Brisket Blues

[JimmyPickles]

Hi All, could really use some advice with my brisket game. I have now cooked 4 and only 1 was edible. Below is how I cooked the last one...

Started with a 6.3 pound brisket from Costco. Nice looking brisket, Rubbed the night before. Took out of the fridge about 10am the next day. Got the pellet grill preheated to about 250 and put the meat on at noon. Placed 2 probes in the meat. At around 2pm I put a pan of water in the smoker for moisture. The meat temp rose gradually and at about 5pm it was about 175. I wrapped it in foil and put back until about 203, at which time I pulled to rest. I took it off the heat at about 8pm and we cut into it at 9. Hard as a rock and dry. That said, there was a lot of juice in the foil, just none in the brisket!

I have a relatively new Camp Chef grill and feel it holds the temp really well, so I don't think that's the problem.

Thoughts?

Thanks for any direction you can provide.

JP

 

[JLeonard]

Was it probe tender at 203 degrees? I've had them be tender at 195 degrees and some at 210 degrees. Cook to feel not temp.

Jim

 

[DougE]

With a small piece of flat, once it hits 150~160°, I put it in a foil pan with some liquid (broth, beer works well) and cover with foil. Cook until probe tender. I suppose you could put it back on the rack at the end to firm up the bark, but I don't.

 

[sandyut]

First off, was this a whole packer or a flat? 6lbs is a pretty small whole packer…

How did you trim fat? Did you leave about 1/4 inch on the fat cap and cook fat cap down?

if you are trying to start out with flats only, I would stop that immediately. Flats are a challenge when separated from the point. I had a few failed flats early on.

I always make a whole packer and cook it at 275 till probe tender which like JLeonard said, can be different with each cook. I stopped wrapping and all that a while back.

 

[sandyut]

And Welcome to SMF!

 

[912smoker]

^^^^ Cooking to tenderness is the key.
And was it a heated rest ?
If so, at what temp ?

I just wrap and put in a cooler loaded with towels or a moving blanket.

Keith

 

[mr mac]

JP, first, welcome to SMF from Southeast Missouri.

Now, in reading everything you wrote, you have what we all will assume is a brisket flat, and, as noted, the hardest thing to do when starting on the brisket journey (experience talking).

Flats can be done, but it has been my experience that the have to be done ever so slowly. My first successful flat was smoked at no more than 225° F and I left most of the fat on.

You have to be sure that your cooking chamber is what your probe is reading. I use a simple oven thermometer sitting on the grate I'm cooking at.

Wrap at 165, or dont as Sandy pointed out, but, when it probes tender, do wrap and rest for as long as you can! For a small flat, start your cook at 8 am, believe me, it's going to still be hot even after 3 hours (we all typically wrap in foil, then in towels and put inside a dry cooler [known as FTC]). Probe tender is key!

 

[JckDanls 07]

I assumed it was a flat when he said the IT reached 175 in 5 hrs (noon-5pm)... No way would a whole packard be that in 5 hrs ...

When we mention probe tender (for doneness)... I usually start poking with my probe around 190 degrees (every 5 degrees after)... When we do this we poke it in in all different places of the flat (4,5,6 places)... When it slides in and out with no resistance in all places it is then done and ready for the cooler rest... This can happen any where's starting around 190 degrees IT up to 210+ if needed...

 

[noboundaries]

Smoking to meat temp will result in failures quite often. I use meat temp as a guide to start poking the meat with the probe. It is done when it is tender regardless of what the meat temp indicates. I don't use a meat temp probe at all except toward the end of a cook, and then it is usually just to see if the meat resists (needs longer in the smoker) or it slides right in (done).

Like others have said, 6 lbs is probably a flat. Ugh. Buy a full packer next time. And when you do, probe the flat for tenderness, not the fattier point, which will lie to your face and tell you it is done when it still has a while to go.

Briskets get their juiciness from melted collagen, not anything injected or what has oozed out. Collagen is what makes brisket and well-worked muscles tough and dry if not cooked long enough. It is counter-intuitive, but a fact.

Meat-heat-time makes for a great brisket. You can't smoke or cook a brisket with your thoughts. Leave it alone and learn what a probe poke tells you.

You've got all the info you need to achieve your 2nd edible brisket. Your next one will be a success.

Ray

 

[schlotz]

If you are going to smoke flats, I'd recommend following the writeup by SmokinAl

BRISKET FLAT, MY WAY

It's no secret that a lot of folks have a problem smoking a small well trimmed brisket flat. I to had my struggles for a while, but a couple of years ago I found this method and have been using it ever since. So I would like to share my method with all of you. If you already are successful...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[packer-a-day smoker]

Hi all. New on the site. Love everyone’s comments on this issue.
I rarely cook just the flat but when I do I leave a quarter inch fat cap. Put a temperature probe and the thickest part of the flat. Set my electric smoker at 220. Don’t wrap it at the stall. Pull it off at 200. Wrap in foil then in towels and put in pre-heated cooler for 2 hours. To preheat cooler boil a quart of water pour it in the cooler for about 30 minutes before you put the brisket in. Probably should also point out to drain the water before you put the brisket in the cooler.

Happy smokin everyone.

 

[millerbuilds]

I agree with everything that has been posted above, below is some of methods that I have found to help me be successful:
1- Brisket flats need to be cooked different than a point, I prefer to separate the point from the flat and cook differently as they are tender at different temps. Most of the time, I use the point for burnt ends.
2- Probe tenderness is the key, I use a thermometer through the stall, then switch to a cake tester, it should probe like room temp butter.
3- Prep is key, not sure what you did, but the key to my successes in the past has been to dry brine for 36 hours out, inject 24 hours out, and rub 12 hours before putting on the pit. I also let the brisket sit out for 30-45 minutes before putting it into the pit. Trimming: I like to leave most of the fat on the flat and trim up the point removing most of the fat cap, the point is already well marbled.
4- The Wrap, I have found that re-injecting more bone stock before the wrap and adding a blend of bone broth, Worcestershire Sauce, and a bock or stout beer to the wrap help with tenderness and add flavor. Also, I jump between tossing the flat and point into separate pans with foil covers for the wrap and using butcher paper... For the bark, the butcher paper works great, but I seem to get more tender brisket from wrapping in a foil pan.... Regardless, either works great.
5- Once you have hit probe tender, leave in your wrap and wrap in beach towels and toss in a cooler for at least 2 hours, for me this was a game changer over pulling from the pit a serving 15 minutes later.....
6- Slice as you serve, too many people like to slice up the entire brisket and put on a platter, while this may look pretty, the brisket tends to dry out and definitely best to save leftovers as a whole chunk of brisket vs. a pile of slices

Hope these suggestions help.

Good luck on your next cook.

- Jason

 

[texomakid]

My goodness what a thread!