Fall Apart Brisket

[Hionhelis]

Jeff has an article on his site Amazingly Tender Smoked Brisket and most people talk about how tender it is and falls apart when they try to slice it. What I am trying to find out is what part of the process would need to be adjusted so it can be sliced and not fall apart but still be tender and juicy? Any assistance would be helpful.

Thank you

 

[Hijack73]

Every brisket is different. Falling apart is overcooked. I start paying real close attention to mine about 190. People say that you shouldn't feel resistance on the probe test but I think you should. Not much, but if you stick your probe into a jar of peanut butter or into a cake, that's what I look for. I pull most of mine between 193-195. It's rare I take one to 200.

Only about 75% of the flat is ever "perfect".

 

[SmokinAl]

As said above you overcooked it. Brisket is hard to get right, but with a little practice you will get it.
Al

 

[mike243]

Well the good thing with fall apart meat is the left overs, when it comes out of the fridge it will slice perfectly and still retain moisture if wrapped good, so serve pulled the first day and sliced the 2nd lol

 

[Hionhelis]

Thank you all for the input, I will see how it works out today with the flat I have on the smoker now.

 

[Hionhelis]

Well that was a swing and a miss today. Not sure what went wrong, I had it in the smoker for 5hrs, then put it in a pan and covered with foil, it was at 145*. I let it reach 190* before I started checking for tenderness and kept checking till it reach 205* before I pulled it off to rest. I checked several areas to insure temp was the same or close. Every time I checked it for tenderness it was the same and was afraid to have it way overcooked. SO I took it out of the foil pan (which had lots of juice in it) and put in a cooler with it wrapped in foil and towels for 2 hours. I got it out to slice and chow down. Unfortunately I found I had a kind of tough and kind of dry brisket. I cut from different areas but all were the same. Was kind of an expensive learning lesson without knowing was the issue was. I cut it up put some juice on it and tossed it in the fridge and will use some of it to make Jeff's Cowboy Brisket Baked Bean and see how those are.

If anyone has some feedback I would be glad to hear it.

Thanks

 

[Displaced Texan]

My guess is the foil kept the temp high so it did not really rest. So, when you sliced it, it dried up quickly since the muscle had not rested properly. I would wrap in butcher paper, not foil.

 

[bauchjw]

Was it tender at 205 or were you worried about temp? I’ve gone to 209 IT for tender before. It wasn’t fun, kind of like probing on faith!

 

[schlotz]

So you were smoking just a flat vs a whole packer? Flats are more difficult to get right. 145º seems low for a stall to have begun. I would have expected the stall to commence closer to 155-165º. What temp you were smoking at? Have you verified your grate temps with a calibrated therm? Built-in therms are notorious for not being accurate. Putting it in a pan covered for a long period under heat along with the mention of a lot of juices when removing it sounds to me like the issue. IMO, at the stall the choice is to either ride it out or tightly wrap in butcher paper. Check out this version from SmokinAl . It's good solution for smoking a flat.

 

[Ringer]

How long did you let it rest before going into the cooler?

 

[Hionhelis]

The brisket was a flat, it never really felt tender when doing a probe test even at 205, I was smoking at 225. When I pulled it off the smoker at 205 I took it right out of the pan wrapped in foil and straight to the cooler and let it rest for 2hrs. I use a "Smoke" and a Thermopen for checking and monitoring temps.

 

[unclebubbas bbq]

Smoked Brisket for Game Day - Learn to Smoke Meat with Jeff Phillips

It's no secret that I love smoked brisket in all it's beefy, delicious goodness whether it's sliced, chopped, or made into burnt ends. I love the stuff.

www.Smoking-Meat.com

This is one that Jeff previously done

 

[Ringer]

The brisket was a flat, it never really felt tender when doing a probe test even at 205, I was smoking at 225. When I pulled it off the smoker at 205 I took it right out of the pan wrapped in foil and straight to the cooler and let it rest for 2hrs. I use a "Smoke" and a Thermopen for checking and monitoring temps.

The wrapping and straight to the cooler part could have lead to overcooking. Most folks here let them rest for at least 1 and up to 2 hrs on the counter before going into holding. The temp will continue to rise if not left to rest before the cooler. I'm sure others will chime in but that's what it sounds like from here. As noted above, flats are generally harder to cook.

Some briskets probe tender at 200 and some it takes more, my first one was 210+

 

[gmc2003]

I don't do the cooler nap unless they're done well before dinner time. Just tent in foil sitting on the cutting board until they're cool enough for me to hold with my hand comfortably. One question though. Are you slicing with or against the grain. This can make a big difference in texture. Always cut against the grain.

Chris

 

[Hionhelis]

It was sliced across the grain.

 

[schlotz]

IMO smoked too slowly in a covered pan allowed the meat to discharge alot of moisture. Add to that like Ringer said, going straight into a cooler without cooling off a bit first allowed it to continue cooking, most likely to an overcooked state.