My first Brisket a Little Dry

[placebo]

Well instead of a tri tip I got a 4.25 pound brisket to smoke this weekend. I rubbed it and put in the fridge overnight. Put in smoker at 225 and smoked until about 140. When it reached 170 I wrapped in foil, I did the best I could to wrap the foil around the temp probes and keep as tight a seal as possible. I sprayed some special sauce on before wrapping also. Then after about 6 hour total cooking time it was at 184 and I pulled the probes, wrapped in another layer of HD foil, wrapped in a towel then placed in blanket lined cooler for about an hour and a half. I did take pics but I will have to post them later when I get home. The meat was very tasty and had just the right amount of smoke but it was a bit on the dry side. I tend to like me meat on the moister side. Any suggestions on how to get these to come out moister?

Thanks!

 

[gypsyseagod]

maybe add a drip pan underneath & add the juice to the foil. was it a lean(fat trimmed) brisket? usually on those smaller cuts they trim off the fat. i like a packer brisket w/a nice fat cap- you pay for the weight but it makes all the difference in cooking it.-imho

 

[placebo]

Sorry, I forgot to mention I did have a drip pan full of water, onions, and garlic. The cut was a bit on the lean side, only had a small fat cap that covered about a third of one side. Maybe a half inch thick at best.

 

[gypsyseagod]

that could be why. also,on a smaller cut without much fat i'd go w/ fat side up.

 

[keywesmoke]

There's an argument that the water pan does little to contribute to the moisture content of the meat. Some feel it merely acts as a "battery", storing heat energy so the smoke chamber can return to temperature after the door/lid is opened. I've noticed very little evaporation from my water pan, which sort of supports the "battery" theory. Just my dos pesos.

 

[placebo]

I was wondering about that also. I had looked at another thread that was using a packer brisket and I noticed it was put in fat side down so I did the same. Lesson learned! Thank you so much for the quick reply!

 

[gypsyseagod]

yw.- on a packer fat side up or down is preference. i like mine fat up to let the meat baste itself.

 

[mwc115]

I'm thinking it was the lean cut/size. I just did my first brisket (8lbs) a couple weeks ago. It was the 2nd thing I tried smoking one and I had no idea what I was doing. I found one that had a nice amount of fat and figured you throw it in fat side up. I didn't even measure the temperature of the meat. I just cooked it for 3 hours, wrapped it, 3 more hours, took it off and cut it right up and it was perfect.

 

[bigal]

My .02. Buy an 8# packer, smoke at 225 fat down, foil at 170, pull off at 205, rest for 2hrs, slice as thin as possible..........that will be about 1/2" w/elec knife. Any thinner and it will want to be pulled brisket. Add juice after it has been sliced, stick in fridge for 12hrs. Reheat in microwave or bout anything and it will be great.

Just trust me on this one.

 

[cascadedad]

BigAl, Approximately how long will it take to hit the 170 mark and then finally the 205 mark? I am assuming using the 1 1/2 hour/pound rule of thumb, the total time will be about 12 hours, correct?

 

[deejaydebi]

I do mine up and down I'm a flipper!

 

[bigal]

yes & no. 1.5hr/# is a general "rule of thumb", but it can take as little as 1hr/# and as much as 2/#.

Figure at least 1.5/# and give yourself an extra 2-4hrs. I generally go by temp, but sometimes when you feel the brisket........well it just isn't done yet. Stick a meat thermom into it after 205, if it goes in like butter it's done, if not wait 1/2-1 hr.

Smok'n by "time" is just not gonna give you what you want. Trial & error, and learn'n what YOU want is best. What I say is good may be crap to you. Ya just gotta experiment.

The experiment is the best part of this hobby, ya just never know when it's "perfect".

 

[cascadedad]

Just looking for ballpark numbers for planning purposes. Thanks.