Question on Brisket method

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mrad

Meat Mopper
Original poster
SMF Premier Member
Sep 27, 2012
277
37
Princeton, MN
I am curious as to what the thoughts would be on this method for a 13 lb brisket with a pellet grill.

Inject brisket with beef broth and some phosphate.

1-2 hour at 160 ( high smoke)
cook at 275 until the outer portion is about 190 degrees
Then set the temp at 205 degrees.

My reason for this is that no part of the brisket would be able to get above 205 degrees. When I pull my briskets, the center temp is usually around 202, but other parts may be 5-10 degrees or warmer, especially those at the edges. the 275 would allow for bark. the injection would hopefully help retain moisture during the long cook. I'm thinking of starting this around midnight tonight and setting my alarm throughout the night to check temp. I may even drop to 205 when I see some 180-degree readings.
 
Too much thought going into this.

Rub it, inject it, place on smoker until about 165, wrap it until prober tender, and then wrap it in towels and put in cooler for a couple hours to rest. Will be amazing.
I have done this method several times. Most of the brisket is great. However, when it is pulled the other portions are always quite a few degrees warmer and some parts are not as tender. I'm trying to get the entire brisket as close to the same temp as possible.
 
I have done this method several times. Most of the brisket is great. However, when it is pulled the other portions are always quite a few degrees warmer and some parts are not as tender. I'm trying to get the entire brisket as close to the same temp as possible.

How long do you typically FTC for? IMO, that's a much easier and very effective way to get uniform temperatures and ensure good tenderness without overcooking.
 
Too complicated for me but interested to see how it turns out. Malcolm Reed has a good recipe for ultra low and slow brisket on a pellet grill on his youtube channel that's worth watching if you haven't already.
 
The thing that got me thinking about this method is that a buddy of mine has a food truck. I asked him how he did his briskets. He told me 30 hours at 210. He said you cannot overcook it at that temp.
My worry is how much time do I need. I have started to wonder if I should set temp at 205 or maybe even 210 when enter hits 145.
 
I am curious as to what the thoughts would be on this method for a 13 lb brisket with a pellet grill.

Inject brisket with beef broth and some phosphate.

1-2 hour at 160 ( high smoke)
cook at 275 until the outer portion is about 190 degrees
Then set the temp at 205 degrees.

My reason for this is that no part of the brisket would be able to get above 205 degrees. When I pull my briskets, the center temp is usually around 202, but other parts may be 5-10 degrees or warmer, especially those at the edges. the 275 would allow for bark. the injection would hopefully help retain moisture during the long cook. I'm thinking of starting this around midnight tonight and setting my alarm throughout the night to check temp. I may even drop to 205 when I see some 180-degree readings.
You might think a master plan the better - but keep it simple as others have said. Overthink it and better chance you get paranoid during the cook and F it up. I used to overthink brisket - not needed.
 
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If you don't wrap a long low temp can dry out the thinner edges imo, take it to 180 then into a SV bath to finish it, caution make sure your bags will hold at 200 or it will open and drown all your work ,
 
The thing that got me thinking about this method is that a buddy of mine has a food truck. I asked him how he did his briskets. He told me 30 hours at 210. He said you cannot overcook it at that temp.
My worry is how much time do I need. I have started to wonder if I should set temp at 205 or maybe even 210 when enter hits 145.

Great theory but, your pellet grill will likely AVERAGE 210 and I wouldn't be surprised if you get +/- 20 degree swings. Each time it gets lower temp your 13 lbs of mass will have to catch back up and it will take an exceedingly long time to cook... like 30 hours. More time doesn't equal better brisket.
I use temp as a guide up to about 195, after that the thermometer comes out. It's done when it's probe tender all around. Usually within an hour or 2 after 195.
 
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I like you temp profile for the pellet smoker. That’s what I do. After that 275 till probe tender start checking about 195
 
Whatever you end up doing, just remember to pull it when it is tender, not when it is at a certain temp. Briskets cooked a lower temperatures will finish with lower IT than those cooked at higher temps.
I've cooked a brisket at 180 for 6 hours, then at 225 for another 6 for a total of 12 hours and the final IT was 191F. Ones that I've cooked hot and fast have finished around 208F. Just more evidence that any brisket does not need to get to some specific temp to become tender.
Also keep in mind that your buddy with the food truck probably does not use a pellet grill, which typically cook considerably faster than other smokers due to the convection properties. The brisket I referred to above was 14lbs after trim if I recall, and took 12 hours at an average temp of 202F.
 
Well, the long slow method did happen. I went to check on the brisket around 3:30am to find the pellet grill cold! A pellet bridge had formed just above the auger. Got the smoker fired back up and set it to 225. around 9:00am my wife wanted to run to town. IT was 194-198. I set the temp to 210. didn't get back home for two hours. IT was 209. i was a bit worried, but after letting it rest in a cooler for 4 hours, it turned out pretty good with the exception to the very end of the flat that was a bit dried out.
 
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