cooking process. You can also raise the temp of your smoker to help get thru the stall quicker. Wrapping can also help with tenderizing a tougher cut of meat.

 

[DieselTech]

Usually in the 160ish range. Could be a little higher or lower.


As your watching your meat temperatures rise. You'll usually come to a point with larger cuts where it seems to stop rising in temp. It just sits there at that temp for what seems like an eternity. Wrapping the meat with a little juice and extra spices will help power the meat thru this stage of the cooking process. You can also raise the temp of your smoker to help get thru the stall quicker. Wrapping can also help with tenderizing a tougher cut of meat.

Thank you very much. I appreciate your time & trouble for answering my question. I was thinking it was usually around the 160-165°f mark for the Stall.

Sorry OP I hope you will forgive me.

Thanks.

 

[SmokinEdge]

I don't want to be messing OP thread up. But this Stall you mention, is it a certain temperature?

Or a guess a better way to ask. What does the Stall mean/definition in the smoking meat world?

Thanks.

You have your answers already, but the why it happens,,,,,,
When meat reaches about 160F IT it will stall on temp rise. This is because the meat fibers are constricting and getting very tight, this causes juices to push out to and over the surface of the meat, creating an evaporative cooling effect. This can last a short time or a very long time, no rhythm or rhyme to it but usually always starts around 160 IT. You can either wait it out or crutch it and wrap in foil and place back on the smoker. The foil stops the evaporative cooling and the IT will start to rise.

 

[MrJP34CH]

Thank you very much. I appreciate your time & trouble for answering my question. I was thinking it was usually around the 160-165°f mark for the Stall.

Sorry OP I hope you will forgive me.

Thanks.

No worries at all mate, all info I need any to know as well lol