Do I need to inject my brisket to make sure its tender?

[husker3in4]

It turned out good, and bad.. lol. Had I not had thermometer issues, it would have been better. Being that I couldnt get an alarm when it hit temp for me to start checking it, it way over cooked at 213 degrees. When I probed it, it felt like jello so I thought Id still be good, but the problem was it was 930am and I wasnt serving it til 4pm. So it sat in a cooler with towels for 4+ hours until I had to move it to the oven at 150 to keep it around 150 til serving. So the bad part is, I cooked it fat side up, so the lean side was down and got leathery for about 1/8" into the flat. The rest of the flat however was delicious. Good flavor, pretty tender - although not quite as juicy. So.. hopefully I will hear back from thermalpro about my meat probe, Ive only had it since august and this was my 4th use of it. Way too early for it to crap on me.

 

[husker3in4]

Qview:

 

[bregent]

So the bad part is, I cooked it fat side up, so the lean side was down and got leathery for about 1/8" into the flat.

You could well of had the same issue if you cooked it fat down. In order for it to get to 213, most of the moisture had to be gone - so it's not surprising the outside got tough. Still, looks like it was good eating.

 

[husker3in4]

Yeah, it was still pretty tasty. The biggest issue was all the yummy bark was burnt up on the leathery side, so that is a flavor loss. The meat itself was still tasty, even on the reheat.

So for future reference and timing, am I to assume 1hr per lb, flat or whole?

 

[troutman]

Man I hate to repeat what was said over and over but 12 hours today could be 14-16 tomorrow. Brisket is done when its done, its about the probe. But I hear what you are saying, figure about an hour per pound as a go by only. Give yourself more time than you think by a couple of hours, but not by half a day !!!

 

[husker3in4]

Right, I get that. But If Im going to smoke something for 5pm tomorrow, Id like to have a ballpark idea for planning.