TxQGuy
Full Fledged Farker
Hey y'all! So, a little over four months ago, I joined this forum and made my first post - https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=268972. I asked you all for help after making my first brisket and having it turn out absolutely HORRIBLE. After reading the responses, I learned that I had severely undercooked that poor brisket.
So painful was that defeat that it took me 1/3 of a year and about a dozen smoke sessions cooking pork/beef ribs and chicken before I was willing to try brisket again. While grocery shopping on Saturday morning, we were passing through the meat section and my wife points out a sale on brisket with a simple "You have been saying you want to try one again. Tomorrow is Father's Day. I don't understand wanting to watch a fire for 12 hours but if you enjoy it then you should do it." :laugh: Challenge accepted.
As I was in the process of trimming some of the fat from the brisket saturday afternoon, the better half walks through the kitchen and, glancing down at the Aaron Franklin book open on the counter, lays down some serious Wife Wisdom (tm): "This time, try not to overcomplicate it. People have been cooking briskets for years without the internet, books, fancy equipment, and a dozen different steps. Cook it until it is done and feels done, and keep the fire lit. That's it." :-D:mrgreen:
This time, I kept her advice, as well as the advice y'all gave me firmly in mind and kept thinking to myself "The brisket is done when it's done. Don't obsess over the internal temperature, go by probe feel instead."
Same method as last time (except I used a big ol' mesquite coal bed to start off the cook before feeding it the usual oak splits). 10.5 lb pre-trim packer. Cooked between 250-275, and wrapped it in butcher paper after 6 hours when it stalled at 169. I smoked it wrapped for another 4 hours, and when the IT hit 195 I begin probing the thickest part of the flat every couple degrees for tenderness. At around 204 (11 hours total cook time), it still felt a little bit tight but a LOT more tender than the disastrous first brisket and I noticed this time something I didn't notice last time, the "jello wobble" whenever I slightly moved the brisket. I tried letting the IT go up a little more, but it seemed to stall and even drop over the next hour, back down to 203. There was a large section on the point that the grocer had WAY overtrimmed (didn't notice it until I got home...we're talking almost NO fat on that part, the meat was visible), and that part started to look a bit dry so I figured I'd pull the brisket off now with the knowledge that it could probably stand to cook a little longer but not at the expense of drying out the flat too. So I pulled it out of the paper, foiled it, and put it in the cooler with a couple old towels on top for 3 hours.
Sliced into it at lunch time and was pleasantly surprised. The point came out very well, with a little bit of yummy burnt ends that I let my son try (it's his new favorite bbq item apparently). The flat came out MUCH better than last time. I used the "hang test" on my flat slices and it hung perfectly limp over my knife. It technically passed the pull test too. The outside of the flat was noticeably more tender than the thickest part (while it wasn't "dry" exactly, it wasn't super moist either). All in all, I was really satisfied with my second brisket and now I have my confidence back.
But dang, y'all, I don't think I have another 15 hour smoke session in me. I was SO tired the next day after staying up all night. I haven't stayed up all night in the longest time. I'm thinking next time I do a brisket I might be a filthy cheater and only use the stickburner until it's stall and wrap time...then do the unthinkable and put it in the oven for the remainder so I can sleep.
Lessons learned:
1) Brisket is done when it is done! Temperature is a guideline only to let you know when you should start checking for doneness! This brisket probably could have gone even longer, but I was afraid of burning that overtrimmed part of the point (glad I didn't, the point came out solid!).
2) The jiggle test is real. Guess you have to see it in person rather than read about it, but when you see your brisket jiggle like a gelatin mold, it means good things for that brisket.
3) Resting is important! It seemed even MORE jiggly after I took it out of the cooler after three hours. The finished product likely wouldn't have been as good without that longer rest time.
4) My wife is awesome. She may not understand my obsession with 'cue, but she is so cool about it. At around 1am (3 hours into the cook), she appeared in the backyard in her pajamas, all sleepy and holding a bag of Fritos and some bean dip. She grabs a beer out of the cooler and sits down. "I woke up because I figured it would make you happy if I joined you out here for a beer. Here's a snack." I freaking love that woman. :biggrin1:
5) My son is awesome too. Such a cool little guy. It was pretty neat hearing "Mmmm! That brisket is GOOD, Daddy!" and seeing him sneak little pieces from the plate. I also showed him the simple joy of a saltine, a pickle slice, and a piece of brisket (no onions for him), which he loved. He's not much of a bbq sauce guy on brisket, much like his old man. :wink:
So painful was that defeat that it took me 1/3 of a year and about a dozen smoke sessions cooking pork/beef ribs and chicken before I was willing to try brisket again. While grocery shopping on Saturday morning, we were passing through the meat section and my wife points out a sale on brisket with a simple "You have been saying you want to try one again. Tomorrow is Father's Day. I don't understand wanting to watch a fire for 12 hours but if you enjoy it then you should do it." :laugh: Challenge accepted.
