Prime brisket in competitions

[Will the Grill]

When cooking Prime briskets should I be cooking to 190. We switched to prime briskets this season and have had trouble slicing the brisket. Is has a tendancy to crumble and I never had this problem with choice. We have been scoring the best we ever have with brisket, but it seems overdone to me. Any sugestions?

[The_Kapn]

Seems like you answered your own question.

If you like it "less done", pull it earlier and see what the judges think.
The judges have spoken on the current tenderness.

For me, if something is working, I try to keep on doing it.

Good Luck.

TIM

[Carnivorous Endeavors BBQ]

Just my opinion without going into temperatures, times etc... If you are cooking to 190F and the brisket is consistently falling apart when trying to cut it....you are overcooking it no matter what grade of beef it may be. As for suggestions, if you provide your cooking temperature, cooking process(are you foiling and if so at what point and for how long?) and if you are resting/holding after the cook, then specific advice could be given. Otherwise i would suggest you start checking for doneness around 180-185F and pull it when probe tender(probe slides in with little to no resistance) not by temperature.

[Brew-B-Q]

I started doing much better in brisket once I stopped temping it. I make sure my thermapen is off when I test brisket for tenderness just so nothing can activate the voices inside my head.

[INmitch]

^^^^^^^^what he said.^^^^^^^

[Will the Grill]

we try to keep the smoker temp at 225-250, we do foil once the brisket has the color and bark we're looking for, usualy around 140-160 and we keep in foil until 190ish. I try to hold/rest a min of 60 min, while burnt ends are camelizing, but have held longer if meat finished ealrier.

[Parts_Guy]

100% what Brew-B-Q said.

[Podge]

Originally Posted by Brew-B-Q

I started doing much better in brisket once I stopped temping it. I make sure my thermapen is off when I test brisket for tenderness just so nothing can activate the voices inside my head.

I wonder sometimes if I buy the thermapen for its quick, accurate reading, or for the shape and size of the metal tip to gauge with for the brisket doneness.

[Scottie]

I do everything that Brew-B-Que says.
I shigged it off of rhem them

[Kit R]

So I am not the only one for whom the Thermapen activates voices in my head. Recently I've been hearing "Just let it go a little longer. No way it's done yet because temp don't lie". Uh yeah, don't trust feel and see how that works. In my experience, not very well.

[Brew-B-Q]

Originally Posted by Scottie

I do everything that Brew-B-Que says.
I shigged it off of rhem them

I figured as much.

Serious question - does the probe test feel the same on choice and prime? I've not cooked a prime but would like to try one someday. And, of course I will try it in a competition without practice. I hear they cook faster, but I assume the end test is the same?

[Nordy]

I pretty much always cook primes. I've had them seem done at 185 and as high as 205. However. It's rare that I pull one before 195. I guess it also depends on where you temp the brisket and how it's sitting in the cooker...

Bottom line... as said before... if it seems overdone, consider checking and pulling earlier.

My sphincter was a little tight when I pulled the one at 185.. but it was done... and I walked... 5th place.

Nordy

[CBQ]

I never cook by temp for brisket. My brisket hit 209 last week before it felt done. 2nd place. Use the Thermapen to test for doneness, just don't look at it.

[djqualls]

If you don't stall a prime when it's probe tender it will over cook during the hold. I'll take it out and open it up for 5-10 mins then cambro and still burp the cambro some to vent steam especially if butts are in cambro as well.

I still can't wean myself off of the temp monitor. But when I've cooked as many as Scottie has maybe i will know when to probe.