Time vs Temperature

raymedic

raymedic

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Its 9:53 PM, outside its 104 degrees, the smoker is at 225 degrees and my first brisket is on. My plan is to finish it at 2 PM tomorrow (16 hours). I have noticed in other foods I have smoked, pork butt for example. That I reach the "cooked temperature" before the recommeded time for smoking is completed. Am I cooking it to fast (temp is 225-250) or shoo\uld I just let it go for the full amout of recommended time?


Thanks
 
Ray,
Every cooker cooks differently. The competition cooker will cook a 10# brisket in about 10-12 hours @ 225*, where my Bandera will take 14-16 hours.

I'd give up on the thought of cooking by time. A brisket is done when it is done. It may be @ 190* internal or it may be 197* My best suggestion: use a temperature probe, at around 188*, start sliding the probe into the meat and get used to the "feel". You'll notice resistance as you try to slide the probe in the meat. When you get to the point of feeling very little or no resistance when inserting the probe, you're there.
 
Time is a tool not a rule. Try to plan to have it done a couple hours early then you can always foil it and put it in a cooler to hold the temp until you are ready. If it isn't done early then you have a couple hours of room to let it finish. If I'm planning to eat at 5pm I try to have it timed to come off 1-2pm. I figure 1-1 1/2 hours a lbs. Then I do the math and figure when I should start. Since I want to eat at 5pm I want to figure in the resting time to so I want it done by 4pm at the lastest. I also keep a cooking log and look back to see how long it took me to do it the last time. I usually get things figured out right but if for some reason it doesn't time out right my family understands why they may be eating a little later. When it's done it done. Timimg is a guess. I prefer to guess early then to try to time it perfect.
 
After 12 hours or about 10 AM the brisket was at 200 degrees. I wrapped in foil and put in an empty ice chest for an hour. I then sliced it across the grain and we had it as a first couse instead of the main attraction. I found it tough but juicy. I forgot to take pictures but anything else to make it better?
 
How much did the brisket weigh before you started the cook? Did you foil it during the cook at any time? It might also help folks that don't know you well to let us know which cooker you are using.. Just trying to remove a few of the variables. :D
 
Re: RE: Time vs Temperature

Solidkick said:
give up on the thought of cooking by time. A brisket is done when it is done.
Click to expand...

Words to live, I mean Q by.
 
RE: Re: RE: Time vs Temperature

Ray,
It may have been the brisket you chose to cook. When I pick
a brisket(s), I follow these steps. I don't look to find what size, by weight, but by meeting this criteria.....If it means cooking 2 briskets to get to the total amount of finished product needed, then that's what I do........
1. How to Choose a Good Brisket to put on the Smoker.



You go into the meat section of the store and look for a good brisket to cook. What am I looking for in a brisket so I can pick out the best one to cook?



Generally speaking, you want to be able to pick up the brisket and fold it in half (or close to it). You want to be able to take the flat end (this is the narrow part of the brisket) and be able to touch the point end (this is the thickest part) of the brisket.



Pick a brisket that has a good color to it. It should be a good red color for the meat and a nice white color for the fat. Older briskets could have a yellowing of the fat and a browning of the meat. These are still within the legal selling age of the meat but not as fresh as you would like.
Click to expand...
 
RE: Re: RE: Time vs Temperature

I have a brinkman smoke king. I use lump charcoal with 2-3 chunks of wood(pre-soaked), smoking at all times. It was a 7# brisket with a small marbling of fat.
 
RE: Re: RE: Time vs Temperature

Mr. Kick has good advice. At 7 lbs I'm guessing you had a flat and not a packer. A little bacon over the top, as Willkat98 likes to do, wouldn't have been a bad thing. I also keep thinking about the time you cooked, about 1 hr 40/lb. I've had some briskets take longer per pound and some cook faster. If it was a flat that sounds a little long to me. If you haven't already read the brisket info in the Roadmap section at the top of this forum that might help. I'd check my thermometers in boiling water and ice water to make sure they are accurate. Could be you just got a tough brisket, and that happens to everyone now and then.

Soaking wood...NOOOOOOooo. I'm an anti-soaker. I want the cleanest burn I can get from the wood. Soaking in water just makes that more difficult. Try using some dried chunks and set them on top of the firebox to preheat them before adding to the fire. You should get a much cleaner burn, and better quality smoke, which in turn yields better taste. That being said, if you prefer to soak and it gets you the flavor you are looking for then more power to you. Very few rules to Q.
 
RE: Re: RE: Time vs Temperature

The last brisket I did I took off at 185*. Taking it off at 200* may have made it tough.
 
RE: Re: RE: Time vs Temperature

Does the width of the grain make any difference? When picking out a brisket, I've seen the grain very close together
ll and some briskets farther apart l l. Any thoughts?
 
RE: Re: RE: Time vs Temperature

I'll take a brisket off around 180*-190* foil it and put it back in the smoker for about 30 min. to an hour (depending on how much I have left to drink) - then throw it right in the cooler... You may have left it on a bit long.

I like to trim the outer fat off the flat before I smoke it. I can smoke a flat in my bandera in about 1 hr/pound. I can also cut the meat in thin strips or chunks and it is moist and tender... Good luck on your second one! May the bark be with you!
 
RE: Re: RE: Time vs Temperature

Good thread here addresses some of this stuff.

With briskets, time is irrelevant and even temperature is only a partial deciding factor. It is more important to get the "feel" of doneness. To tell if the flat is tender, a probe or meat thermometer should be pressed into it. If it offers little or no resistance, its done. This "done" temperature can be anywhere from 180 to 200 degrees. So start checking for doneness at the 180 mark.
 
RE: Re: RE: Time vs Temperature

To tell when brisket is done it should "waba waba" like thick jello.
 
RE: Re: RE: Time vs Temperature

What about the grain width?
 
Re: RE: Re: RE: Time vs Temperature

sigmasmokers said:
What about the grain width?
Click to expand...

I've never given it much thought....I'll pay attention to this detail this weekend for ya.....
 
Re: RE: Time vs Temperature

Cecil said:
Time is a tool not a rule.
Click to expand...

I like this. Somebody should write it down somewhere. I usually wrap my brisket at 175°. If i feel like playing with the fire I'll put it back in the smoker for a coupla hours but if I don't, I'll put it in the oven at 225° for a coupla hours. Have never put mine in a cooler. Might be because I don't have a cooler. Hmmm...
 
RE: Re: RE: Time vs Temperature

Might be because I don't have a cooler. Hmmm...
Click to expand...

Mista needs a cooler, pass it on.
 
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