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I haven’t cook a lot of prime brisket, but when I have, I didn’t notice any difference in temps between prime and choice. I monitor internal temp, but pay more attention to the probe test.
my prime got to 194 IT while the other two selects were still back at like 175 IT. I had to pull it first/early but I did have a small hole in the wrapping paper so that might have been a factor. Thanks.
Fat is less dense but it also only has about 10% moisture, where red meat is about 75% moisture. This moisture becomes juice and can have a huge effect on the “stall” which is the release of moisture causing a evaporated cooling effect. High fat meat weighs less pound for pound so the cook time is faster, and evaporative effect is way less.
Every brisket is different. In my experience prime briskets go from "not done" to "done" faster. Top choice, or choice, are easier to finish when smoking multiple briskets as they have about a 15-20 minute span between 'not done' and "done". When smoking one brisket it's easier. Hand, tactile test will let you know when it's done.
At the risk of appearing pedantic, it is actually the heat capacity that determines how much energy must be absorbed to increase the temperature of a substance by one degree. It is a molecular property and is easily measured. Fatty foods (and fat in general) intrinsically have a lower specific heat capacity. But I suspect a whole piece of meat may have many more contributing factors.