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Old 07-28-2013, 04:13 PM   #9
Dlabrie
Got Wood.
 
Join Date: 07-08-13
Location: Campton, NH
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oldbill View Post
This method would be fine if it's what you're comfortable with.
I have only cooked a chicken and a rack of ribs, so I am not comfortable with anything

There are a lot of guys who cook everything high and fast and a there are a lot that cook low and slow, it's really about preference. I personally start my brisket at 250 and allow plenty of smoke to penetrate and when the color is good on the bark
Can you describe what good color is?

I go ahead and wrap in paper.
Did you mean to say foil?

I then crank the heat up to 275-300 and finish the cook. When the internal temp is about 195 I begin probing for tenderness.
Do you probe through the foil or unwrap it?

It usually, (not always) probes like butter at about the 200 deg. mark and that is when I'll pull the brisket and stow it into a cooler with some newspaper and some towels to rest. I let it rest for a minimum of two hours and usually closer to three.
Just what I needed to know!

The wrapping by the way is really done for two reasons, to maintain moisture content and to power through the stall, which answers your question about people who wrap when the internal temp hits 160. That is the temp where the stall will begin and will last for hours if you're cooking low and slow. During the stall the meat actually sweats moisture from fat that is rendering out and evaporating, and in turn is cooling the meat. Wrapping stops the evaporation process on the exterior of the meat and forces the stall to end more quickly by allowing the meat's core temp to continue rising.
Great explaination!

So in essence my method is a mixture of low and slow and high and fast, using the best of both worlds to get smoke, color, retain moisture and cutting the cook time considerably. The high and fast guys don't usually wrap and instead use high temps to power through the stall but if you haven't cooked brisket before you may want to try my method first.
I will give it a try. I know all briskets cook at different times, but could you give ne a ballpark on how long I should plan, using your method from start to after 2 hours in the cooler for a 12.5lb brisket?

The wrapping gives you a little bit of a safety net and helps to retain more moisture and tenderness.
Thanks for your help.
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