Seeking advice on improving my brisket cook

[pelletfire]

I recently cooked a whole packer brisket, and it turned out OK, but not great. I'd like to hear thoughts from the group here and recommendations for how I can do better next time.

General info:
Brisket was 11.32 lb prime from Costco.
Trimmed almost all of the fat, but made sure flat and point stayed together.
Used "Meathead's Big Bad Beef Rub" for rub.
Smoker is Grilla Grills Silverbac (pellet smoker) set to 225 degrees.
Injected with beef broth just before cook.
Put out on the smoker with temperature probe in thick part of the point.


The plan:
Start cook at 3am and go back to sleep.
Get up at 6am to check on it.
Monitor until stall at 150 degrees.
Crutch with foil.
Wait until 205 degrees, probably around the 12-hour mark.


What happened:
3:15am - 50 degrees - Brisket on smoker at 225 degrees.
5:55am - 150 degrees - Wow, how'd that happen so fast?!
6:15am - 150 degrees - Sure seems like it's at the stall now.
6:25am - 150 degrees - Crutch with foil. Back on smoker.
9:00am - 195 degrees - Hit this temp and stayed there for about an hour and a half.
10:20am - 195 degrees - Concerned about drying out. Pulled it, wrapped in towel and put in cooler.
12:20am - 140 degrees - Slice and eat.


Questions for the group:
Is it normal for the meat to hit 150 so quickly?
Is it normal for the meat to stay at 195 for so long?
Should I have continued the cook to 205 degrees?
Should I left more fat on?
Any other recommendations?

 

[buffalobbqpete]

Each cut is going to do whatever it wants to. just keep an eye on it and try not to stress to much over it.

I never cook to a temp on my brisket. I start poking it with a toothpick around 195 or so and when it feels like its going in a stick of butter, I pull it, wrap it, and stuff it in a cooler for a couple hours.

I leave a little fat on. Nothing to crazy. Most of it comes off (that's my preference though).

As long as you're happy how it came out, that's all that matters.

 

[sauced]

When you say it came out ok, what did you mean...not tender enough, dry, no flavor?
What pellets did you use....mesquite, hickory etc.?
A little bit more information will help figure why it was ok.

 

[KrisUpInSmoke]

I wouldn't trim the fat. Fat is flavor and moisture. The fat melts down into the meat while it's cooking. Maybe that's why I haven't seen anyone inject a brisket either. The fat takes care of that. I wouldn't eat the remaining fat after it cooks, but enjoy what renders down into the meat.

 

[pelletfire]

When you say it came out ok, what did you mean...not tender enough, dry, no flavor?
What pellets did you use....mesquite, hickory etc.?
A little bit more information will help figure why it was ok.

It was not tender enough. The pellets were "Pit Boss - Competition Blend"

 

[Rings Я Us]

Your 195 for a while may have been your "stall" , and actually around 165-175° in other areas causing the delay in further temp increase. We usually check a few areas to see what's going on everywhere in the brisket. You can just start doing that poke test with a probe or skewer after its 195 in all the areas. If it goes in super easy and no resistance in 4 or 5 areas it is done.
The 2 or more hour rest in foil after an initial few degrees of cool down before foil will help. Most people do that cooler and wrapped in towel thing but you can foil it and keep it at 170 in an oven. Hour at least to rest in there is recommended..

 

[noboundaries]

Put out on the smoker with temperature probe in thick part of the point.

That's your problem. Temp the flat, not the point. The point will probe tender as low as 185F IT. Points are as forgiving as pork butts due to all the fat. They can handle ITs as high as 215F, and that's why folks make meat candy (burnt ends) out of the point. The point can also read 10-15F higher IT than the flat.

Just change the location of your probe to the flat, but don't depend on IT alone. Probe that flat for tenderness when you reach your target IT. It will solve your issues.

As far as all your four questions, try this. Throw the packer brisket on the 225F smoker without the meat probe. Leave it alone, don't even think about it for 9-10 hours. Then insert your meat probe in the flat. Your questions above concerning temp rise and stalls involve physics and chemistry.