As I was in the process of trimming some of the fat from the brisket saturday afternoon, the better half walks through the kitchen and, glancing down at the Aaron Franklin book open on the counter, lays down some serious Wife Wisdom (tm): "This time, try not to overcomplicate it. People have been cooking briskets for years without the internet, books, fancy equipment, and a dozen different steps. Cook it until it is done and feels done, and keep the fire lit. That's it." :-D:mrgreen:
This time, I kept her advice, as well as the advice y'all gave me firmly in mind and kept thinking to myself "The brisket is done when it's done. Don't obsess over the internal temperature, go by probe feel instead."
Same method as last time (except I used a big ol' mesquite coal bed to start off the cook before feeding it the usual oak splits). 10.5 lb pre-trim packer. Cooked between 250-275, and wrapped it in butcher paper after 6 hours when it stalled at 169. I smoked it wrapped for another 4 hours, and when the IT hit 195 I begin probing the thickest part of the flat every couple degrees for tenderness. At around 204 (11 hours total cook time), it still felt a little bit tight but a LOT more tender than the disastrous first brisket and I noticed this time something I didn't notice last time, the "jello wobble" whenever I slightly moved the brisket. I tried letting the IT go up a little more, but it seemed to stall and even drop over the next hour, back down to 203. There was a large section on the point that the grocer had WAY overtrimmed (didn't notice it until I got home...we're talking almost NO fat on that part, the meat was visible), and that part started to look a bit dry so I figured I'd pull the brisket off now with the knowledge that it could probably stand to cook a little longer but not at the expense of drying out the flat too. So I pulled it out of the paper, foiled it, and put it in the cooler with a couple old towels on top for 3 hours.
Sliced into it at lunch time and was pleasantly surprised. The point came out very well, with a little bit of yummy burnt ends that I let my son try (it's his new favorite bbq item apparently). The flat came out MUCH better than last time. I used the "hang test" on my flat slices and it hung perfectly limp over my knife. It technically passed the pull test too. The outside of the flat was noticeably more tender than the thickest part (while it wasn't "dry" exactly, it wasn't super moist either). All in all, I was really satisfied with my second brisket and now I have my confidence back.
But dang, y'all, I don't think I have another 15 hour smoke session in me. I was SO tired the next day after staying up all night. I haven't stayed up all night in the longest time. I'm thinking next time I do a brisket I might be a filthy cheater and only use the stickburner until it's stall and wrap time...then do the unthinkable and put it in the oven for the remainder so I can sleep.
Lessons learned:
1) Brisket is done when it is done! Temperature is a guideline only to let you know when you should start checking for doneness! This brisket probably could have gone even longer, but I was afraid of burning that overtrimmed part of the point (glad I didn't, the point came out solid!).
2) The jiggle test is real. Guess you have to see it in person rather than read about it, but when you see your brisket jiggle like a gelatin mold, it means good things for that brisket.
3) Resting is important! It seemed even MORE jiggly after I took it out of the cooler after three hours. The finished product likely wouldn't have been as good without that longer rest time.
4) My wife is awesome. She may not understand my obsession with 'cue, but she is so cool about it. At around 1am (3 hours into the cook), she appeared in the backyard in her pajamas, all sleepy and holding a bag of Fritos and some bean dip. She grabs a beer out of the cooler and sits down. "I woke up because I figured it would make you happy if I joined you out here for a beer. Here's a snack." I freaking love that woman. :biggrin1:
5) My son is awesome too. Such a cool little guy. It was pretty neat hearing "Mmmm! That brisket is GOOD, Daddy!" and seeing him sneak little pieces from the plate. I also showed him the simple joy of a saltine, a pickle slice, and a piece of brisket (no onions for him), which he loved. He's not much of a bbq sauce guy on brisket, much like his old man. :wink:
