Brisket failures

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Then we wrap in double foil until it probes just a bit tight in the flat. Usually around 190 for a probe in the point. When it starts to get buttery, we turn the cabinet down to 160f and leave it for the rest of the night.
The next day, we pull it and slice as appropriate.
Never had a bad one this way.

Don’t have a bunch of pictures, but the Amish folks around here have fixed me up with some 30+lb double briskets from dairy cows, which I can’t imagine would be graded more than select, which have been the best stuff I’ve ever eaten.
It takes a little more dinking around, but you can taste the cow. Even with less fat, there seems to be enough collagen to keep it tender.
I am a bit concerned that everyone repeats the aphorism that a dry brisket is undercooked.
Go to any commercial barbecue joint that makes “pulled brisket” and you’ll be eating overcooked brisket plastered with sauce.
A lot of this stuff is just overcooked.

Once it falls apart, you blew it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tomhusker
Every time but one, I've ended up with an edible, but dry brisket with a thick, hard, bottom.
I did have a nice bark this time.
I'd bet my last dollar that it's the fire pot. Mine does the same thing (it's a Pit Boss, not a Traeger) and that's the biggest inherent design flaw of these machines, the fire pot in the dead center of the cooker. I do a couple of things to combat this until I fab up a heat diffuser sometime this fall or winter.

I cook my brisket on the top grate (the hot dog grate). It's not nearly wide enough to keep it there the entire cook but it does ok if I run it til it hits the stall. I then pull it out and oven finish. Even then I put a water pan under it right over the fire pot. I also run fat side down.

That dang fire pot is like a mini kiln blasting heat straight up onto the bottom of the brisket.

You can also try flipping it halfway through the cook. It was the first thing I tried and it helped a little. Since I started elevating and using a water pan I don't flip.
 
Continue the heat at 275-300 until it probes like above, and keep it wrapped in the foil for 12 hrs or so at 160 until you’re ready to cut it up. Don’t peek
The best stuff I’ve found for injection is Better Than Bullion (beef, of course) made at 1 tbsp per 8 oz/ water.
 
You can get all the smoke you need on it by 150f. Wrap it and dump the pellet pooper for an oven, because it has already done a great job of giving you a phenomenal bark.
Use tinfoil, because it keeps the juices in.
 
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Latest posts

Hot Threads

Clicky