Almost a Brisket disaster Part 2
 

For those of you who read Part 1 here's the next saga of my brisket cook. First off let me say everyone enjoyed the dinner even the dogs.

Now with that said I was very disappointed. I struggled with how to cook this thing low and slow or hot and fast. I choose the later and I think it was a mistake. There could have been several reason it didn't work to my liking. Maybe I did a bad job, maybe this brisket was just the devil. IDK but I didn't like it.

SO I woke up earlier than I wanted but since I was up I started up the egg. And yes my girls were standing by the entire time.

http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...pse368420d.jpg

Hooked up the I-Que 110 and it worked fantastic. The only thing I was happy with.

http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...ps2717a720.jpg

Got to 300* at 7:15 I figured 6 hours. I didn't plan to foil it.

At about 4 hours in it was sitting around 190. I did a probe test and the point was like butter. The flat still had a ways to go.

The bark look weird on this thing. It just wasn't developing like normal and the brisket was swelling up a lot.

http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...ps4599668f.jpg

So I kept checking every 1/2 hour or so. Temp keep climbing but the flat would not probe tender. After 7 hours I called it quits.

As I pulled it off the point broke almost completely off. My buddy commented how tender this thing would be. I still didn't like the looks.

Pulled the point, chopped it up added a little sauce and back on for burnt ends. The flat got wrapped up and put into the ice chest while I started the Mac and Cheese and corn bread, you Southerner's would call it corn cake :grin:

Another hour passed and every thing was ready. I sliced the flat and here's what I got.

http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...ps811050ed.jpg

http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...psf682a5a8.jpg

http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...ps020f1088.jpg

No smoke ring even though the photo shows a very faint one. It wasn't very moist.

I think I over cooked it which dried it out. But why no smoke ring and a lousy bark. I used RO lump and 4 pieces of Hickory 1 Cherry. IDK this just didn't turn out right. At least no one got hurt during this cook and everyone but the cook was happy.

We finished the meal with a cake my daughter picked up.

http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...ps22faae73.jpg

Next brisket will be low and slow. After this cook I am very confident the I-Que will let me sleep through the night. The BGE has always done well but the 732 has gone off for high temp in the past. The I-Que did help me find a big leak in the bottom vent which I will fix next weekend. This may have been the cause of the high temp during the night.

Oh well if you read this far thanks and any suggestions please pass them my way.

Jerry

Probally one of them Grass Fed no Hormone Cows...............


No Fat No Marbling No Juicy No Tender No Taste...........

Have you cooked your brisket that close to the diffuser plate before and had a good smoke ring? What was your internal temp when you pulled it? Sorry it wasn't how you planned!

Internal 205* and yes I've always gotten a good smoke ring when cooking low and slow. I don't like the shallow plate setter, but thats what this egg had when I got it. It was the craig list score of the year. $250 for this xlbge with all the bells and whistles.

Jerry

I think your right!!!!!

Jerry

Cooking H&F is a whole different game with different rules. The lack of a smoke ring isn't a deal breaker for me at least but I normally get one. they do tend to bloat up but that is normal with H&F. If it didn't get probe tender in the thickest spot on the flat it wasn't done. Try it again only cook it just like this.

BluDawgs Brisket

K.I S.S. some of the best brisket you will ever eat! Total cook time including the rest 8 hrs or less. I promise it will be as moist as mornin dew on the lilly, tender as a mothers love, pure beefy smoky goodness.

1 packer 12-15 lb
Trim off the hard fat on each side of the flat thin the fat cap to 1/4"

Mix your Rub
1 part kosher salt 4 parts Med grind Black peppa by volume( this is a true 50/50 BY weight)
apply a coat of rub you need to be able to see the meat through the rub clearly.

Pre heat the pit to 300 deg
place brisket on the pit Fat cap down and point to the firebox unless it is a RF cooker then point to away from FB

Maintain pit between 275-325 cook Brisket 4 hrs
remove from pit wrap in a single layer of Butcher paper Return to pit Fat cap up.
after 1 hr probe the thicket part of the Flat only! if it isn't *probe tender it will be within 1 hr.
once it is probe tender remove from the pit and allow it to rest on you counter for two hrs.
Don't ever slice more than you can eat big pieces retain moisture and won't dry up on you like slices will.

*PROBE TENDER>This is the feel that is mimicked by cutting room temperature butter with a hot knife, there should be no drag

the smoke ring has more to do with the amount of salt in the rub on a H&F cook
http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/a...63e4f280fd.jpg

Juicy aint a problem if cooked to probe tender and alllwed to rest properly
same slice
http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/a...bf321ce44e.jpg

BBQ RULES for SUCCESS

"YOU CAN NOT COOK GREAT BBQ ON A CONSISTENT BASIS COOKING TO AN INTERNAL TEMP OR BY TIME(XXX MIN PER LB) YOU MUST COOK BY FEEL!"For a Brisket that is probe tender in the thickest part of the Flat, Pork Butts when the Bone wiggles lose, Ribs pass the Bend Test. These are the only reliable methods to indicate the proper time to declare the cook completed with success.

Over Cooking Brisket it will pull or shred when you try to slice it - I'm still trying to Master Brisket but my best have been recent when I started doing HotnFast 275-300*

I say Bad Cow - same place you always buy them ? Floppy Flexible Flat? Marbled?

Try a longer rest next time, like 3 or 4 hours if you are going to put it in an ice chest. Also, it may just be the pic, but it looks like you did not slice the flat exactly across the grain. It does make a difference.

And one more thing, as bludawg mentioned, don't probe the point, it will take care of its self. The thickest part of the flat is the only place you should worry about when taking temp, or probing for "done".

Bludawg,
I read your post and followed it except for the wrapping after 4 hours. IDK I still think this was the devil brisket. It caused trouble from the time I brought it home lol.

Total time in the ice chest was 3 hours. MAybe longer would have helped.

And I forgot to mention after taking the burnt ends off the egg I put them in the micro wave until everything else finished. Everyone was in the pool swimming when I pulled them off. Well I forgot them and the wife found them this morning. :doh::doh::doh:

Normally that's the first to be eaten. Oh well the next cook can only get better :grin:

Jerry

Just pick a better brisket next time..........:biggrin1:

"almost" disasters happen to us all.
Chalk it up too learning and the devil brisket.