Brisket Fail 3.0

[bpinmi]

Third time was NOT a charm in my elusive attempts to conquer brisket. Great flavor, just too dry.

This one was operator error. I set everything up on my WSM at 4:30am and in the darkness, didn't realize I didn't have the door all the way closed on the charcoal chamber. So I went back to bed and woke up 2 hours later to check and my smoker was all the way up to 300. Struggled the next 2 hours to get down to even 275. So it spent the first 4 hours cooking way too hot which probably prevented it from properly breaking down all the fat marbling.

 

[NU2SMOKE]

Third time was NOT a charm in my elusive attempts to conquer brisket. Great flavor, just too dry.

This one was operator error. I set everything up on my WSM at 4:30am and in the darkness, didn't realize I didn't have the door all the way closed on the charcoal chamber. So I went back to bed and woke up 2 hours later to check and my smoker was all the way up to 300. Struggled the next 2 hours to get down to even 275. So it spent the first 4 hours cooking way too hot which probably prevented it from properly breaking down all the fat marbling.

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I am sorry for what you call a failure but I assure you...your looks 1000 percent better than my failure. Yours is edible...MINE WASNT. Still I am with you in your grieving process! Hats off!
I have a feeling your next one will be the one they use to picture a perfect Brisket!!

 

[bpinmi]

The fatty pieces from the point were great. It was the slices from the lean flat end that were just way too dry. Hopefully next time!

I am sorry for what you call a failure but I assure you...your looks 1000 percent better than my failure. Yours is edible...MINE WASNT. Still I am with you in your grieving process! Hats off!
I have a feeling your next one will be the one they use to picture a perfect Brisket!!

 

[chilerelleno]

Your 300° temp was not a problem.
275°-300° is a great temp range for cooking brisket Hot-n-Fast.
Heck, my last Packer I cooked at 375°-400°, tender/juicy.

The Point is almost always ready before the Flat.
It may be that it just required some more time, dry and maybe a little tough is indicative of undercooked.

What was your IT in the Flat vs Point?
Did the Flat probe tender?

If it was overcooked the Flat might well be dry, but it would typically be shredding as you tried to slice it.

Your brisket looks great, I really think it just needed some more time to be tender/juicy.

 

[hardcookin]

What Chili said above...
Boy that brisket looks close. You couldn't have missed probe tender by much.
Would still hit that!
You just have to be really patient with brisket.

 

[bpinmi]

Interesting feedback. Thank you! IT of the point was 198 and IT of the flat was 194. Maybe I pulled too soon? I did keep it wrapped and stored in a cooler for 4 hours after I pulled from the cooker.

I probably need to do a better job of letting the probe tenderness guide me on when its done and not the temp reading.

Your 300° temp was not a problem.
275°-300° is a great temp range for cooking brisket Hot-n-Fast.
Heck, my last Packer I cooked at 375°-400°, tender/juicy.

The Point is almost always ready before the Flat.
It may be that it just required some more time, dry and maybe a little tough is indicative of undercooked.

What was your IT in the Flat vs Point?
Did the Flat probe tender?

If it was overcooked the Flat might well be dry, but it would typically be shredding as you tried to slice it.

Your brisket looks great, I really think it just needed some more time to be tender/juicy.

 

[chilerelleno]

Interesting feedback. Thank you! IT of the point was 198 and IT of the flat was 194. Maybe I pulled too soon? I did keep it wrapped and stored in a cooler for 4 hours after I pulled from the cooker.

I probably need to do a better job of letting the probe tenderness guide me on when its done and not the temp reading.

No maybe about it, you were underdone and just shy of perfection.
Next time use IT as a gauge for when to start probing for tenderness, that range being 195°-210°.
Regardless of IT it's not done until it's probe tender.
Once it hits 195° I probe about every 2° until it probes tender in the thickest part of the flat.

 

[S-met]

How close did you trim the fat-cap?
What grade was the meat? It might be the pic or the lighting, but I couldn't see the fat cap and I only see a little between the point and flat.

So it spent the first 4 hours cooking way too hot which probably prevented it from properly breaking down all the fat marbling.

Your temps were fine. I think you only sacrificed minimal smoke flavor.
I'm oversimplifying here as there's more to this but meat collagens and connective tissues don't start to break down until 160-180. Its the time it sits here that helps render the tough connective tissue into the "buttery" succulent meat we love. There is a ratio (that I don't really know) of time:temperature=breakdown. Kind of like how 35hrs of sous vide brisket @ 160 gives you tender brisket without taking the temp to 200.

 

[SmokinAl]

That brisket looks darn good from here!!
Al