Brisket - What To Do When It Seems Done

[pianov]

This is my first brisket. Put my 13 lb. whole brisket into my offset stick burner at midnight, it is now 11:30 AM (11-1/2 hours later). Wrapped it at 8 AM with IT at 165. Kept smoker at about 220 - 230 or so. Point IT is 201, flat IT is 205. Poke test in point: like soft butter. Poke test in flat - getting tender, but not room temp butter soft.

What to do.

Should I think that the flat is as tender as it is going to get?  If so, I could put it in a cooler to stand until 4 or 5 PM (dinner time) - beans won't be done until then. My cooking chamber temp is very controllable - it's at 210 right now. I can back it down a hair and just maintain 200. I was thinking that as long as it is wrapped, I might as well just leave it in the cook chamber at 200 - or even a bit lower if that is recommended. Any down side to that?

 

[doughboyb]

Throw it in a cooler. I've held them for upwards of 5 or 6 hours before it got down to the 140's. Don't waste the fuel to leave it on the smoker for another 4 hours.

 

[pianov]

Throw it in a cooler. I've held them for upwards of 5 or 6 hours before it got down to the 140's. Don't waste the fuel to leave it on the smoker for another 4 hours.

I do understand your point about wasting fuel, but the wood in my firebox will last at least several more hours, plus I like to let my beans thicken with the top off for an hour or two in the smoke/cooking chamber - point being that the smoker will be going that long anyway.

With reference to the brisket, is there any downside to keeping it at 200 in the cooking chamber.

 

[SmokinAl]

Yes you can keep it in the CC at 200 for several hours wrapped in foil.

I know it's done by now, so how did it turn out?

Al

 

[cksteele]

yeah the cooler is the best option i took my brisket off yesterday at 11 am  and served at 4pm  was still 160 degrees inside 

 

[pianov]

 
Yes you can keep it in the CC at 200 for several hours wrapped in foil.

I know it's done by now, so how did it turn out?

Al

Well, I'd say it was good. The three people joining me said it was good. And we all agree that I will smoke pork next time and that it will be a very long time before I BBQ another beef brisket, if ever. I don't know what else to say. Maybe mine was substandard, I don't know as this was the first time I've ever had brisket - so I don't have any reference beyond about 20 tons of BBQ pork ribs and shoulders. It was very tender and juicy - so I think it was up to snuff. And like I say, it WAS GOOD. Just not great like most of my pork efforts. I wish I could say otherwise, but my mother taught me to never lie.