I’ve been wanting to try my hand at smoking a beef brisket for some time. After seeing on of Jeff’s emails on doing a brisket, I decided to go for it. After doing a bunch of research here and other places, I picked out a packer brisket, trimmed it down as a number of smoking experts suggest, and went for it.
After getting my smoker stabilized at 200 degrees, as recommended in Jeff’s process, I injected it with beef broth mixed with some spices, applied rub and onto the smoker (MES 30). I inserted the probe for my Maverick ET732 to keep track of the IT.
After applying smoke for about 7 hours, I pulled the brisket out, and as shown in Jeff’s guide, I put it in a foil pan with a beef broth/rub combination, foiled over it and returned it to the smoker.
Here’s where I’m puzzled. Everything I have read, gives an approximate smoking time of 1.5 hours per pound however IT is what is important. The trimmed brisket was about 6 pounds. So, fast forward 14 hours. The IT is still only up to 165 degrees. I assumed it may take some time so I set the alarm on the Maverick for 195 degrees and got some sleep. Now it’s 5 hours later and the IT is only at 189 degrees. Now I’m thinking there has to be an issue with the probe/thermometer or something, so I got out my trusty ThermoPen and sure enough, the IT was 187 degree after nearly 21 hours.
Finally I took it out of the smoker and unwrapped it. Put it in foil in a cooler with a blanket cover and let it sit about 2 hours. Well, what I ended up with was more like pulled beef than a nicely smoked beef brisket. It was so loose I couldn’t slice it as it just fell apart.
Any ideas on what I did wrong or suggestions? I am ready to try again, after I get a batch of summer sausage done later this week, but I’d like to see if the experts here on the forum can help.
Thanks.
After getting my smoker stabilized at 200 degrees, as recommended in Jeff’s process, I injected it with beef broth mixed with some spices, applied rub and onto the smoker (MES 30). I inserted the probe for my Maverick ET732 to keep track of the IT.
After applying smoke for about 7 hours, I pulled the brisket out, and as shown in Jeff’s guide, I put it in a foil pan with a beef broth/rub combination, foiled over it and returned it to the smoker.
Here’s where I’m puzzled. Everything I have read, gives an approximate smoking time of 1.5 hours per pound however IT is what is important. The trimmed brisket was about 6 pounds. So, fast forward 14 hours. The IT is still only up to 165 degrees. I assumed it may take some time so I set the alarm on the Maverick for 195 degrees and got some sleep. Now it’s 5 hours later and the IT is only at 189 degrees. Now I’m thinking there has to be an issue with the probe/thermometer or something, so I got out my trusty ThermoPen and sure enough, the IT was 187 degree after nearly 21 hours.
Finally I took it out of the smoker and unwrapped it. Put it in foil in a cooler with a blanket cover and let it sit about 2 hours. Well, what I ended up with was more like pulled beef than a nicely smoked beef brisket. It was so loose I couldn’t slice it as it just fell apart.
Any ideas on what I did wrong or suggestions? I am ready to try again, after I get a batch of summer sausage done later this week, but I’d like to see if the experts here on the forum can help.
Thanks.