Not dense brisket

[drdachel]

Hi All,

New to this forum. I've done about 10 briskets in my life. Most went well using a simple charcoal smoker or an electric one that I just got rid of. This last one I used a new Traeger. Followed a pretty basic recipe in terms of temp and time. I can provide details on that but wanted to try and describe the end result. It was tender and moist with good flavor. The odd thing was that the texture was more like a chuck roast for about half of it. You know how it gets stringy after a long cook. I'm used to it being dense and smooth when you cut it. I did cut against grain. Ideas?

 

[mike243]

Welcome Home, it may have just been the cut of beef, not all meat is created equal imo. kinda like saying something will be done in X amount of time, not always the same.

 

[Chasdev]

You may have encountered the main complaint against pellet cookers, that is, not enough smoke flavor in the meat.
BBQ Brisket IS roast beef but cooked in hot smoke.
Pellet cookers are convection ovens which use pellets for heat and while the pellets do release some smoke they don't create nearly as much smoke flavor as a hard wood burning smoker.
Texture wise, unless it's over or undercooked, that's probably down to the grade of meat and/or age of the animal itself.

 

[smokerjim]

As mentioned it might of been just the cut of meat, did you rotate the meat at all, your smoker may run hotter on one side.

 

[jcam222]

Sounds like you think you may have cut with the grain? That would certainly be stringy.

 

[thirdeye]

What grade was the beef? Was there a wrapped step in your technique? Braising for too long can give a pot roast texture.

 

[chopsaw]

Interesting . I've been putting a new EX4 SmokeFire to the test for a month or so now . Several cooks over that time . Last weekend I did an 11 pound brisket .
While I didn't have a stringy texture , when I opened the lid to take it off the first thing I thought was " This smells like pot roast . "
I think the convection oven effect plays a big part into this . Had good smoke flavor , and was better after sitting a day or 2 . The roast beef thing was there the first day though .

 

[thirdeye]

Interesting . I've been putting a new EX4 SmokeFire to the test for a month or so now . Several cooks over that time . Last weekend I did an 11 pound brisket .
While I didn't have a stringy texture , when I opened the lid to take it off the first thing I thought was " This smells like pot roast . "
I think the convection oven effect plays a big part into this . Had good smoke flavor , and was better after sitting a day or 2 . The roast beef thing was there the first day though .
View attachment 510211

Well it certainly doesn't look like a pot roast.

 

[SmokinEdge]

If the meat was “stringy “ then I would say it cooked to long. More of a pull brisket than a sliceable brisket. It’s all temperature over time.

 

[drdachel]

Thanks All. I bought the meat from a wholesale butcher and it came wrapped in plastic and shrunk. Not sure about cut. It had a decent bark on it and I honestly had to rush it near the end with a bit higher temp (but not too much). It hit temp and then I took it off and rested in cooler for an hour or so. I did do the angle cut on one edge prior to smoking and think I found it near the end but not positive. Does the meet change direction from the flat to the thicker part? Like I said some parts were fine and dense and some weren't. Wish I could recall which part was which. Just gonna have to buy another $100 slab and try it again. Need more friends that like meat to eat it.

 

[chopsaw]

. Does the meet change direction from the flat to the thicker part?

Yes . Look back at post 5 .

 

[drdachel]

Yes . Look back at post 5 .

Didn't see the pic. Now I get it. I did the angle cut pre smoke and then just kept going. Totally explains it.

 

[chopsaw]

Yup . That's an example , you still need to find the direction on the point end . I have a pic I'll post for you to look at when I get a chance .

 

[SmokinEdge]

Thanks All. I bought the meat from a wholesale butcher and it came wrapped in plastic and shrunk. Not sure about cut. It had a decent bark on it and I honestly had to rush it near the end with a bit higher temp (but not too much). It hit temp and then I took it off and rested in cooler for an hour or so. I did do the angle cut on one edge prior to smoking and think I found it near the end but not positive. Does the meet change direction from the flat to the thicker part? Like I said some parts were fine and dense and some weren't. Wish I could recall which part was which. Just gonna have to buy another $100 slab and try it again. Need more friends that like meat to eat it.

Don’t be afraid to vacuum seal it and freeze the left overs. Makes for delicious and fast meals.

 

[chopsaw]

D drdachel I figured I would post these for you to look at . Might makes some sense to you .
Point end sliced the wrong direction / with the grain .

Slicing corrected . Same brisket , same point end . Across the grain .

 

[chopsaw]

Don’t be afraid to vacuum seal it and freeze the left overs.

Tacos . Makes great tacos .

 

[drdachel]

D drdachel I figured I would post these for you to look at . Might makes some sense to you .
Point end sliced the wrong direction / with the grain .
View attachment 510319
Slicing corrected . Same brisket , same point end . Across the grain .
View attachment 510320

That's totally what happened. I'd like to practice but at $100 a slab that's pricey. Need to invest in vacuum sealer.