WSM Dry-ish brisket BUT pull tender.....hmm??

[Honestjbone]

For all you WSM users out there do you guys have success getting super moist brisket but super tender and collagen breakdown in the fibers at 300 smoking temp WITHOUT wrapping?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD247K8KltY In this video Aaron Franklin @ the 1:20 mark and on talks about sensitive fluctuations in his smoker and openly admits he quote "cranks these things to 320" and I'm assuming he's talking brisket due to high volume load and food getting done on time.

I've gotten to the point where I NOW am starting to understand that different cookers, wood, clean fire/dirty fire affect the end product.

My last 2 briskets i've done were really tender. Taking them off at around a 202-204 internal tempature in the thicker part of the flat there. Super pull tender and moist. My last brisket however when i took it out of the packaging (all packers by the way 12lbers) i noticed like 4 HUGE gashes from the factory!! So pissed! And it ended my brisket a little dry. Gashes in the point and flat! (someone at the factory must've not known what the hell they were doing)

Things IVE noticed personally...

1) Water in water pan to me does seem to help
2) Consistent fire cooks a lot faster than up and down up and down
3) salt and pepper rub 50/50 USING A WSM fat to the fire does dry the outside of the brisket quicker. Opting to rub down with a mix of mustard & pickle juice then a 2:1 ratio Pepper/Salt
4) Too many wood chunks/smoke could dry it out??
5) Too long in the cooker could dry it out despite water in pan, cause the fire is directly below in a WSM so 225-275 for 12-14 hours could dry it out.

My next brisket i'm gonna take the ^above^ into consideration, not wrap in butcher paper (but do spritz often) at a higher temp like 300. Right now I'm smoking at 250-275. OR was thinking of wrapping when the brisket starts developing that nice mahogany color to it and getting a little bit dry or dark around the edges i'll wrap in butcher paper till done.

[Bbq Bubba]

Well if you spritz often you will have massive temp fluctuations.
Wood does not dry out meat.
Mustard and pickle juice do NOTHING for moist brisket

Sometimes the cut just doesnt have enough marbeling to be super moist in the flat. I cook hundreds of briskets a month and always run into dry flats, its just par for the norm.
Franklin cooks HIGHEND FATTY briskets so you cant really compare.

[Honestjbone]

Yea i didn't think of that till you just mentioned it. The quality of the beef itself, i mean the brisket's i get are store bought. And I'm sure Franklin's is prime angus and over there by you @ Lockhart is the same thing so thank you for answer.

I mean i could go over to the butcher and order one at probably double the price and see how that goes.

question for you if you're still online here...

Do you think wrapping is effective anymore for regular eating? no competition stuff (say clean fire, steady temps etc)

[Bludawg]

Originally Posted by Bbq Bubba

Well if you spritz often you will have massive temp fluctuations.
Wood does not dry out meat.
Mustard and pickle juice do NOTHING for moist brisket

Sometimes the cut just doesnt have enough marbeling to be super moist in the flat. I cook hundreds of briskets a month and always run into dry flats, its just par for the norm.
Franklin cooks HIGHEND FATTY briskets so you cant really compare.

I'm in total agreement

Not trying to toot my own horn here but I think you will have better and a more consistent results if you disregard the internal temp and cook to probe tender in the thickest part of the flat. What is perceived as moisture is in the meat and it comes about after all the water is driven off and the marbling & collagen melts turning into gelatin. This is the moisture feel on the palate. The best way I have found to achieve this is a long rest with a gradual cool down. I do this at room temp while keeping the brisket wrapped in the butcher paper it came off the pit in over several hours.

This is the way I cook mine it works and creates a very good moist tender flavor packed brisket.
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 if cookin on a stick burner
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 keep it wrapped in the paper you cooked it in and allow it to rest on your counter until the Internal temp reaches 150 this will take about 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