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Help! Brisket! What am I doing wrong?

thegizzard

thegizzard

Knows what a fatty is.
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Back again for more help. Everytime I smoke a Brisket, it comes out too dry.

My first go round looked like this:

tumblr_mck1keO5m51rct7y3o1_1280.jpg


Last night I tried again...

2.5 lb flat. Kosher Salt, Black Pepper, Garlic Rub. Cooked at about 280* Fat Cap down until 170* on the meat probe... wrapped in Parchment Paper until 202* on the meat probe... rested in an oven at 170* for 1 hour and 15 mins. ...

Here is what is looked like:

tumblr_mck1nf3oeU1rct7y3o1_1280.jpg


It tasted pretty good in some parts, but I am hoping to get that really juicy jiggly brisket I saw in this video...

[ame]http://youtu.be/a80zscz7W8k[/ame]

So what am I doing wrong?

Cook temp too high?

Wrapping too late?

Not letting it settle long enough after the cook?

I am cooking another tomorrow and I need an assist!

Thanks in advance!
 
Those little bitty flats can be very spooky at times.

You said 202 at the finish.
That really means nothing---Was it "probe tender" ?
That is the key.

TIM
 
I would go with at least a 5# flat. Here is my brisket flat method.

Method for cooking a brisket flat

Start your coals.
While they are coming up to temp, (250*) wipe the brisket, slather it with Worcestershire sauce, then apply rub. When the cooker is up to temp, put the brisket on fat side down. (This lets the fat act as a heat shield, and keeps the meat from drying out.) Smoke for about 3 hrs. to an internal temp of 160* - 165*, then either wrap in foil, or put in a foil pan , fat side up , and add liquid, then seal with foil. (this can be beef broth, or any mixture that you like. I use three Tablespoons. of Steve Raichlins's honey balsamic glaze, (Here is the link)

mihttp://tvwbb.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1980069052/m/5330004152

mixed with 1/4 cup of strong coffee.
If you want you can now finish in a 250* oven, as there will be no more smoke getting into the meat. cook the meat to an internal temp of 190* - 195 *at the thickest part of the flat. When a probe goes into the meat with no resistance the meat is done. Remove from the oven, and let set for at least an hour, without opening the foil. Slice across the grain.
defat the juices and serve, on the side.
 
Also bet you started with a select grade flat. Where did you buy it? If it's a grocery store or not clearly labeled choice, it's going to be select. That means less marbling, which is less fat, and that means less moisture.
 
Thanks for the replies so far. I got the Brisket from Costco. They don't sell packers. This is the largest flat they have.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Xparent Blue Tapatalk 2
 
Brian in Maine said:
I would go with at least a 5# flat. Here is my brisket flat method.

Method for cooking a brisket flat

Start your coals.
While they are coming up to temp, (250*) wipe the brisket, slather it with Worcestershire sauce, then apply rub. When the cooker is up to temp, put the brisket on fat side down. (This lets the fat act as a heat shield, and keeps the meat from drying out.) Smoke for about 3 hrs. to an internal temp of 160* - 165*, then either wrap in foil, or put in a foil pan , fat side up , and add liquid, then seal with foil. (this can be beef broth, or any mixture that you like. I use three Tablespoons. of Steve Raichlins's honey balsamic glaze, (Here is the link)

mihttp://tvwbb.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1980069052/m/5330004152

mixed with 1/4 cup of strong coffee.
If you want you can now finish in a 250* oven, as there will be no more smoke getting into the meat. cook the meat to an internal temp of 190* - 195 *at the thickest part of the flat. When a probe goes into the meat with no resistance the meat is done. Remove from the oven, and let set for at least an hour, without opening the foil. Slice across the grain.
defat the juices and serve, on the side.
Click to expand...

Hmm... I was cooking to 200* ... let me try 190* tomorrow.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Xparent Blue Tapatalk 2
 
The_Kapn said:
Those little bitty flats can be very spooky at times.

You said 202 at the finish.
That really means nothing---Was it "probe tender" ?
That is the key.

TIM
Click to expand...

I didn't really check for probe tender. What temp do I start checking for probe tender?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Xparent Blue Tapatalk 2
 
This is a brisket flat I did in the past, only one I have access to pics of right now.

000_0024.jpg


You don't indicate how long your flat cooked, but that small of a flat could be part of the problem. I cook flats all the time, most average 6 pounds, some have been smaller, some larger. I start by trimming some (not all!) of the fat, then season with kosher salt and black pepper, only. I start it on my Traeger 075 fat down to smoke for 3 to 4 hours. The temp setting on my digital may need to be 180 to 225 depending on weather. When the flat gets to around 165 degrees I will put it in a foil pan and cover with foil without adding any liquid and put it back on and turn up the temp to 300 to 325 and cook for another 2 to 3 hours (until it probes easy). The meat temp is usually around 203 when I pull it off. I leave it in the pan (the pan is full of juice) for around an hour (no oven, no cooler) then slice. I always make 2 or 3 at a time and Foodsaver them and freeze for later. This works great for me, others may do it different and have great results also, that is the beauty of BBQ to me, there is no 1 way of doing something.
 
thegizzard said:
Hmm... I was cooking to 200* ... let me try 190* tomorrow.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Xparent Blue Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

From Brian's post:"When a probe goes into the meat with no resistance the meat is done".

