Final temp

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Varies quite a bit for each piece of meat. I would start checking it for "doneness" around 195. But it may not get "done" until 205 or even a bit higher. To check, stick a probe thermometer in the thick part of the meat. There should be very little resistance, much like sticking a probe thermometer into a stick of room temperature butter.

Hope this helps.
 
Hi there and welcome!
I pull my brisket when it passes the tenderness test. I stab it all around with a wooden skewer or toothpic and when it goes in all over like butter then it has passed, if not I let it rise another degree or 2 and try again until it passes.

To answer your question the tenderness test is usually passed around 202-204F for me. This is wrapped and these days unwrapped.

NOW, probing a brisket is a tricky thing. You should have your probe in the Flat and in the thickest center most portion of the flat. I run 3 meat probes in my flat and I tell you it is crazy in there. I usually get 1 of the 3 in proper placement and that is usually the lowest of the 3 reading 202-204F the tenderness test is passed when it is all said and done.

Again brisket tells you it is done when it is tender, not at a specific temp. The temp just tells you to check for tenderness :)
 
I'll clarify my post a little here.
I can only test for doneness after it is wrapped and I have a probe in it the whole time after it's wrapped.
With this in mind, I'm relegated to go by temp. So, I'm kinda of looking for an average pull off temp.
 
Average temp is around 203-205 mark. But at the same time it can vary from 197-208 even 210. Even wrapped a toothpick / skewer test will let you know with no harm. What are you wrapping it in? Let us know how it turns out.
 
For me, the magic number is 203°F.

I came up with this number from Aaron Franklin and it's works well for me. Just make sure to take several temperature readings from different parts of your beef brisket.
 
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I also have seen where testing should be done in the "flat". If I toothpick that area, I'll certainly have juices running out.
 
I'll clarify my post a little here.
I can only test for doneness after it is wrapped and I have a probe in it the whole time after it's wrapped.
With this in mind, I'm relegated to go by temp. So, I'm kinda of looking for an average pull off temp.

You could easily wrap in a fashion that allows you to have probes in as well as do tenderness testing without loosing juices, piercing the foil, and while still being to open and close the foil without issue to check for tenderness.

A brisket is done when it is tender. If you want to chance it without checking for tenderness then your best bet is to go to 205F+. It will be tender but as you go higher you run into the chances that you will end up with pulled/shredded beef vs sliced brisket BUT it definitely will NOT be tough and dry.
I LOVE pulled/shredded beef and honestly I like my brisket this way in sandwich form more than sliced.
You just have to understand that if you are going to chance missing your expectations of what you want out of the brisket, end up with a great tasting edible option by going a little too far rather than a tough and dry (undercooked) option if you pull to early.
 
I had a brisket finish at 193F last year. One of the reasons I typically don't wrap is because it does make it more difficult to probe for tenderness.
 
I would say that briskets cook different from cook to cook. Sometimes by a very narrow margin, sometimes by a lot. I have had tough pieces of meat just take forever to go tender. Point being, each cow is different so each cook is a little different.

Probe tender in the thickest part of the flat...
 
Lets say I dont wrap until “Done”, and wrap after.
What do I lose?

Is it a full untrimmed packer? If so I say you lose nothing.
If it is just a flat then I believe you risk making a dryer brisket but I will defer to those out there who smoke a lot of flats. I do whole packers and should I do a flat alone I would treat it like a chuck roast which means I would definitely wrap it to avoid drying it out since the flat is quite lean on it's own.
 
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