Help me understand this brisket please

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mark a

Newbie
Original poster
Jun 30, 2014
13
14
Morrisville, PA
So I picked up a Prime whole packer at Sam’s about 3 weeks ago. It was just over 12 pounds, so a little on the small side. I picked it because it has a nice bend to it and figured I’d give it a shot.

I may have jumped the gun and gotten a bit too excited and exceeded my current skill set. I watched Matt Pitman’s video on YouTube for burnt ends and decided to follow his directions and filet back the flat from the point and not fully separate the two. I put it on the smoker at 4 AM @ 250 on the dot, thinking I had at least 8 or 9 hours ahead of me and figured we would eat at 6 PM. I checked it at 8 and my Camp Chef probe was reading 145 ish. Ok, right on track I thought. Checked again at 9 and it was around 155. Went out to verify with my Thermapen at 10 and the flat was reading a bit higher than the probe. The point on the other hand was 200! And butter smooth to boot. My first brisket was a little tough, but boy I now know how it is supposed to feel.

I brought it inside to wrap and probed a few more spots. Yep, 205 in one spot and 203 in another. Well, I decided at that point to separate them and just put the flat back on. I cubed the point and dusted with some more rub, coated with BBQ sauce and back in the smoker they went.

What happened here? Did I pull it way too soon and completely overreact ? How did the point cook so quickly? I realize it was a smaller piece of meat, but this just didn’t make sense. I have been confident in my Camp Chef Woodwind 24 as far as temperature control goes. I have the PID controller with the app and check it on a consistent basis and have never noticed temp issues. It is only a few months old and has made me great food up until this point. I guess this is how we learn. Thanks for the help all!

p.s. that gash in the flat isn’t from me! I couldn’t see that through the cryovac bag.
 

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You did a wonderful job on the trimming and the cook progress looks top notch! The points usually tender up before the flat, so that is normal. But points can handle a lot of rendering. You were not wrong is separating the muscles, but it may have been better to re-season the whole point and cook it for another 2 or 3 hours.... then make your burnt ends. It's nice to know what range of internal temps you have over time, but you need to "cook" a brisket tender, and judge that by "feel", not rely too heavily on temperature readings. A good example of this is my elevation (5400') so water boils at 203°, and I can't get a brisket much higher than that. So, I might hit 203°, but it still feels tight. It might take 2 or 3 more hours, still at 203°, before the brisket tenders up.
 
You did a wonderful job on the trimming and the cook progress looks top notch! The points usually tender up before the flat, so that is normal. But points can handle a lot of rendering. You were not wrong is separating the muscles, but it may have been better to re-season the whole point and cook it for another 2 or 3 hours.... then make your burnt ends. It's nice to know what range of internal temps you have over time, but you need to "cook" a brisket tender, and judge that by "feel", not rely too heavily on temperature readings. A good example of this is my elevation (5400') so water boils at 203°, and I can't get a brisket much higher than that. So, I might hit 203°, but it still feels tight. It might take 2 or 3 more hours, still at 203°, before the brisket tenders up.

I appreciate the advice and thanks for the kind words!

Instead of separating like I did at that point (and piggybacking off of your recommendation) would it have been an option to just ride out the entire cook with a whole brisket? Or at that point does it make the most sense to separate, apply more seasoning, then cook for the additional hours? Realistically, how much of a chance do you have to overcook the point?Besides probing for texture, is there an internal temp that would be wise to stay away from?

In fewer words, if it was probe tender at 205* what is the risk to let it go until the flat is done? Thanks again! Also, here is the “burnt ends that I ended up with after another hour on the smoker. Maybe they weren’t true burnt ends after all. Still, they were tender and delicious!
 

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The point will cook faster than the flat. Point has a lot of fat.
Brisket is done when it is probe tender in the thickest part of the flat.
When it's probe tender pull and sit uncovered on the counter for 15 minutes "Stops cooking"
Wrap and then rest.
 
I appreciate the advice and thanks for the kind words!

Instead of separating like I did at that point (and piggybacking off of your recommendation) would it have been an option to just ride out the entire cook with a whole brisket? Or at that point does it make the most sense to separate, apply more seasoning, then cook for the additional hours? Realistically, how much of a chance do you have to overcook the point?Besides probing for texture, is there an internal temp that would be wise to stay away from?

In fewer words, if it was probe tender at 205* what is the risk to let it go until the flat is done? Thanks again! Also, here is the “burnt ends that I ended up with after another hour on the smoker. Maybe they weren’t true burnt ends after all. Still, they were tender and delicious!
I can tell you that the burnt ends I ate in the 1970's are nothing like some of the burnt ends made or served today, especially in BBQ competitions. In the mid 2000's when BBQ Pitmasters and other BBQ reality shows came out, burnt ends changed into 'cubes' of point. Now your burnt ends are actually the style I like which we called 'brownies' or just dry burnt ends. They are smoky, peppery, can have a light char to the bark, and parts are almost crisp, but the centers are super tender. They can be served with sauce at the table. But guess what, they are not necessarily cubes.
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Back to your questions.... 1) Sure, you could have kept the point attached, but you would have missed out on the extra seasoning and smokiness of a burnt end. 2) And yes, it's really hard to overcook a point. It will eventually become a shred-able piece of meat, then start to dry out. 3) I would say stay away from any internal temperature that does not feel right. I know that's a cop out, but on the heavy BBQ meats internal temp is my last judge of doneness. When smoking a prime rib on the other hand, I actually use an internal probe. 4) If your point probes tender (at 205° or 195° or whatever) but the flat has not tendered up yet, you can generally continue the cook and the point will not suffer. Or you could wrap which would helper tender the flat, but offer some protection to the point.

Another style of burnt ends, which I also like, would be kind where the sauce is reduced for maybe an hour at very low pit temps. I make these for guests because the majority of people like sauce on their BBQ and can't experience these in any restaurant, other than a few good ones in KC or central Texas. The amount of sauce is up to you.
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For what it's worth lets not forget the pig.... you can make butt burnt ends and belly burnt ends that are quite good too.
 
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