Smoking/cooking meat is not a linear process for meat temperature. The larger the temp difference between the meat and the smoker, the faster the meat temp will rise. Chemistry kicks when it stalls, and it can stall several times after the initial stall. Now the meat is hotter. The smaller the temp difference between the meat and the smoker, the slower the meat temp will rise. Fast rise, steady temp, slow rise pretty much defines how meat behaves in the low/slow process.

1/4" fat is pretty standard.

Hope that helps.

Ray

 

[phatbac]

This may sound simple but do everything you did before expect cook it 10 more degrees or so. dont worry about drying out its brisket its full of fat. the more you cook the more that thick fat renders and moistens the meat. i dont it sounds counter-intuitive but taking to 205 is what you should have done. try it.

Since this thread is useless without pics....

brisketbefore1116.jpg

• phatbac
• Dec 11, 2016

brisket1116.jpg

• phatbac
• Dec 11, 2016

beefdone.jpg

• phatbac
• Dec 10, 2016

Happy Smoking,
phatbac (Aaron)

 

[pelletfire]

Thanks for all the good responses everyone, this is really helpful and now I have some good changes to try out soon!

 

[tallbm]

I recently cooked a whole packer brisket, and it turned out OK, but not great. I'd like to hear thoughts from the group here and recommendations for how I can do better next time.

General info:
Brisket was 11.32 lb prime from Costco.
Trimmed almost all of the fat, but made sure flat and point stayed together.
Used "Meathead's Big Bad Beef Rub" for rub.
Smoker is Grilla Grills Silverbac (pellet smoker) set to 225 degrees.
Injected with beef broth just before cook.
Put out on the smoker with temperature probe in thick part of the point.


The plan:
Start cook at 3am and go back to sleep.
Get up at 6am to check on it.
Monitor until stall at 150 degrees.
Crutch with foil.
Wait until 205 degrees, probably around the 12-hour mark.


What happened:
3:15am - 50 degrees - Brisket on smoker at 225 degrees.
5:55am - 150 degrees - Wow, how'd that happen so fast?!
6:15am - 150 degrees - Sure seems like it's at the stall now.
6:25am - 150 degrees - Crutch with foil. Back on smoker.
9:00am - 195 degrees - Hit this temp and stayed there for about an hour and a half.
10:20am - 195 degrees - Concerned about drying out. Pulled it, wrapped in towel and put in cooler.
12:20am - 140 degrees - Slice and eat.


Questions for the group:
Is it normal for the meat to hit 150 so quickly?
Is it normal for the meat to stay at 195 for so long?
Should I have continued the cook to 205 degrees?
Should I left more fat on?
Any other recommendations?

Hi there and welcome!

In a nutshell:

1. Put the probe into the center of the thickest part of the Flat not the point
2. Brisket is ready best on tenderness testing. Use the Internal Temp (IT) as a guide of WHEN to start checking for tenderness. I like to start checking for tenderness around 198F-200F. Check for tenderness by stabbing ALL OVER with a tooth pic (I use a wooden kabob skewer) and when it goes in like butter ALL over then it is ready
3. Leave 1/4 - 1/2 inch of fat on the brisket, don't trim it all away.
4. Consider trimming off good meat of the Flat so that what remains of the Flat is basically the same thickness throughout, see the image below. Save that good meat and throw it in the smoker later for burnt ends or grind it for burger or whatever you want to do with that good portion of Flat meat that is cut away. If you keep that thin portion of the Flat on while cooking the thin portion just burns up and becomes inedible. I got over my fear or trimming it and using it elsewhere real quick when I had to cut inches of inedible crusty meat off my briskets and throw it away.
   
   

   BrisketFlatTrimAway

   • tallbm
   • Oct 7, 2017
5. I would recommend simplifying your approach and then building from there. Like avoid the broth injection, just season with simple seasoning. I prefer Salt, Pepper X2, Onion, and Garlic. Many just do Salt and Pepper.
6. Cook with a smoker temp anywhere from 225F+. I do 275F, a full packer brisket can handle hot temps without issue.

