8 1/2 Lb Brisket

[jeffingh]

Why is it that I cooked a 6 1/2 Lb. Brisket at 225   tor 8 hours where it stalled  a bit before it got to 170 IT and this 8 1/2 one only took 7 hours to get to 170 at the same temps?

 

[kryinggame]

Each piece of meat is different adn there are other factors which can affect the temperature such as outside weather temperature and if it's a windy day.

By the way, I hope you're not considering 170* for a brisket to be done!  Brisket generally is smoked to 200*

 

[dewetha]

cows are living things. some are fatty, some are lean, some are feed organic, some are feed odd things, some eat grass. did you get the same grade of meat? the humidity,temperature are also factors in outdoor coking. were they the same? did you really maintain 225 exactly all through the cook? or was there variences?

the meat tells you when it's done. 87.3 pct of all the information on this site is a loose guideline. just watch it and it will be done and good.

 

[jeffingh]

Oh no, its not done at 170, I wrapped it and took it to 200 IT in the oven (ok I cheated after 7 hours on the smoker) which only took about 90 more minutes, its in the blanket now for 3 hours. I was just surprised that it got to 170 so fast. I had a rack of ribs in the smoker too so I had to open it every 45 minutes to mop but think I maintained 225 pretty good. 

 

[geerock]

How are you vetifying your temps?

 

[jeffingh]

verifying temps w/ the Masterbuilt  built in probe and a kitchen meat thermometer

 

[geerock]

You might want to check them both with the boil / ice water test. The mes meat probes are prone to being way off for some models. Just a FYI.

 

[jeffingh]

OK, it sucked. The Brisket was tough and dry and I used too much mop on the ribs, they taste like vinegar.   I know what I did wrong w/ the ribs, even w/ 3-2-1 they taste like salad dressing,,, YUK!!!, I'm throwing them out...... HOWEVER, I don't know what I did wrong w/ the brisket. The last one I did was juicy and tender that I got at the local meat market but got this one at  at Costco. Ive always been satisfied w/ Costco meat and it seemed to have good fat on it. After I got it to 170 IT, I had a aluminum pan underneath it that caught the drippings and put it in there until it got to 200 then into the blanket & cooler. I don't know what to do so I put it all back into the smoker doused w/ BBQ sauce all over it and if that don't do anything Ill make chili out of it.... Screw it, I'm having an Ice Cream Sandwich

 

[kryinggame]

From what you described on the brisket, I can't tell what might have went wrong. But, if you're not fully experienced with smoking, I wouldn't suggest smoking 2 meats at the same time.

I've been doing ribs for many of years and I've learned for me, 225* is not the right temperature.  For me, 275* is the sweet spot.  With the St. Louis ribs I get from Costco, I'll either smoke them straight for 4 hours (and they're perfect) or will do 2-1-1 (2 hours smoked, 1 hour wrapped with my mixture and betwn 30 minutes to an hour unwrapped).  They always come out perfect...Research some of my pics if you want to see an example.   For me, if I ever mop/spray the ribs, I'll do it 1 or 2 times and no more.  I don't want soggy food and if you rubbed them good, you won't need a mopping.  And, I've noticed that some people go to crazy with mopping/spraying.  Think about this, are you mopping off your rub?

Well, brisket is a difficult make to perfect.  Just keep at it.

 

[geerock]

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing as kryingame. Put the meat in and let it be. Maybe a spritz or two during the cook but that's about it. Learn to the the meat be the star..... especially brisket. I'm going back to the temp question. Did you check the accuracy of the meat probe? Seen those things be off as much as 30 degrees.

 

[jeffingh]

Yes I checked the meat probe, I'm discovered from these tests that the probe in the smoker actually reads about 10 degrees hotter than it really is since the one I tested which is pretty accurate, the temperature setting of the smoker is pretty accurate. I'm not going to do another Brisket until I get this THS-231-277 Super-Fast Thermapen, Splash-Proof probe I just ordered. However I think your right about putting the ribs and brisket in together, won’t be doing that again!!! So I chopped up 1/3 of the brisket, added BBQ sauce and it actually isnt too bad for a sandwich but the rest, will be chilli. The dogs will love the rib meat.......................