Brisket Different Info Question

[dunginhawk]

Good evening. 

Just a real quick question.

Ive read a ton on here about brisket to 200-205 (foiled at 165)

Then a friend of mine smokes his to 165 (wraps and rests for 1 hour) then slices.

Can you guys tell me what these huge differences in temp will produce?   

Thanks

 

[solaryellow]

The higher temp will produce a more tender brisket. Brisket is a tough cut of meat.

 

[dunginhawk]

thats what ive always thought... ive always taken mine to 200-205 and it comes out ok.  i will be honest, i havent gotten a good smoke ring, or the best texture out of my brisket. i think its very hard.  

my pork however is world class :)

 

[sprky]

Wow 165 is low in my opinion. I take mine to 185-190 then foil and rest for couple hours. The longer time will produce a more tender brisket. 165 may be OK if it is a very lean brisket, this way it wouldn't dry out as much. I do whole packers so no problem with the longer time and higher temp. Over 200 is shredded temp for brisket hard to slice after 190.

 

[adiochiro3]

Wow 165 is low in my opinion. I take mine to 185-190 then foil and rest for couple hours. The longer time will produce a more tender brisket. 165 may be OK if it is a very lean brisket, this way it wouldn't dry out as much. I do whole packers so no problem with the longer time and higher temp. Over 200 is shredded temp for brisket hard to slice after 190.

Absolutely nailed it, sprky!  We generally like ours shredded, so I take 'em to 200-205*.  

thats what ive always thought... ive always taken mine to 200-205 and it comes out ok.  i will be honest, i havent gotten a good smoke ring, or the best texture out of my brisket. i think its very hard.

my pork however is world class :)

Not sure why that is, dunginhawk.  I always get a really nice brisket smoke ring.  What kind of wood are you using?  Are you generating consistent smoke until the meat hits 165*?  Are your thermos accurate? (The reason I ask that one is because meat proteins contract and prevent much smoke penetration after 165*.  If you're getting there earlier than you think, that could explain the lack of smoke penetration).  You can test your thermos with boiling water.

 

[duanes]

Agree, 165 seems really low.  I take mine to 190-200 and rest for at least 1 hour - sometimes a little dry but I used to do lower temp.  Most times I wound up with something closer to shoe leather.  For me, bottom line though is, how does his taste (flavor, tenderness, juice, etc.,.) compared to yours/others?  I would make sure that the tool used to guage temp are comparable.  My GOSM stock probe got replaced with a washer and screw as it was off by >50 degrees.

Shhhh, don't tell my wife my "REAL" fantasy is makin' the perfect brisket!

 

[SmokinAl]

If your using an electric smoker you won't get a smoke ring.

 

[mballi3011]

You will not believe how 10°-15° makes the difference on a beef brisket. I like to slice mine mostly for catering jobs and I take the brisket to 195° and then let it rest for many hours sometimes up to 5-6 hours. Then the meat usually comes out with a little backbone (for lack of a better word) to the meat. Now if you want to shed it and it's really good that way too. You can take the meat to 205° and it will be fall apart tender.