tough brisket

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littleben

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Hello everyone, im new here, first post.
Over the weekend i cooked a brisket, put in pan and foiled at 165, cooked to 205, but it never got fork tender, should I have just kept cooking till it did?
 
Typically, yes you should; however, every now and then you get a sorry piece of meat that just doesn't understand the rules.

Best to go by probe tenderness, not temperature.

You can pretend you intended to make brisket chili all along. :wink:
 
I would guess that it needed to cook longer. As said above, feel is better than internal temperature.
 
littleben said:
Hello everyone, im new here, first post.
Over the weekend i cooked a brisket, put in pan and foiled at 165, cooked to 205, but it never got fork tender, should I have just kept cooking till it did?
Click to expand...

YES!
Temp don't mean diddly squat on brisket or pork shoulder cuts!

TIM
 
time, smoke and cold brews till you think its close to done, and to alleviate all anticipation, do not remove it till it probes tender with a shiskabob skewer! i have taught several buddies of mine this little trick and they are gettin better and better at cooking by feel. you'll get the hang of it after a while. it took me cookin one every weekend for about 10 weeks when i dedicated myself to cooking by looks and feel, dont need no farkin thermometer now. well except for chicken :doh:
 
littleben said:
Hello everyone, im new here, first post.
Over the weekend i cooked a brisket, put in pan and foiled at 165, cooked to 205, but it never got fork tender, should I have just kept cooking till it did?
Click to expand...


BBQ RULES

"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, 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.
 
I've had several crappy briskets that should have been done by temp. The last one I smoked I left on till it was 210 and I thought I ruined it. It was my best yet!
 
I think Bludawg has an alert set up to inform him of when a post comes up with the word thermometer, so he can post that. Haha
 
All is not lost, even if you already sliced it, I have laid the slices out on a rack in a roaster pan covered with foil, then bake them in the oven til they are tender. I drizzled a little Magi seasoning on them before putting the foil over the roaster, the result was GREAT :).
 
As mentioned, cook until tender to the probe... Did you slice it with, or against, the grain????.... A chopped/pulled brisket samich is still good eats!
 
MY last brisket was like that. Usually I'm just over 200° for it to probe tender. It got closer to 210° and I was impatient. It was good, but really should have been on longer :doh:
 
I might suggest you check the calibration on your thermometer – I have several that read 7 degrees below actual temp and I have to keep that in mind when I use them. I take my briskets up to 195 and then I start the feely / probey thing. Some get ready at 200 and some go on up to 210.
 
willbird said:
All is not lost, even if you already sliced it, I have laid the slices out on a rack in a roaster pan covered with foil, then bake them in the oven til they are tender. I drizzled a little Magi seasoning on them before putting the foil over the roaster, the result was GREAT :).
Click to expand...

I put sliced into a pan with a little bit of liquid, covered, and roasted. pretended like I didn't screw it up all along.

as a newbie on brisket, one thing I've learned is patience has no substitute. as the brethren said, it is done when probe tender, forget internal temp. When I sliced mine at 210 I realized despite temp, it what was too early. As I sliced, I could see the opaque gelatin holding the fibers of the meat together. it isn't done until that stuff melts away . you should be able to take a slice and pull it apart with no resistance.

Even though I knew all this, i still had to screw one up for myself before I "learned".
 
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