Brisket Flat-9+ hours?

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cnl390

Fire Starter
Original poster
Feb 6, 2013
62
18
San Antonio TX
New Years eve I did a couple 4+ pound brisket flats in the oven (didn't do my usual smoke cause I had to work). Side by side on a rack in a roasting pan loosely covered with foil. Set oven temp to 225. Started cook at 11:30 am. At 7:30 pm IT was 186 & upped temp to 250. At 8:45 pm I had to pull at 201 because everyone was very hungry. Flavor was good but not as tender as I would like. I've never had a flat go almost 9.5 hours. Have any of you all?
 
New Years eve I did a couple 4+ pound brisket flats in the oven (didn't do my usual smoke cause I had to work). Side by side on a rack in a roasting pan loosely covered with foil. Set oven temp to 225. Started cook at 11:30 am. At 7:30 pm IT was 186 & upped temp to 250. At 8:45 pm I had to pull at 201 because everyone was very hungry. Flavor was good but not as tender as I would like. I've never had a flat go almost 9.5 hours. Have any of you all?
There is no real science in this. Briskets cook until they are done. Pulling at 201 was the reason they weren't as tender as you'd expect. I've had them go 7 hours. And a couple times 12 hours for flats. Cook until probe tender. A lot of variables to consider. Thickness, fat content, how cold they were when you started. How reliable you oven. Or smoker is in mantaining even temp.
 
There is no real science in this. Briskets cook until they are done. Pulling at 201 was the reason they weren't as tender as you'd expect. I've had them go 7 hours. And a couple times 12 hours for flats. Cook until probe tender. A lot of variables to consider. Thickness, fat content, how cold they were when you started. How reliable you oven. Or smoker is in mantaining even temp.
this.

time is different on all cooks, till probe tender is the only measure. There is also no magic to 225, save yourself a load to time and up the cook temp from the get go. I smokem at 275.
 
There is also no magic to 225, save yourself a load to time and up the cook temp from the get go. I smokem at 275.
I will run the pellet rig on low smoke for an hour or two if time permits to get more smoke on the meat, then crank it up in the 275~300° range for the remainder of the cook. I also usually put it in a foil pan with the drippings and broth or beer at around 160°IT to speed things along.

A cook I posted awhile back

 
Lots of factors that could be at play here, in my most humble opinion, and it appears several others.

1- The thickness of the flat usually has more influence on the cooking time as opposed to the weight. Imagine a 4 lb flat that is 1/2 inch thick but 2 feet long. I know, crazy example, but you get the point, pardon the pun.

2- Fat content. Stated above.

2- Cooking in a pan can introduce all kinds of variations. Would need to know exactly how you did them in a pan: Was the pan large with high sides? Did you use a rack inside the pan to elevate it from the bottom of the pan, etc. It makes a difference

3- Your oven temp is not accurate. I do not know what oven you have, but I would bet my left kidney and spleen that it is not accurate. Especially at low temps like 225*. My oven is not, but I know it's tendencies.

As stated above, forgo the temp as the end all for doneness. Go by tenderness and the poke or toothpick test.

Personally, for BBQ or BBQ meats cooked in something other than a BBQ/Smoker pit, I simply grab the meat, or using utensils, act as if I am going to eat the meat or product and see how it reacts. I use thick glove liners, with latex stretched over them so I can pick up a rack of ribs, a brisket, butt, etc., and see how the meat reacts when I pretend to rip off a rib and eat it, or try to pinch off a piece of brisket with my fingers like I am about to taste it. If the meat don't behave like I am about to eat it, back on the heat it goes.

**Prolly your oven aint nowhere near bout accurate. I got a pretty descent one and it is off by as much as 50 degrees at low temps, i.e. anything below 300.**
 
Lots of factors that could be at play here, in my most humble opinion, and it appears several others.

1- The thickness of the flat usually has more influence on the cooking time as opposed to the weight. Imagine a 4 lb flat that is 1/2 inch thick but 2 feet long. I know, crazy example, but you get the point, pardon the pun.

2- Fat content. Stated above.

2- Cooking in a pan can introduce all kinds of variations. Would need to know exactly how you did them in a pan: Was the pan large with high sides? Did you use a rack inside the pan to elevate it from the bottom of the pan, etc. It makes a difference

3- Your oven temp is not accurate. I do not know what oven you have, but I would bet my left kidney and spleen that it is not accurate. Especially at low temps like 225*. My oven is not, but I know it's tendencies.

As stated above, forgo the temp as the end all for doneness. Go by tenderness and the poke or toothpick test.

Personally, for BBQ or BBQ meats cooked in something other than a BBQ/Smoker pit, I simply grab the meat, or using utensils, act as if I am going to eat the meat or product and see how it reacts. I use thick glove liners, with latex stretched over them so I can pick up a rack of ribs, a brisket, butt, etc., and see how the meat reacts when I pretend to rip off a rib and eat it, or try to pinch off a piece of brisket with my fingers like I am about to taste it. If the meat don't behave like I am about to eat it, back on the heat it goes.

**Prolly your oven aint nowhere near bout accurate. I got a pretty descent one and it is off by as much as 50 degrees at low temps, i.e. anything below 300.**
I'm going to check actual oven temp this weekend. High sided (3-4 in) with rack about 1/2" off bottom. I've had a similar size 10 lb packer go 12 hrs and another 6. But never a flat. I know I'm always telling the wife a brisket is done when it's done. On another subject, do you all inject? I've never done it, but thinking about it.
 
I'm going to check actual oven temp this weekend. High sided (3-4 in) with rack about 1/2" off bottom. I've had a similar size 10 lb packer go 12 hrs and another 6. But never a flat. I know I'm always telling the wife a brisket is done when it's done. On another subject, do you all inject? I've never done it, but thinking about it.
I have injected briskets, but it has been a while. I have used commercial projects with sodium phosphate and I found that they do help retain moisture, but they all impart a flavor of some sort. Even the plain sodium phosphate injections. Brisket is one think I prefer not to alter the flavor aside from the rub.

I have and do occasionally use injections for chicken and turkey. For these I use flavored injections with sodium phosphate, but typically around 1/2-2/3 strength. Kosmos wood fired for chicken is a good one.
 
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