Brisket mistake

[Circutz]

Hey all, I'm new to smoking and the forum. I have a WSM 18 that I bought second hand. Today I smoked some wings and a small 3.6lb grass fed brisket I bought from a local butcher. I cleaned it up and it was looking good before going on. I used a 4 probe inkbird thermometer as well. Fired the WSM up with some oak and apple chunks of wood, under carbon del Sur lump charcoal.

Brisket went on at 11:45 am, the WSM was at 230°f. Throughout the cook, I went between 225 and 250. The brisket hit a stall at 147°f after 4 hours. I left it for another hour but the temp didn't change. I wanted to have it for dinner, so I decided to wrap in foil and let the WSM run hotter than before. For the next 2 hours it ran between 250 and 290°f. Once I hit an internal temp of 201°f, I pulled it off the smoker, put it on a plate (still wrapped in foil), and wrapped in a towel and put it in a cooler to rest for an hour.

Smoke flavor was good, and the smoke ring was nice. I wasn't overly impressed with the store bought rub I chose, and will def do a simpler homemade SPG rub next time. Unfortunately the biggest issues was, it wasn't as moist as I was hoping it would be. It didn't bend well, and it wasn't easy to pull by hand. Where do you think I went wrong? I want to try it again, but I definetly don't want to make the same mistakes twice.

Thanks

 

[mike243]

Looks like there wasn't any fat, some type of moisture would have helped when you foiled imo.

 

[chopsaw]

I agree with Mike , but have to say it looks pretty good . Also , been alot of sub-par beef coming thru my area . Last one I did had almost no fat cap on it .

 

[Bearcarver]

I just saw that my market "Giant" has Beef Tenderloin @ $6.99 again, however it's that Aussie Beef again. Had 2 out of 3 bad tasting, very chewy Tenderloins, Grass Fed in Australia before.
They were $10.99, $7.99, and $7.99----Now $6.99. No Thanks!

Bear

 

[uncle eddie]

I agree with mike243 . The fat cap is important and adding a little moisture when wrapping a flat is helpful as well.

FWIW - it does look good.

 

[Circutz]

It had a decent amount of fat on the cap. However, it did have a few points that were exposed when it had come from the butcher. So maybe that led to this. I accidently started smoking it fat side down, and realized after 20 minutes and flipped it around. Not sure if that makes any difference.

Also, as uncle Eddie mentioned, I didn't add any additional moisture when wrapping it. Maybe that played a bit role too.

Glad that I only bought a small one and messed it up, but really wished it had come out better.

 

[DaveyMay]

It looks pretty dang good! I wouldn’t worry much about the fat cap up or down. There are hour of material to search debating which way to go. I don’t think that affected the moisture at all. Fat content plays a huge role in the final tenderness. That’s also why some cook at 1 hour per pound and some can take 3-3.5 hours per lb. When picking out the brisket make sure you can bend the flat easily. An old cowboy swore by that method to pick out the right piece of meat. Said the easier it bent, the more fat content that was in it. Not sure if it’s true but I still pick mine that way. Pouring a little beef broth in the foil will help too with moisture.

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

grass fed brisket

Grass fed beef is less fatty and not as juicy nor tender as grain fed beef, so that could have played a role in the final results. For your next brisky smoke, avoid the grass fed beef.

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

I just saw that my market "Giant" has Beef Tenderloin @ $6.99 again, however it's that Aussie Beef again. Had 2 out of 3 bad tasting, very chewy Tenderloins, Grass Fed in Australia before.
They were $10.99, $7.99, and $7.99----Now $6.99. No Thanks!

Bear

Yep. I don't care for the taste of grass fed beef.

 

[Circutz]

When picking out the brisket make sure you can bend the flat easily. An old cowboy swore by that method to pick out the right piece of meat. Said the easier it bent, the more fat content that was in it. Not sure if it’s true but I still pick mine that way. Pouring a little beef broth in the foil will help too with moisture.

I didn't know that, I'll def keep an out for that next time. And I had meant to add some additional moisture when foiling it, but it really slipped my mind in the end. Next time for sure.

Grass fed beef is less fatty and not as juicy nor tender as grain fed beef, so that could have played a role in the final results. For your next brisky smoke, avoid the grass fed beef.

I had no idea, the butcher made it sound like it was the best option. Good to know.

Thanks for the help everyone.

 

[cohibaiii]

Just watched Aaron Franklin smoke a brisket on Masterclass, as I'm getting ready to tackle my first one. A couple things I noticed, his brisket was about 5-6 lbs, and his cook took about 11.5 hrs. He also sprayed it down several times times during the cook to keep it moist. He also wrapped his in butcher paper for the last few hours of the cook, then brought it out to rest on a table, just covered with a hand towel....for about 45 minutes. One thing he warned about, DO NOT stick it in a cooler for the rest, he said "that's a good way to ruin a beautifully cooked brisket, because it'll over cook and dry out." When he sliced it, the juices were practically running like a faucet, it was so moist. Incredibly tender, with a cutting board full of the dripping juices from the brisket. Looking forward to trying one!

 

[smokingwxman]

I am planning on a roughly 9 pound brisket this weekend and the more I'm reading the more I'm wondering if it has been the rest that has been my problem. I've been wrapping in a towel and resting in a cooler for a couple of hours but now I question if that has led to it being overcooked. I think this weekend I'll try this method and let it rest under a towel on a table.

 

[cohibaiii]

I am planning on a roughly 9 pound brisket this weekend and the more I'm reading the more I'm wondering if it has been the rest that has been my problem. I've been wrapping in a towel and resting in a cooler for a couple of hours but now I question if that has led to it being overcooked. I think this weekend I'll try this method and let it rest under a towel on a table.

If it's good enough for for Aaron Franklin, I'd use his method. Finish the last several hours in the smoker wrapped in butcher paper or foil, then at 203° - 205° pull it and just rest it for 45 - 60 mins. Yes, possibly just a towel on top to very slightly slow the cool. It'll still be around 150° when you slice it. After a 45 minute rest on Franklin's video, his brisket was still at 165°. Interested to know how it turns out, spraying it a few times during the cook also won't hurt...1/4 cup each worcester sauce and water.