You need to get away from "temp" for doneness.
Temps are handy for large cuts like brisket and butts, but only to monitor the cooking process----NEVER as the final check.
"Probe tender" is the goal!

TIM
 
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The_Kapn said:
From Brian's post:"When a probe goes into the meat with no resistance the meat is done".

You need to get away from "temp" for doneness.
Temps are handy for large cuts like brisket and butts, but only to monitor the cooking process----NEVER as the final check.
"Probe tender" is the goal!

TIM
Click to expand...

I understand. But opening the smoker often makes it hard to control temps. So I would need to know when I should start checking for probe tender.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Xparent Blue Tapatalk 2
 
I would start checking at around 185 then every 5 deg until it probes like a 16 yr old cheerleader with a case of hot pants. You need to find a new place to buy your meat it is just as easier to cook a 10 lb packer than it is a little piece of one.
 
Start checking around 195Ëš. Some will hit the "sweet spot" earlier than others. A lot of this is dependent on the age of the animal. In younger animals the collagen will break down sooner and at a lower temperature. In older ones, it's much tougher, requiring much longer and a higher temp to break down. What happens is the connective tissue will suddenly "break", or melt, magically transforming from tough collagen to liquid, lip smackingly good gelatin. The result is a tender, juicy piece of meat. Pull it out too early and the meat will be hard and dry as it hasn't hit that magic "breaking point". Let it stay too long after the break, and it will be soft and dry, as all the juices created by the break will have been allowed to cook out.
The "jiggly, wiggly" brisket is the result of hitting that sweet spot JUST as the connective tissue breaks. It's all still in the meat, but entirely in its liquid form, so your brisket is essentially a sponge.
 
With that small of a cut, taking it to 202 then putting in a 170 oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes sounds excessive to me. I suggest doing a bit larger cut and yours looked to have been trimmed way close. Butchers have this strange reasoning that if they trim off all the fat they can charge a really stupid price for a cut that will almost be next to impossible to cook without drying out and have very little flavor. For that size flat I would not trim anything unless it has a 2 inch fat cap but it wont. If it has little or no fat try putting a couple slices of bacon on it. take it to about 185/195, for a larger cut maybe 200/205 depending on how it probes, then wrap with some liquid and just wrap in a towel and let set for 45 minutes to an hour before slicing.

In the last pic it looks like you cut some of it with the grain, it wont affect taste but will be more tender if it is all cut against the grain. The stall will start at 160 and during that time is seems as if it wont go any further but it will and when it does it will go fast so you need to be watching the internal temp shortly after its starts to move. 160 is a good time to wrap with liquid if you want to wrap as you did. Save any juice from the wrap and pour back on brisket, I mean to say re wrap before placing in towel one it may have developed a hole and will leak out and it will keep the towel cleaner.

Brian in Main is giving good advice, each brisket needs to have some adjustments made just for reasons already mentioned like age, the feed it was eating, grade of meat, ect. I always tell people to check the gauges with boiling water so you can be sure it is saying what it really is. Sorry for the blog.
Dave
 
Another thing I've learn is to buy at least a Choice grade cut. I've never had much luck with Select grade. I'm sure some folks here can take any grade and make it taste Great.
 
like I said in the past, start ... looking at it once meat is around 180.... if it probe tender let it rest...in my opinion anything above 190 (some cows do require longer, not all cook the same) on a flat it will crumble. But you will just have to find a way that works for you. In my opinion a flat can not be in a hot oven, save that for the packer...a smoker while doing a flat above 250 just elevates the surface temperature and will pull the moisture out of it, along with extensive skrinkage... A larger cut can withstand this..also double check you temp of smoker at meat level...where it is cooking....maybe think about a tray of water inside the smoker, to bring the humidity up inside the chamber..
 
Question?
Brian suggests cooking the Brisket after wrapping in the oven since it will no longer be getting smoke.
Except for the "purist" aspect of avoiding the oven and cooking solely in a Pit, this seems to make sense
Any comments?
Thanks in advance
Michael
 
tuckerdog99 said:
Question?
Brian suggests cooking the Brisket after wrapping in the oven since it will no longer be getting smoke.
Except for the "purist" aspect of avoiding the oven and cooking solely in a Pit, this seems to make sense
Any comments?
Thanks in advance
Michael
Click to expand...


Do it all the time for many different reasons. A true purist can go to unnecessary extreams at times when producing the best product is what it really is all about and not how it was produced.
Dave
 
Here is a wackadododdle idea that I have not tried, On a small cut especially a cut with little to no fat like a trimmed flat, I wonder if it could be better to put no salt on it until after it is cooked. This may help by not drawing out the moisture and could be added back in with the liquid which could have the salt put back in and applied to the meat. Also wonder how salty his rub was and how long it sat with it on before starting the cook?
Dave
 
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