Reviewing Brisket smoke notes & still wondering

[schlotz]

After having great success on a previous smoke and re-reading my notes on it, I started yesterday's run of a trimmed to 13.9# choice brisket. Basically ran at 275º grate temp and it probed tender at the 10 hour mark with an IT of 201º. Pulled, let is cool for 6 minutes then wrapped in foil and placed in cooler with towels for an hour. Results, flavor spot on but the flat section was a bit dry. Not much moisture visible. Difference... smoked it naked until done and used alum foil at end vs previous. Last time it was wrapped in butcher paper somewhere around 165-170º and when done, cooled then placed in cooler with a sheet of foil laid in below & above (plus the towels).

This isn't the first time I've had the flat not being as moist as it should. Trying to figure out where or what might be causing it. Wondering if the alum wrap might have contributed by allowing it to continue cook despite the 6 minute cool down. Any thoughts?

 

[William89]

I had been having the same thing with the flat being a little dry and it was a tad tough on the pull test. I run my smoker close to 300° and would always wrap in foil and take to 195-200°. On the last few briskets I took the flat to 210° and wrapped in butcher paper. Not sure which change made the difference but the flat came out juicier and did much better on the pull test.

 

[schlotz]

So I understand, last few you wrapped with butcher paper somewhere during the smoke and ran until flat reached 210º?

 

[Mbmccoy]

I started smoking a 14 lb brisket yesterday at 240. The temp reached around 157 when my smoker quit working. The temp dropped to about 140 before I realized it. I got the smoker working again, wrapped the meat in foil and placed back in the smoker. Is this meat safe?

 

[William89]

I wrap between 165-170 then take to 210 and rest.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Absolutely! The initial smoking killed any bacteria that was on the surface. Even if injected, an IT of 157 killed anything on the inside. Once sterile it is very unlikely an bacteria of concern found its way to the meat. You are fine...JJ

 

[Mbmccoy]

Thank you JJ. I just took them off the smoker to rest in the cooler.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

As long as the meat was 157f and didn't drop below 140f IT, it's safe. If you feel it's suspect though, junk it. Don't take the risk..

As for things being tough.. Schlotz instinct tells me you pulled to early. Alot of folk don't even start probing till 205f IT. Just my two cents, I am by no means an expert, I just understand the science behind the method a bit.

 

[Mbmccoy]

The IT was at 140, when I caught it but had been smoking for about 12 hours at that point. Do you think I should junk it.

 

[SmokinAl]

The IT was at 140, when I caught it but had been smoking for about 12 hours at that point. Do you think I should junk it.

No don't throw it away, it is perfectly safe to eat. It never got below 140, & you had it to 157, so it's safe to eat.
Al

 

[chef jimmyj]

To all that have concerns. Just some info. The pathogens of concern with beef, Salmonella, Listeria, and E-coli 0157, are all killed within 12 minutes or less at 140°F. They are killed in 2 hours at 130. The point is, just because meat drops below 140, it does not suddenly become a toxic waste dump of deadly bacteria. Even if the meat temp dropped to a bacteria loving 90°F, how would they have survived the initial cook to 157°, they can't. There are just no bacteria to worry about. Now let's say the dog opened the smoker and licked the brisket slobbering mouth bacteria, aka Dog Germs, all over the meat. As if he would lick and not eat it. Those new bacteria would find a dry, hard, surface, covered in smoke and Salt from the rub. Totally not conducive to growth. Just for argument sake, let's say some dog bacteria are alive. Surely by this time you would have discovered the smoker died and re-fired the unit, the smoker would quickly get above 165°F and poof the Dog Germs are now dead. There are just no situations in which meat, injected or not, reaches an IT of 140° followed by the smoker dying, that can even remotely result in an unsafe product. Especially when you find it went out and restart the smoker, finishing the cook. I hope this saves you from " suspect " meat getting tossed...JJ

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Oh I understand the safe temps Jimmy, but I still err on the side of caution some times. Especially if it's some thing I'm not overly confident in to begin with <or feeding people not close family>

 

[chef jimmyj]

You are a good man TomKnoll! I greatly appreciate the effort you make to watch our backs and keep members safe...JJ

 

[schlotz]

Hmm... can we get back to the topic?

 

[jay1340]

Temp too high on your smoker, 225-275.
You're wrapping too late, 150.
Start probing for tenderness at 180 and pay no attention to final temp. Every brisket is different no matter the cut or grade. Depending on what Moo ate, water supply, feast, famine, rainy, drought, walking up down hill, etc.

 

[schlotz]

So, different opinions on what might have been the cause of a less than moist flat section on a 13.9# packer. Granted that every piece of meat is different in some respects but really would have thought there would be a consensus on the cause(s). Still searching ...

 

[William89]

Funny thing about briskets (really any cut of of meat for that matter). You can ask 10 people the same question and more than likely come up with 10 different variations of an answer. What temp to cook, when to wrap, or not wrap at all, water pan or no water pan, when it should be pulled to rest. Beauty of BBQ i guess. A lot of different roads to get to the same place. Best advice is on the next brisket make one change to how you do it and see what happens and keep experimenting. No wrong way to do something if it works and the foods good!

 

[chilerelleno]

So, different opinions on what might have been the cause of a less than moist flat section on a 13.9# packer. Granted that every piece of meat is different in some respects but really would have thought there would be a consensus on the cause(s). Still searching ...

There are various opinions because there are multiple probabilities. So unless one thing stands out, no one can say for sure.
Get enough replies and you can average out a consensus, if that's what you want.

I had a beautiful Flat go wrong this weekend, a did everything right and it came out crumbling and dry for the most part.
I don't know what went wrong, I laugh, make a nice pot of brisket chile and blame it on an old steer.

 

[jay1340]

Yes there are many varying methods. But there are time tested tried and true method that never fails.
Low and slow.
Wrap at the stall, if new to brisket, or concerned about time.
Smoke to tenderness, not temperature.
Cut across the grain. Though many experts say it's immaterial.
Was simply what I was suggesting above.
Return to basics, then you can always modify to personal preference.
Only been doing briskets since 2011. NEVER had one folks didn't rave about. Mostly Native Texans.

 

[gmc2003]

So, different opinions on what might have been the cause of a less than moist flat section on a 13.9# packer. Granted that every piece of meat is different in some respects but really would have thought there would be a consensus on the cause(s). Still searching ...

I'll chip in my 2 cents. To me it sounds like the flat was under-cooked. You didn't mention crumbly, so I don't think it was over-cooked. There's a very small time window between under, perfect and over cooked flats. Also when you let it rest in a cooler allow the brisket temp to get down to about 170*. To stop the cooking process.

Chris