All wet but dried out.

[bbqbrisket]

I get to the end of the cook time and then cannot figure out what to do.
Everytime I put my finished brisket in the cooler, still wrapped and shrouded in towels, and take it out 4 to 5 hours later, all the juices are have gotten absorbed into the paper and the brisket ends up dry.
Can someone give me the baby steps from the point of taking off the heat and securing it for up to 5 hours after.
Thanks

 

[chopsaw]

Make sure it starts to drop in temp before you wrap it .
I stopped holding them in a cooler myself . 45 minute rest on the counter was the best one I've done . If It's done early , I wrap after the internal temp starts dropping and put it in a low oven .

 

[SmokinEdge]

Are you sure you were probe tender when you pulled off the cooker? Or are you cooking to time or temp? Dry brisket is generally under cooked.

 

[bauchjw]

What’s the internal temp when you take it out?

 

[bbqbrisket]

Make sure it starts to drop in temp before you wrap it .
I stopped holding them in a cooler myself . 45 minute rest on the counter was the best one I've done . If It's done early , I wrap after the internal temp starts dropping and put it in a low oven .

I don't get it as it is already wrapped coming from the smoker. I wrap at the beginning of the stall to finish, so it comes out wrapped.

 

[chopsaw]

Yes , me too , sometimes . If that's the case I still wait for the temp to drop , Because of carry over cooking .
Here's one I pulled and covered with a towel . I stick a therm in so I can see what it's doing . If the temp gets down around 170 or so I go into the oven .

 

[zwiller]

I vote for team undercooked. It is important to learn how to distinguish tough (under) from dry (over). Actual overcooked dry brisket will start to shed. You want to probe tender all over but admit that I aim for 205IT. Looks like chopsaw agrees. LOOKS FANTASTIC RICH!

 

[chef jimmyj]

Any meat, Brisket, Butts, Birds, will release some juice as it sits and cools. But, Dry is another issue, Restaurants hold paper wrapped Briskets for many Hours and the meat is still juicy. As these learned fellows above have pointed out, Probe Tender, temp around 205° for guys that like guidelines, is the key to all the Juices from rendered Fat and Collagen making the Brisket juicy...JJ

 

[bbqbrisket]

Are you sure you were probe tender when you pulled off the cooker? Or are you cooking to time or temp? Dry brisket is generally under cooked.

Fascinating science. One would think that if it's under cooked then the juices are still in there. But it sounds like the science is that if under cooked, the juices are released, get soaked in the paper, the meat ends up dry. Very strange.

 

[Fishonshawn]

Are you putting foil around the brisket also before the cooler? I wrap my brisket in paper for the last half of the cook as many do. when probe tender and done cooking I put on the counter and wait for the temp to start coming down so as not to continue to over cook in the cooler. But after the temp starts to come down I take the still wrapped in paper brisket and put a foil wrap over that so the juice stays in there and doesn't get soaked up by the towels. The paper is usually soaked but will only hold so much juice. The foil makes sure I dont lose the rest of the juice that isn't re-absorbed. Then is gets set in the cooler with a towel under it and one draped over it for at least an hour, sometimes up to 3 or 4 depending on what time I wana eat...

 

[SmokinEdge]

Fascinating science. One would think that if it's under cooked then the juices are still in there. But it sounds like the science is that if under cooked, the juices are released, get soaked in the paper, the meat ends up dry. Very strange.

It’s all about breaking down the collagen and connective tissue. This happens fairly quickly at or just above the 200* mark internal temp. Somewhere between 195-215* is where the magic happens. Most generally around 205* but that’s not hard and fast. So you may be probe tender at 200* or you may have to go 210-215* each piece of meat can be different. I use a thermometer to keep an eye on where IT is, but once about 195* I don’t check temp any longer and probe the meat every half hour or so until the probe goes in the meat as if pushing into a jar of peanut butter. Then it’s done and not until then.

 

[schlotz]

Still looking for info regarding how the brisket was determined to be 'finished'. Temp is not the key to doneness, it only helps you figure out when to start probing. It's tender (done) when multiple probes all around the flat feel like going into a jar of peanut butter. Once probed tender and pulled it should be left open (top exposed) on the counter for 10 min or so in order to stop the cooking process. The IT in the thickest part of the flat should reduce by 5-7º. Once this occurs, it can be re-wrapped and placed in a cooler with towels to rest. Skip this step and instead go straight into the cooler and the brisket will continue to cook for sometime running the risk of overcooking and making it fall apart upon slicing. Dryness but still holding together can be an indication of undercooking, not all the rendering has taken place which provides the moisture.