My 1st Brisket some advice

[Rever]

Hello,
So I have a Pit Boss Series 5 Vertical Pellet smoker. I smoked my first Brisket (point only) 4.5 lbs yesterday. It took about 9 hours at 225-250 to reach an IT of 208. I smoked it bare till IT of 155 and then wrapped it with Bone Broth, Worcester and Water. I removed it at IT 208 and wrapped in cooler for 1 hr. The meat looked decent with an OK bark and smoke ring along with being juicy. However, it was not as tender as I expected it to be. Was there anything I did wrong or could have done better?

 

[texomakid]

Nice looking bark and a beautiful smoke ring. The point is typically the more forgiving end of the brisket due to the higher fat content. If you're cooking a Select grade vs a Choice or Prime it will be leaner but I usually have really good luck with the point. 208 should have been plenty high on temp. Might have just been the meat? Always cut across the grain and slice thin. The Point is also great for making burnt ends which will cook a little longer and have bolder taste from the extra rubs & sauces added when cubed.

 

[Electric88]

Smoke ring looks great!

Usually with brisket, I'll go by IT and feel. When IT gets close, I'll probe with a thermometer and if it feels soft going in (like into peanut butter I've heard as a comparison) then I'll remove then and let sit for an hour or more.

I need to find a place that sells just the point around me!

 

[thirdeye]

... I removed it at IT 208 and wrapped in cooler for 1 hr. The meat looked decent with an OK bark and smoke ring along with being juicy. However, it was not as tender as I expected it to be. Was there anything I did wrong or could have done better?

It looks very good. You did everything right.... just not enough of everything right.

It's nice to know the internal temperature, but it's best to pay attention to the resistance the probe has both when going in and when coming out. You can also probe with an ice pick, a bamboo skewer, or a larger diameter cocktail toothpick. So, don't rely solely on internal temperature, trust how it feels, it will eventually become tender.

There are a couple of things you could have done to make the cook easier and maybe better. Injection generally helps a brisket, both in the flavor and the moistness department. Because the point muscle is so fatty, you could have removed that section of intermuscular fat, and while you were at it you could have butterflied out the knobby end to make the thickness more consistent. This would have made it lay flatter in the smoker and cook more even both before and during the wrapped step. Longer cooler time really benefits a brisket. In this photo my butterfly work was on the end on the right, it was close to 3" thick, so I just kept working in down. The second photo shows it in the same position after the wrapped step.

 

[ristau5741]

only thing that will get you better is practice, practice, practice. For your first brisket, seems like it turned out well.

I always insert a toothpick before I cook, across the grain. sometimes it's no so easy to figure out the grain after the meat is cooked.

 

[Rever]

Thanks for the recommendation and info everyone very much appreciated. I like the idea of practice practice practice as it means more brisket.