Last Two Smoked Briskets

[BaldEagleOne]

I have smoked 3 briskets and am batting .333. My first packer brisket, a prime from Costco, was perfect. The second packer was also a prime from Costco, which ended up dry and not too tender. And the third was a prewrapped corn beef flat from Costco. It ended up not tender and with a rubbery texture, so I'm going to thinly slice it on the slicer. Jeff' process in all 3 cases was followed closely. The next time I fire up the CC, I'll stick a Smoke probe in the chamber to check temp against CC's. That leaves meat selection. I've had no problems smoking loin steaks and roasts and I'd sure like to better my chances for a tender, tasty brisket. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[gmc2003]

Dry and not tender sounds like it was under cooked.

Smoking a corned beef to pastrami is like smoking a regular brisket. It will probably be done in the 200* to 205* range.

Every cut of meat is a little different, and will reach the golden state when they're ready. It may be 190, 195 200 205 or higher(not often). The temp of the meat is a guide to start checking for tenderness with some type of probe - think skewer.

Also make sure you cut across the grain.

Chris

 

[JckDanls 07]

How are you choosing to tell when it's done ? IT (internal temp) ? Probing for tenderness ??

I see Chris got here before me... So I am pretty much asking the same thing Chris is ...

 

[schlotz]

What temp did you smoke at? Verifying your grate temps is important. Prime packers are a very good way to go. Look for 14-17# cause you'll end up trimming off 3-4#. If you are going to wrap, use butcher paper and wait until it has been in the stall for a bit. I usually wait until the IT is 168-172º.

 

[BaldEagleOne]

I monitored the smoke with a probe. When it got to 140, as per Jeff, I put it in a foil pan and covered it. When it was about 195F, I tested it and it seemed tender. It was then rested for just over 2 hours.

Just thinking about what you guys have said, at the stall the first packer was wrapped in butcher paper. The other two were in covered foil pans. Could that the problem?

 

[schlotz]

IMO 140º seems low for a stall to begin. I usually see the stall start to occur somewhere between 150-160º. As said earlier, every brisket can be different. At the end of the day whatever method provides a satisfying result to the individual is the only thing that is important. Nothing wrong with Jeff's approach. Personally, I didn't like using aluminum because it ended up with a taste more like pot roast, but I believe that was due to wrapping in alum foil and doing it too early. Nevertheless, after that attempt I switched to paper and not wrapping until it had been in the stall for a while, ergo the previous comment about waiting until the 168-172º range. BTW: you don't have to wrap at all, many people don't.

 

[BaldEagleOne]

IMO 140º seems low for a stall to begin. I usually see the stall start to occur somewhere between 150-160º. As said earlier, every brisket can be different. At the end of the day whatever method provides a satisfying result to the individual is the only thing that is important. Nothing wrong with Jeff's approach. Personally, I didn't like using aluminum because it ended up with a taste more like pot roast, but I believe that was due to wrapping in alum foil and doing it too early. Nevertheless, after that attempt I switched to paper and not wrapping until it had been in the stall for a while, ergo the previous comment about waiting until the 168-172º range. BTW: you don't have to wrap at all, many people don't.

Thanks. But what is the difference if it is wrapped before or after the stall? As far a wrapping, next time I plan to use butcher paper.

 

[schlotz]

The stall can last a few hours. The wrapping, also referred to as the Texas Crutch, helps the brisket push through the stall faster. I personally like to get the color of the bark to a point I like which usually is around the fore-mentioned IT. Wrapping also hinders (butcher paper) smoke absorption so wrapping earlier isn't what I'm looking to do. Again this is all personal choice.