brisket question

[f.lee]

smoked my first brisket this weekend. turned out good-not great.

i have smoked other meat and understand the issue of meat temp plateauing then continuing to rise. i have never had the meat plateau at the temp mine did for as long as it did.

i was smoking a small 4.5# brisket and at about the 5 hour mark the temp was 173. this is were it stayed until i pulled it off at the 8 hour mark. my research had indicated about 1.5 hours per pound so i was over an hour passed and no temp change. was afraid to let it keep cooking

i am using charcoal/wood in a weber smoker. consistent temp 225

thanks in advance for the help.

foster

 

[jverdin]

Yeah if you cooked it that long I'm not supprised... the temp thing is wierd. Are you sure you were checking the temp consistently? How were you doing so?

 

[sumosmoke]

f.lee - some questions for ya that can help diagnose a possible problem:

a. Where are you measuring the temperature of the smoker, at grate level or with a gauge in the lid of the smoker?

b. Have you checked the accuracy of your temp gauges?

c. The plateau can vary in length but it is definitely long. Am wondering if you left the meat on the smoker if it ever would've gone up in temp ...

 

[goose]

I would certainly check the temps for accuracy. I would see if your smoker thermometer is accurate and I would also do a boiling test on the thermometer you used on the brisket. Something sounds a bit off.

That certainly is a lllllooooooonnnnnnnngggggg plateau.

 

[f.lee]

thanks for the suggestions, i will check the thermometers.

the smoker temp was read with a remote probe that was clipped on right next to the meat.

i am pretty sure the thermometers are accurate though. i have check them in the past and use them regularly. i had a probe with a remote thermometer in the meat the whole time. after the sustained plateau i got my instant read thermometer and it verified the remote probes reading in a few different spots on the meat.

i am also not sure it would have ever gone up thats why i pulled it. meat was surprisingly tender and moist considering how long it cooked. (not saying it was especially tender or moist-all things are relative)

thanks again for the help. really like this forum.