First time brisket cook...a couple questions

[912smoker]

A

This is exactly my thought. I shouldn't have a burst of stem when unwrapping in foil, and that's precisely what happened! Next time I will absolutely do that when I do a rest, but for the very next time I'm going to go no rest.

A rest is an important part of the brisket cook as tallbm and others have said. He (and most) include that in the projected cook time.

I pull from the smoker when probe tender all over. Set on counter with temp probes still attached. When the temp starts dropping I wrap the paper wrapped brisket in saran wrap and put her to sleep in a towel lined cooler for up to 4 hrs.
I want to save all of the liquid gold to add back in to the slices.
Good luck on your cook !

Keith

 

[JckDanls 07]

I want to save all of the liquid gold to add back in to the slices.

For those that inject.. Before injecting, Make extra to use in the drip pan... First, take the brisket out of the cryovac pac .... Saving the blood... Add this blood to the injection concockshun and stir it in... Blood is beef flavor... put it back in the meat.... Pour the left over juice in a foil pan and put underneath the brisket to catch juices.... While meat is done and resting defat the juice in the drip pan an use that juice to put your sliced brisket back in it...

 

[fendersrule]

Nice recovery on the brisket!
Chopping and mixing in bbq sauce will do wonders. If it is ever under cooked you just do this same approach and reheat in the oven or a crock pot and boom still good to go.

You asked about timing (probably the major reason most people have issues with making a brisket).
At a steady 275F smoker temp it takes my briskets (run naked the whole time never opening the smoker, not wrapped or spritzed) about 1 hour 5-7min per pound until the brisket may start to probe tender all over... especially in the thickest center-most portion of the flat muscle. The flat will always tender up last, it's the problem child.

So if I have 11 pounds of brisket going into the smoker then it will likely probe tender somewhere around 12 hours.
But WAIT.... don't plan for an 12 hour smoke.
Instead add an additional 4 hours to your planned cooking time.

This means you plan for the smoke to take 16 hours.
If you want to eat at noon on a Saturday, you would have this brisket in a hot smoker 16 hours before which would be 8pm the Friday night before.

Why add 4 hours???
Because if the brisket doesn't tender up within the expected time frame (about 12 hours for this 11 pounds example) then you have 4 more hours for it to cook and tender up before serving time.
If it does tender up 4 hours before then fantastic!!! You simply tightly wrap in 2 layers of foil and then wrap in 3 bath towels and set on the dinner table and it will be piping hot 4-5 hours later and ready to slice, serve, and eat!

This kind of understanding and planning will definitely help with your next brisket attempt.
You were pretty close to making a great brisket but I think the time planning got you like it gets most people.

I do a briskets all year long living here in brisket land (TX). They go on sale here about every 2 months and I usually do 2 at a time so I average about 1 brisket a month. In case you want to know about my brisket cooking experience :D

I hope this info helps but as you know there is still a lot more involved with a brisket smoke. Ask all the questions you have :D

I totally get this. Appreciate your response. I don't think the planning got me--I planned to cook nearly until midnight + a rest in a warming oven. So the plan was successsfully executed. Exactly what I expected, until I tried it the next day.

I'm sure I'm not the only one that thinks that brisket shouldn't be a 24 hour slave ordeal (sleeping counts as well). I'm sure there are tried and true methods to where you can cook until tender, and let er rest as you actually get sleep, recharge during the weekend (you know, when you're off from work), and the next day enjoy your creation. Leaving it in a "cooler" for 8-hours doesn't work--that's a 2-3 hour thing. So I chose the warming oven route after letting it cool to 176F. That didn't work. The only guess I have, is that I chose to wrap it in foil. That means you are trapping moisture. It would have been better to leave it wrapped in paper, and place it in a foil pan to collect the goodies. Can I guarantee success if this were the case? Not sure, but to me it makes sense. Unwrapping meat in a 150F oven shouldn't have a burst of steam come out. That means you basically made oven food. Steamed!

