First brisket, opinions on appearance

[WeekendsAreMine]

This is the first brisket for me, not really knowing what to expect I will describe it and take opinions.

Cook:
Brinkman bullet

Clean burning hickory/mesquite fire at 350 for three hours.
I then devised a makeshift waterpan because mine was at a buddys house. I cooked over the water for about one and a half hours. Till the guage showed 195. The brisket is in an aluminum pan when using the makeshift water bath.

At 195, I remove the pan from the cooker and cover it completely in foil and let it sit for about 20 minutes and then sliced it.



The meat didn't really need slicing, I cut push the knife straight downward through the meat to make a knife-lenght cut.

I was able to easily cut the meat with a fork. Now, here is my question, what should I expect in terms of tenderness? The meat certainly had structure but would bite very easily as well as pull apart.

[Smokin' D]

Looks like you did a nice job on that brisket. Has a nice smoke ring and looks to be juicy too. If it tasted good to you and had a tenderness that was appealing, I would say you produced a perfect brisket. Being able to cut the meat with a fork is a good measure for tenderness. Chewing is a better one though! For backyard BBQ, a taste and tenderness that YOU like is what you're looking for. In competitions it is a whole different ballgame and I'm not going there..

[WeekendsAreMine]

Thank you for the feedback...I am simply looking to learn a new skill. I cook so much pork that my pallet is sometimes looking for something a little different.

I figure I could season this guy up with some cumin, garlic, onions...and make some killer fajitas.

I forgot to mention, this cut weighed 3.5 lbs.

[Buster Dog BBQ]

I usually rest 2-3 hours in foil. It looks like it's tender.

[bigabyte]

That is an amazing first brisket result I am seeing in that pic right there. The way you described the tenderness tells me you were very close to perfect, maybe just a tad on the overdone side. Personally, that's about where I like to make them for myself at home.

The perfect brisket flat slice, sliced against the grain as thick as a pencil, will hold together when picked up, and when you grab both ends and pull it will pull apart easily with just a little bit of a "snap". If you feel the resistance, it is probably not quite done. It should snap apart with such little resistance that it really takes no effort, yet it holds itself together.

That is a very thin line of perfection. The slightest bit more done and the ends will fall of the slice. A little bit less done and the meat will not pull apart as easily. As close to this as you can get is what you are shooting for.

Honestly, from what you described, you were very close, if not actually there. My guess is when you sliced it, the ends tended to fall apart. But then I wasn't there so I really don't know.

Regardless, give yourself a HUGE pat on the back for making such a fantastic first brisket!

[btcg]

You did a fantastic cook! Hard to believe it's your first. Love the bark!!!

[1FUNVET]

Looks great