I could use a little brisket advice

[strangerinblack]

First a little background. I posted this on FB this morning. I have a Grilla Silverbac pellet smoker.
A bit puzzled and looking for some answers. I had my GF put a roughly 10lb brisket on my SB at 0300 this morning. I got home from work at 0630 and stuck a wireless thermometer in it thinking I would be getting some sleep before it reached its stall and I would wrap it. The brisket temp was 163?? The SB was set at 240 and reading 245 when I checked it.
It's now 0730 and the brisket is at 190. It obviously cooked way too fast and I'm not sure why. The last one I did was roughly the same size and it took 12 hours...
I'm using Louisiana Brand pellets and have not had any problems with them. The pellets in the hopper are from the same bag I cooked the last brisket with.
I'm in central PA and it's in the upper 40's and raining however my grill is completely under cover.
I am meticulous about keeping my grill clean and had actually cleaned before leaving for work.
I'm going to pull it at 200 and stick it in a cooler for a few hours however I imagine the brisket will be over cooked.
So what went wrong?? Could there be some sort of issue with the SB's internal temp probe??
UPDATE....
Ok so the end result was disappointing. The brisket was cooked however it did not have that fall apart texture. It was more like a roast. I'm posting some pictures of the end result. Still not sure what went wrong with it.

 

[Bearcarver]

I don't think that would get to 190° in 4 1/2 hours with a Smoker Temp at 245°.

I would think that Therm is wrong.
It would be good to get an independent Wireless Therm, like a Maverick, so it's easy to test for accuracy at any time.

That Pic doesn't look like Brisket @ 200°. Looks more like 160°. IMO

Bear

 

[strangerinblack]

I don't think that would get to 190° in 4 1/2 hours with a Smoker Temp at 245°.

I would think that Therm is wrong.
It would be good to get an independent Wireless Therm, like a Maverick, so it's easy to test for accuracy at any time.

That Pic doesn't look like Brisket @ 200°. Looks more like 160°. IMO

Bear

I thought the same however I did check it with 3 separate thermometers. I honestly don't Think it was a mechanical/electrical fault from the smoker at this point. The best I can figure at this point is the brisket was long and maybe 4 inches at its thickest point. Maybe that had something to do with it??

 

[Bearcarver]

I only have 1 Brisket in my Step by Step Index, and that is a small 4 pound Flat.
And it took that one almost 10 hours to get to 200° with a 230° Smoker Temp.
Here's that whole Smoke:
Brisket Flat


Bear

 

[strangerinblack]

This is my second brisket. The first was approximately the same weight however it wasn't as long and was definitely thicker. It smoked for 12 hours and was perfect. Guess I still have a lot to learn!

 

[bregent]

What you need to take away from this is not to worry about the internal temperature. Learn to judge when the brisket is done by feeling the resistance when you insert a probe. There should be very little resistance.

 

[Bearcarver]

This is my second brisket. The first was approximately the same weight however it wasn't as long and was definitely thicker. It smoked for 12 hours and was perfect. Guess I still have a lot to learn!

I can't think of any other reason for getting to 190° in 4 1/2 hours with a 245° smoker, other than an inaccurate Therm.
Like mentioned above you can judge be feeling the resistance of a probe, but having a temperature probe in the center of a piece of meat will tell you when you get close & when it's done without having to open it up to probe for resistance.
That's why an accurate Therm is important. Most things are Smoke-Cooked to Temp, not to time, so it's highly important to have an accurate Therm.
It sounds like that First Brisket was perfect because after 12 hours, it was in the area of 200° when finished.

Bear

 

[troutman]

I too am puzzled that a 10# full packer (I assume that) cooked at that temperature was done that quickly. Something is definitely wrong. Did you wrap the meat at the stall or push through without? Did you or did you not rest the meat for a couple of hours in your cooler, sounds like you did not (that step is critical).

I agree with others that having a good Thermopen or other temperature device is necessary to monitor progress; however, a brisket is going to get done on its own time. You need to have the feel for the meat being at the right stage, the toothpick tender test, giving it a quick wabble shake tells you its right. If you go over that magic 203* mark you end up with shoe leather. If you're under 190* then, as you say, you get pot roast.

Somewhere in all that you missed the mark. But hey, that's what makes this fun. Stick to a proven formula and try again, you will get there !!!!

 

[bregent]

I too am puzzled that a 10# full packer (I assume that) cooked at that temperature was done that quickly.

But that's the point - it wasn't done. If you look at the picture and read his description, it's obvious it didn't cook long enough.

If you go over that magic 203* mark you end up with shoe leather. If you're under 190* then, as you say, you get pot roast.

There is no magic number. If you cook a brisket at higher temp, it can easily reach 205 or more and still be moist and tender. If you cook it low, it might finish at 190 and be fall apart tender. Collagen will break down at temps around 140. If you hold a brisket at that temp long enough, it will become tender. The higher the temp, the faster the connective tissue breaks down. A brisket doesn't become tender BECAUSE it reaches a certain temperature - that's just the temperature it arrived at by the time it was done.

If you have experience cooking similar size, using the same method and temperature, then you can start to use temperature as gauge for when it's close. But you frequently see folks ruin brisket because they think they need to pull at a specific temp.

 

[troutman]

I believe we are saying the same thing. My point in stating the "magic" 203* temp is what is generally considered the point of being done for briskets. As you say that can vary from 190-210*, so temperature should not be the only factor but feel and tenderness. Being married to a temperature probe can be misleading.

As to being done, I believe he didn't rest it. That may have carried his temperature to more desirable.

 

[bregent]

I believe we are saying the same thing. My point in stating the "magic" 203* temp is what is generally considered the point of being done for briskets. As you say that can vary from 190-210*, so temperature should not be the only factor but feel and tenderness. Being married to a temperature probe can be misleading.

As to being done, I believe he didn't rest it. That may have carried his temperature to more desirable.

Ah, got ya. Hard to tell from photos but the grain looks pretty tight - not sure if resting 2 hours would have solved that but couldn't hurt.