Again, my plan was to cook until tender, then let it sit 12 hours at 150F. Wake up, invite friends, eat! Instead, I made a pot-roasty brisket. I was honestly worried because the flat wasn't buttery smooth, but probed at a modest 194F before pulling it. The point was dead on. Little did I know, that was the least of my concern when trying it the next day. I hoenstly think I cooked the brisket nearly perfectly. Yes, it sliced decently. Wasn't quite fall apart. Yes, people liked it. But I personally was not happy. I want the best. Once you hit the pot-roast phase, that "taste" overrides the smoke. Re-purposing it however makes it excellent. That's my saving grace.

My next brisket cook will be a wake-up-at-5AM thing, start right away, and serve at 6-8. If it's done at 6, great. If it's done at 8, then so be it. Eat.

Side note for those that care: according to the MEATER + app, I lost nearly 1.5 hours of cook time wrapping it. Honestly, I hate and despise wrapping and think it's mostly a waste of time for everything else I've ever cooked through experience. I do NOT wrap pork butt anymore, nor do I wrap ribs. Used to, but just don't find it necessary because it actually slows down time and reduces smoke flavor. Brisket may be a different animal because you're trying to hold it + add juices to it. Plus, it's a bug hunk of meat. :)

 

[fendersrule]

A
A rest is an important part of the brisket cook as tallbm and others have said. He (and most) include that in the projected cook time.

I pull from the smoker when probe tender all over. Set on counter with temp probes still attached. When the temp starts dropping I wrap the paper wrapped brisket in saran wrap and put her to sleep in a towel lined cooler for up to 4 hrs.
I want to save all of the liquid gold to add back in to the slices.
Good luck on your cook !

Keith

Thanks Keith. As my above response noted, we humans need sleep. I'm 38 and I'm saying this :) There needs to be a tried and true method to spending nearly an entire day cooking + resting + enjoying the next day.

 

[912smoker]

Oh there is. Do a search for "Hot and Fast".
Most competition brisket cooks are at °300 . Greatly reduces the cook time with negligible different in taste or texture.
I start out at 325 for 30 min or so and .the meat plumps up like a football .
Well...not that big lol.

Keith

 

[tallbm]

I totally get this. Appreciate your response. I don't think the planning got me--I planned to cook nearly until midnight + a rest in a warming oven. So the plan was successsfully executed. Exactly what I expected, until I tried it the next day.

I'm sure I'm not the only one that thinks that brisket shouldn't be a 24 hour slave ordeal (sleeping counts as well). I'm sure there are tried and true methods to where you can cook until tender, and let er rest as you actually get sleep, recharge during the weekend (you know, when you're off from work), and the next day enjoy your creation. Leaving it in a "cooler" for 8-hours doesn't work--that's a 2-3 hour thing. So I chose the warming oven route after letting it cool to 176F. That didn't work. The only guess I have, is that I chose to wrap it in foil. That means you are trapping moisture. It would have been better to leave it wrapped in paper, and place it in a foil pan to collect the goodies. Can I guarantee success if this were the case? Not sure, but to me it makes sense. Unwrapping meat in a 150F oven shouldn't have a burst of steam come out. That means you basically made oven food. Steamed!

Again, my plan was to cook until tender, then let it sit 12 hours at 150F. Wake up, invite friends, eat! Instead, I made a pot-roasty brisket. I was honestly worried because the flat wasn't buttery smooth, but probed at a modest 194F before pulling it. The point was dead on. Little did I know, that was the least of my concern when trying it the next day. I hoenstly think I cooked the brisket nearly perfectly. Yes, it sliced decently. Wasn't quite fall apart. Yes, people liked it. But I personally was not happy. I want the best. Once you hit the pot-roast phase, that "taste" overrides the smoke. Re-purposing it however makes it excellent. That's my saving grace.

My next brisket cook will be a wake-up-at-5AM thing, start right away, and serve at 6-8. If it's done at 6, great. If it's done at 8, then so be it. Eat.

