Need brisket advice please.

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JustinLoos

Fire Starter
Original poster
May 17, 2020
41
24
Perrysburg, Ohio
Hello,


I just finished my first brisket cook. My flat turn out tender and juicy. However, the area with point and flat came out tough and dry. Here’s my cooking profile. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Prep
15.34 lbs. frozen packer (choice grade)
11.7 lbs. trimmed and thaw
11.5 lbs after 60 minutes in room temp
Light coat of mustard
Salt and pepper rub

Cook
Horizon 20” offset smoker
Wood - oak
Water pan

Temp probe on grate and in point
Brisket fat side up, point towards firebox

Cook target temp was 250. Actual range was 242-274

Point Temps
Start 48
1 hr 80
2 hr 118
3 hr 142 (first look, spritz every hr now)
4 hr 153
5 hr 161
6 hr 174
7 hr 184
8 hr 190
9 hr 195 (removed from offset)

Wrapped and Rested for 1.5 hours until internal temp dropped to 150. Didn’t wrap during cook because I never saw a stall. Which was surprising to me.

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The flat looks outstanding - maybe take the point and do burnt ends as that will give you a different flavor profile especially if you sauce it up nicely.
 
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I think it was undercooked. The point will nearly always get to temp and be probe tender first.

Did you check for probe tenderness is several places? Or did you go only by temp? Going only by temp is not a good plan as they all finish differently. There is no set done temp for briskets.
 
Interesting. Not seeing a large amount of fat in between the point and flat (last pic). Wondering if that contributed to the no stall. Pulling at 195º sounds a bit early especially for choice label but possible cause every brisket does its own thing. The tuff and dry can be an indicator of not enough time. Did you probe the flat all over for tenderness before pulling?

Edit: sandyut sandyut beat me to it :emoji_sunglasses:
 
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I ran probes simultaneously in the flat and point. However, I pulled the brisket when the point read 185.5 and flat was 195. I simply pulled the brisket when my first probe (the flat) hit 195. I did not check any tenderness.

What is a good technique for tenderness check? I’m thinking I undercooked this brisket by 1-2 hours then.
 
I ran probes simultaneously in the flat and point. However, I pulled the brisket when the point read 185.5 and flat was 195. I simply pulled the brisket when my first probe (the flat) hit 195. I did not check any tenderness.

What is a good technique for tenderness check? I’m thinking I undercooked this brisket by 1-2 hours then.
This may be the issue, most here probe with a wooden skewer. The brisket should offer little to no resistance when probing in the thickest part of the flat. It should feel like probing a jar of peanut butter to give you an idea. Most here, including myself go by tenderness, not IT when briskets are involved. That may or may not be the issue here but it works for me, every time.

It may have been slightly under done.

That said, it still looks fantastic and I'd not hesitate for a second to eat it. Great job!
 
Thank you! I’ll try this tomorrow. Doing my second brisket then. This brisket is prime instead of choice so I’m hoping that helps too.
 
I’m thinking I undercooked this brisket by 1-2 hours then.
Good thinking. Weird that the flat was 10°F higher than the point. Usually it's the other way around. If the flat was closest to the heat that could explain temps. Or a really thin flat.

Those temps are a little low. Temp is a guide, not a destination. I probe only the flat for tenderness, wrap in foil, then rest in a pan in a 170°F oven for 3-5 hours. It won't overcook and will melt any tough spots.
 
Thank you! I’ll try this tomorrow. Doing my second brisket then. This brisket is prime instead of choice so I’m hoping that helps too.
Prime will help, it will probably be juicier. Most start probing around the 195-200 mark. Post up a thread when you get er done tomorrow.
 
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Thank you! I’ll try this tomorrow. Doing my second brisket then. This brisket is prime instead of choice so I’m hoping that helps too.
Once the flat reaches 195* start paying attention by probing with a skewer or with a therm pen. At this point temperature is for reference only. The probe should go in and out like pushing into a jar of peanut butter. IT might be 200 might be 205 or sometimes closer to 210 the temp only matters to 195* because you are close, but not home yet.
 
I think it was undercooked. The point will nearly always get to temp and be probe tender first.

Did you check for probe tenderness is several places? Or did you go only by temp? Going only by temp is not a good plan as they all finish differently. There is no set done temp for briskets.
If you're lacking a meat probe to check for tenderness try thinking about it as a woman body builder, if she has buns of steel your brisket isn't done because the meat won't wiggle back and forth butt if you grab those buns ( the point ) and wiggle them when you let go it should still wiggle back and forth a little bit when you let go... I just couldn't explain it any simpler.
 
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Your temperatures for the brisket looks like it did not stall. When a brisket stalls the meat is trying to reduce the moisture content of the mate and they call that sweating just like you do when you're hot outside and your body sweats to cool you off same principle when you're cooking a large piece of meat. When the sweating is done the temperature of your meat will start to rise again.
 
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