You can NOT teach "feel". It comes with time and experience. I firmly believe one must cook dozens if not hundreds of briskets before this is learned.
Thanks so much. I respect you and have for a long time as well. This actually seems like something I might have said at one time while not considering my own "Night train experiement." But you of all people who know me should know what I mean, but I will clarify or remind as I THINK this is covered in the NIGHT TRAIN experiment in which the sole purpose of wasting just one flat in the oven is to teach "feel" the quickest way.
I had no excuse going back into bbq in the 1990s. I was trained (although I was not really paying attention) by Ray Perez at the old Kreuz. Sure I bussed tables and cleans dishes but I got some hands on "feel experience" and probably felt more briskets in a summer than most will in a lifetime.
But here is why I stand by my comment that YOU CAN teach feel. For one, my technique works and it has been documented on here that it does by quite a few.
However, to your credit it could be taught by the therm too, if you guarantee to cook it to an internal that ALL briskets are done (and most overdone). problem is, for the brisket done ON THE PIT at an internal of 180.... its not going to have the right feel when you pull that dried out sucka at 205 IT. Not to mention, on the pit... there could be a myriad of things that could be screwed up in the process.
Also remember, this is actually a MUCH older article than it looks like. It was copied from my barbefunkoramaque article. I don't know if it was before or after the Night train article.
In any case, learning the "feel" with the night train is the EASY part. Why, because it was done in the oven, wrapped in foil, and the zenith of tenderness. It was designed for those who never knew how tender a brisket could be. Maybe what you are saying is.... getting a brisket on the pit... to have the feel that it had in that experiment....well...........that takes a little longer than overnight. But if you NEVER learned the feel in the first place, you would never know what to go for... and like many as a result, pull their brisket too soon with the thought it was overdone and tough.
Look at this...not the whole video just this little part I have cued up for y'all.
Just watch about 30 seconds or so
http://youtu.be/lAv7XZRXFAE?t=5m52s
Thats what screws with people's minds - from the novice on up to the guy that never knew what brisket could be. They THINK they are drying them out. I mean is supposed to get MORE tender, right? LOL I have waited to make a special video using Ali footage because the Brisket is a lot like his rope-a-dope.
Then this...
http://youtu.be/lAv7XZRXFAE?t=6m59s
Same brisket.
