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Ruined my first brisket
Well, I started the morning out fighting with the UDS to get it up to temp, got some great advice and fixed that problem. I was so afraid that if I checked it periodically for tenderness that I would lose the heat and have to fight to get it back that I just let it cook at 250-260 for 8 hours without checking it. Needless to say, I over cooked the crap out of it, it shrunk to about half of its size and was uneatable. I forgot to put the diffuser pan on top of the basket since the bottom rack is 12inches from the basket and now I realize that I should have been checking it every couple hours. Thank god my wife had some chicken ready just in case so instead of brisket my family got chicken, VERY DISAPOINTING (for me at least). I think I know what I need to change now but it's still disappointed knowing that I failed and ruined a $30 brisket...:sad: Any advice for the next smoke? Thanks, Anthony
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My first, and only thus far, brisket turn out pretty similar. I just told them I was going for beef jerky!
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I don't have a UDS but I imagine a digital remote thermometer would help with monitoring the IT without opening up the cooker.
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I under cooked my first brisket, it was still eatable, but it was not what I had hoped for. The biggest problem with trial and error is beef is flipping expensive but you'll get it next time!
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I did the same thing with my first couple of briskets. Today I had my first successful cook in my drum. I took bludawg's advice and cooked it hot and fast. Temps were around285-300 for the cook. I went four hours and the color was nice so I wrapped in butcher paper and threw it back on. Checked about and hour later when temps were in the 190's. probed it, still tough, gave it 30 minutes checked again, boom, probed like butter. Pulled it let it rest 20 minutes, then wrapped in foil and coolered for a couple hours. It was awesome.
I owe my success to bludawg. I always see him posting this method so I went with it and the results were awesome. |
Your definately not alone!
I've made a couple so far and haven't nailed it yet. I think almost everyone ruins a few briskets before they figure it out. Chris |
I had one I did like that. It was dried out. I steamed it back to life in a pan with apple juice, in the oven, on a low temp, covered with foil. I left in in the oven for about 45 minutes. It came back to life and it was good.
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IDK what to tell you I've cooked several hundred briskets on my UDS directly over the coals at 300 -325 they always come out quite nice. I cook Fat cap down. After 4 hrs I wrap in a single layer of butcher paper for the duration and go fat cap up. I have never had one take longer than 6 hrs total time. Normally 1 - 1.5 hrs after rapping they go probe tender in the thickest part of the flat.
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It sounds to me like you have a thermometer problem.Did you calibrate it first or just assume it was right.at the time and temp in your post the brisket was not done.and could not have probed tender.Invest in a maverick or tel tru and use them as a guide. Brisket is not done until it probes tender!!!
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What do you mean by uneatable? Mushy? Tough? I have made the mistake of pulling a cut of meat too early and thinking it was overdone since it was tough, only to be enlightened on this site that i had pulled it way too early. |
Golfers have to play their bad shots.
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Everyone on this forum has messed up a brisket AT LEAST once. Don't get discouraged. The good thing is that you know what you did wrong and how to fix it. Brisket takes practice. The best advice I can give is:
Practice. Take notes of every cook. Practice. Practice. |
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Get a maverick and start probing at 195, best of luck |
why is the grate so close to the basket? I did my first one fine, screwed up my second, though. Its all part of it. Cut it up for stew.
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Regardless if defuser was on or off, cooking at 325-350 is fine. I cooked my H/F brisket at 375-380 and it came out great once probe tender. I find, since I'm still a noob, that an IT gauge comes in hand to assist when to begin probing. That is all one should use an IT temp gauge for. One thing must be engrained for briskets, PROBE TENDER.
Begin with fat cap down, and end with it up (if you wrap). Keep trying. Good luck |
I think i did my 3rd brisket like that. Dont worry man, this is ALL trial and error anyhow. Im not a rich man myself so wasting 30 dollars or more importantly being a food waster was a big deal for myself too. Good thing is....the next weekend is only 6 days away!
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Welcome to the club BigTone. I think everyone ruins their first couple of briskets. Just think of them as practice. Once you get it right you'll never forget it!
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Being new to BBQing, if I were you I would:
1. Check once an hour so you get a feel for what's going on. Look at color, texture, and temperature. 2. Do not schedule your dinner around what you're cooking. That way you can't be late and if it goes south you're good to go. 3. Make a checklist you can throw away later. It will catch things like missing diffusers. 4. Keep notes! Write down the rubs, sauces, and techniques you used (time, temp, wood/charcoal used, etc.) so you can improve or stop doing what doesn't work. 5. Have fun! We all still turn out meat we wouldn't feed our dogs, sometimes. No worries, brother! Arlin |
I think you're technically obligated to screw one up, it's a rite of passage... or something like that!
First things first, keep it simple, don't go overboard with rubs, sauces, etc... all you're trying to do is cook it right. Understanding the characteristics of your particular smoker is also a big asset. On my UDS, I can go nearly 10 hours on a basket full of charcoal, but it takes longer for me to get it to the point where I get the clean blue smoke. On my off-set, I'll go through 4 times that amount of charcoal, but I can start cooking quicker, and I can open the lid more often (if I so desire) without impact the temperature that much. A UDS on the other hand, is more prone to wild temperature variations if you pull the lid off more frequently. All that to say, trim & season the brisket, get the fire and temperatures situated, throw on the brisket and (depending on the size) walk away from it for several hours. Foil it with the fat cap up when you think you're a couple of hours away from it being done, probe it once or twice, and you should end up with an awesome piece of meat. Keep it simple and easy to start with. David |
Sounds like you took "if your lookin', you ain't cookin'" to an extreme. I can't wait to see how good the one you are going to cook this weekend is. Get back on that horse!
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I say break down and get a Maverick. It costs fifty bucks, but is well worth it. Stick the brisket on, insert probe, clamp on the bbq temp probe, and life is easy.
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Get back on the bike as soon as possible!
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Next time take a deep breath, calm down and think about what you are doing and don't panic. It was your first time. You learned alot so it's time to try again.
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Screwing up your 1st brisket is part of the rite of passage to become a pit master. When I smoked my 1st one I couldn't see what everyone thought was so great about brisket. On number 3 the light went on.:doh:
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I gave up on brisket yrs ago on my offset, Last yr when I got my WSM I tried again with a flat and was close but still blew it. Don't give up, tons of info here. I seriously don't know how I could possibly ruin my next one with all the reading I've done here but time will tell |
One last comment, bad brisket goes good in chili! :grin:
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Depending On what I am smoking along with the 'main event' (fatties, brats) I may have to open the cooker during the cook, but I don't have to open it just to check. I guess I'm in the minority here in that I've never made a brisket I was unhappy with. I did plenty of butts before my first brisket so I knew how my cookers performed and had an ET-73 so I could monitor progress. Finishing it on anything resembling a schedule is an entirely different thing. :laugh: |
I like my IGrill :-).
But I agree there must have been a temp reading issue somewhere, because 8 hours at 250f grate level would not cook a brisket into embers. Bill |
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