Continue working at it and you will get better. I would also do the next 2-3 brisket "trials" with a less expensive Choice cut of meat than the Prime ones at Costco. Once you feel good about what you are producing then go wild with Prime ones :)

I hope this info helps :)

 

[troutman]

All very good advice above, I would not leave anything out. BUT, what I've discovered in cooking many different briskets that there are the two things that I would put great emphasis on (that have been mentioned);

1) Probing and knowing. Brisket well tell you when it's done. Once into the 190's it's you and the meat, the temp doesn't really make that much of a difference any longer. I've had them go as high as 210* IT before hitting the sweet spot. It's a small window of time and opportunity. As was said, concentrate on the flat. I like the middle of the flat. If you have gloves pick it up in your hands, does it wooble and bend easily in the middle? Is it probing like butter over most of it, sometimes the flat will give you a little bit of resistance (it's drier) but that's ok too.

2) Most importantly, when you are satisfied that it's done, YOU HAVE TO REST IT. I'm not talking about resting on the cutting board with a foil tent. I'm talking about getting it into an environment where the meat continues to soften, re-distribute and come down from it's ride in the cooker. Franklin BBQ in Austin takes their briskets and place them in cambros that holds temperature over an extended period before service. In other words it appears that several hours of holding also benefits the overall result. Get a good cooler and a bunch of towels for your resting.

Good luck, hope your brisket cooks go well !!!

 

[SmokinAl]

Well you have gotten some really good advice there.
Brisket is the hardest meat to cook, so if your first one was edible, then you did alright.
And it sounds like it was more than just edible.
I have to agree with the others, it sounds like you just didn't finish cooking it.
I think if you kept it on another hour you would have had a much better result!
Al

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

I'm going to agree with everybody else so far. I have only cooked one packer brisket on my offset so far and it went for 17 hours. It was 15.5 pounds and I'm absolutely certain that it was undercooked. The point was perfect like Ray mentioned but the flat was just not that soft succulent texture that we all aim for in a brisket. 17 hours seemed extreme and I was concerned about leaving it go longer out of fear that it would get tougher and not more tender. I'm certain that that was the only mistake that I made with mine. It sounds like you may have trimmed just a bit too much fat from your brisket but everything else certainly sounds right. Just a bit more patience next time and I am betting you will have a home run. I know that I am hoping for the same results when I do another one this Summer. Hang in there and enjoy your time at the smoker. It's the best time you will every get.

George

 

[pelletfire]

For the benefit of others that come across this thread looking for similar advice, here's an update from my second attempt:

Bought Costco prime brisket about the same size as last time (see original post in this thread), but left a bit more fat on than last time when trimming; otherwise the preparation was the same as last time.

Preheated smoker to 225 and left at that temperature for the entire cook.

5:07am - 40 degrees - brisket on smoker
6:06am - 90 degrees
7:56am - 150 degrees
8:00am - 150 degrees - wrap in foil and back on smoker
8:15am - 155 degrees
8:50am - 170 degrees
9:49am - 180 degrees
10:10am - 195 degrees
11:22am - 200 degrees
3:30pm - 200 degrees - pulled from smoker and put in cooler

At 195 I poked the meat with a toothpick and it definitely did NOT feel like it went in like butter, which makes sense. When I pulled it at the end though, it very much felt like that and it was a big difference.

The final cooked brisket was excellent, better than I was hoping for even. Thanks again to all those that posted advice here.

 

[tallbm]

For the benefit of others that come across this thread looking for similar advice, here's an update from my second attempt:

Bought Costco prime brisket about the same size as last time (see original post in this thread), but left a bit more fat on than last time when trimming; otherwise the preparation was the same as last time.

Preheated smoker to 225 and left at that temperature for the entire cook.

5:07am - 40 degrees - brisket on smoker
6:06am - 90 degrees
7:56am - 150 degrees
8:00am - 150 degrees - wrap in foil and back on smoker
8:15am - 155 degrees
8:50am - 170 degrees
9:49am - 180 degrees
10:10am - 195 degrees
11:22am - 200 degrees
3:30pm - 200 degrees - pulled from smoker and put in cooler

At 195 I poked the meat with a toothpick and it definitely did NOT feel like it went in like butter, which makes sense. When I pulled it at the end though, it very much felt like that and it was a big difference.

The final cooked brisket was excellent, better than I was hoping for even. Thanks again to all those that posted advice here.

Excellent!

Now you will continue to tweak and build and make it even better! Congrats on getting a good brisket under your belt :)