Side note for those that care: according to the MEATER + app, I lost nearly 1.5 hours of cook time wrapping it. Honestly, I hate and despise wrapping and think it's mostly a waste of time for everything else I've ever cooked through experience. I do NOT wrap pork butt anymore, nor do I wrap ribs. Used to, but just don't find it necessary because it actually slows down time and reduces smoke flavor. Brisket may be a different animal because you're trying to hold it + add juices to it. Plus, it's a bug hunk of meat. :)

Ah I hear ya.

My solution for a lot of these sticking points is that I sleep while it cooks lol.
I run an electric smoker (MES40) rewired with a PID controller and use the AMNPS tray + mailbox mod for 12 hours of perfect smoke.
I also smoke at 275F unwrapped the whole time. If you don't wrap your butts then you don't have to wrap the brisket just put the brisket on rack and that rack on a foil pan and boom you can catch a lot of stuff in it... if it produces juices. Often it doesn't produce too much BUT you can put the excess trimmed fat in there and you have smoked and rendered tallow :D

So basically follow your pork butt approach but add the check for tenderness testing and non-wrapping brisket specific things and you should be able to produce a good brisket. Also know that the best place to put a temp probe on a brisket is the thickest yet center-most portion of the Flat muscle. It tenders up last.
If you see it drying out I think wrapping around 190F with a little water or liquid (1-2floz) you should be alright. This is what I do with my chucks as they need wrapping to not dry out. My briskets don't need wrapping BUT the MES holds moisture well.

I wonder if a water pan steaming up will also help keep your brisket from having any drying out issues if you wanted to roll naked the whole time.

Anyhow, lots of stuff to think on and tweak for the next attempt

 

[BarbecueFAQ]

Greatly reduces the cook time with negligible different in taste or texture.

I disagree with this regarding texture.

Most of my hot and fast cooks are done on a PBC, on the grill grates - brisket fat side down and rotated 90 degrees every 45-60 minutes (whenever I add a new wood chunk).

The meat is tender - it'll pass a bend test and tear test, but when you go to bite into it, it's not that melt in your mouth sensation that you get from a Low and Slow brisket.

Almost like the muscle fibers are still rigid and filled with moisture - I'd equate it to be more prime ribby. Still tender but not the equivalent of Low and Slow - in my opinion.

Fat render also isn't even close to comparable - whether we're talking seam fat or intramuscular.

--

Although you can't beat the cook time (which is why it's popular with the comp. scene). If I need to eat the meat the same day, I'm smoking it in 6 hours in my PBC and resting for 2.

If I want a better tasting brisket and I have the time, I'm going low and slow and holding overnight in my electric smoker until noon the next day.

What's that saying, opinions are like...

 

[fendersrule]

Thought I'd update this! I did some investigative work, and decided to probe the grate level in the electric smoker. I think If ound the issue. 150F on the dial = 190F on the grate.

 

[schlotz]

Thought I'd update this! I did some investigative work, and decided to probe the grate level in the electric smoker. I think If ound the issue. 150F on the dial = 190F on the grate.

^^^This is why to never trust built-in therms. Best use of money is on a known calibrated reporting therm. There are a number of options to chose from. I use one from ThermoWorks.

 

[Dustin Dorsey]

I've held a brisket in a turkey roaster for 20 hours. I let the brisket vent down to 170 before putting it in there. I make sure and put a probe in there and calibrated it to run at 150 or lower. I'd prefer 140 but it's just what I can manage with the fluctuations of the turkey roaster. The heat is around the walls of the roaster which is better than the the heat coming from the bottom of an electric smoker. But the bottom up heat can be managed with a water pan and then calibrating your temp better. Sounds like you have it troubleshooted though. There's just no substitute for experience. And just when you think you have it all figured out something new will come up.

 

[schlotz]

Isn't the general consensus that for food safety the temp needs to be kept at a minimum of 150º ?

 

[fendersrule]

140+ actually.