•Last free Friday Brisket! (pic heavy)

[Phrasty]

Hey Everyone. So I might be starting a new job next week so I thought this would be my last friday off so why not spend it on a brisket?? To be honest I haven't done a brisket in AGES and really dont have too mush exp with them. I think I might of over done this one...or not, Ill let you briskie hardcores help me out. The flavor was absolutely BANGING though!!! I wanna nail the next one and start offering them on my menu. ANYWAYS.... So here's what happened.

I got a nice 11lb USDA Choice cut this week. So I made up a batch of my beef rub & I proceeded to wash off the brisket and gave it a slight trimming, just to take off some of the hard fat. I didn't want to take too much off this first time.

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I took some beef consumme´ added some rub and simmered it for a bit and added some ice to cool it down for an injection. After injecting it I gave it a good rub down with my beef rub and set in the fridge overnight.

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I fired up the smoker and threw on the meat at about 12 with almond and lychee for smoke @ 275˚ for 2 hours fat side down. After 2 hours I flipped the meat fat side up and left it there to bubble along until 165˚ at which point I wrapped in foil with some of the injection consumme´ poured in for added moisture.

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2 hrs in, the flip:
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All wrapped up:
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OK here is where I think I messed up... When it started coasting up close to 190 @ around 185 or so (and I KNOW you go by feel on briskets.. aka probe like buttah) I wanted to reset the bark. So I took it out of the foil and placed it back on the grill I noticed the temp started to drop....180....175...168, I said WTF and wrapped its ass back up and then the temp started rising again so I watched it and started probing when it reached about 190, by the time it got close to 200 it was (i THOUGHT) probing easily in the flat, about 11 hours total cook time. I think I over did it though :doh: cuz after the rest when I separated the 2 they came apart very easy but the flat was just a little dry. Flavor was KICKING though! When I got to the point to make burnt ends I'm not sure if this was an epic fail but it farkin pulled! BUT this had to be the BEST pulled beef of my LIFE!!! :heh::becky: Anyways, I said WTH "call it a night" and made a sammy with sauteed peppers, mushroom and some SBR mixed 1/2 & 1/2 with the wrapping liquid!!! It was AWWWEEEESOME! lol :thumb: Had a couple friends over and they all enjoyed it. Said the flavor made up for the slight dryness of the flat.

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I'll be doing this again! You guys need to help me out though, Due to the point pulling that leads me to think it was overdone... Am I correct in thinking this? I wanna get this perfect.. What do I do? :shock::becky: BTW not "unhappy" with how it came out.. it was most enjoyable, I just know I didn't NAIL it.... and I wanna NAIL this sucker!!! :becky:

Thanks for looking guys, Sorry for the long post. Hope you all have a GREAT weekend!

Cheers.

[landarc]

It sure looks tasty, it seems you made a good brisket.

I have found that most meats when removed from foil can, from time to time, suffer a drop in temperature, I ascribe this normally to poor probe placement, such that the probe is not in the middle of the meat. Hence, the drop in temperature from not being in the foil causes the drop. It does look to me like you may have been a little long in the foil, essentially, getting a bit of a pot roast texture. Just my guess. I like the looks of the rub.

[jestridge]

looks wonderful

[infernooo]

Looks great, what is in your beef rub if you don't mind my asking?

[dataz722]

Might not really look like brisket but still looks damn tasty. Landarc is right, it almost has a pot roast too it. It really makes me want a pot roast sammy. :-D

[btcg]

I don't think you screwed up at all... it looks wonderful!

[bluetang]

Looks righteous from here!

[bobsuosso]

I'm no expert but I sure would love one of those sandwiches

[Johnny_Crunch]

looks good from here!

[Ron_L]

From the pictures it looks like it was a little over cooked and that may be why the point fell apart. But, it really looks good! I may be ready to cook a brisket again :-D

[SmokinAussie]

Looks awesome to me Phrasty. The colour of that rub too is just awesome!

[jtwisted13]

Looks awesome to me Phrasty. The colour of that rub too is just awesome!

no more words are needed.

ok well two....any leftovers?..lol

[ThomEmery]

I'll take one to go please

[Phrasty]

I don't think you screwed up at all... it looks wonderful!

Thanks Brother, I dont think I screwed up at all... It tasted awesome! It just didn't come out the way I know brisket is supposed to turn out..... Pulled Brisket?? It might catch on... well maybe not :confused::becky: But it WAS good!

From the pictures it looks like it was a little over cooked and that may be why the point fell apart. But, it really looks good! I may be ready to cook a brisket again :-D

Overdone was what I was thinking too.. :doh: oh well, Next time! Thanks Ron!

It sure looks tasty, it seems you made a good brisket.

I have found that most meats when removed from foil can, from time to time, suffer a drop in temperature, I ascribe this normally to poor probe placement, such that the probe is not in the middle of the meat. Hence, the drop in temperature from not being in the foil causes the drop. It does look to me like you may have been a little long in the foil, essentially, getting a bit of a pot roast texture. Just my guess. I like the looks of the rub.

Thanks Landark, was hoping you'd chime in... Thank you. Yeah I guess it did kinda have a pot roast thing going for it. I had placed the probe in the center/thickest part of the flat (probe went in from the side with the grain of the meat. How is brisket usually done? I know some don't foil at all, how many of you do that? I was gonna try the no foil but I kinda got nervous about it drying out :doh:. So the question on the other side is if you do foil how long do you foil for @ 275-325˚. I'm pretty sure if I didnt remove it from the foil the first time it would have come off at least an hour earlier. The temp took a little time to recoup from the drop. I think my next time around I'm not gonna foil at all and see how that comes out. What say you? Thanks again!

Looks awesome to me Phrasty. The colour of that rub too is just awesome!

Thanks Bill, I have a lot of pride in my beef rub, I want to start distributing it out here. Secret recipe :icon_shy:becky::becky::becky: It was definitely the saving grace of the cook, cuz if it didnt taste as good as it did I would really have been pi$$ed off! lol


Cheers Everyone. Next time will be dead on... Promise! :heh:

[landarc]

I don't think your assumption are correct RE: timing and foiling. I think foiling is still a 'done when it's done' proposition, the time varies. I think you probably should have pulled the thing out of foil the first time and let er ride naked on the grill. You would probably have gotten done the same time, or maybe not have it slightly overdone. The thing is, when it starts to come out of the stall, it can go pretty fast, I don't think of it as recovering, I think of it in terms of stages.

As Ron pointed out in another thread, part of the stall is the rendering of the connective tissues, this takes time. One of the reasons I used to start probing early is to remind myself of the feel over the length of the cook. There are minor differences, I learned the feel for steak in the same manner. I would suggest not putting the probe in with the grain, I prefer to stick it in at an angle, so that it crosses the grain, this way I do not have the probe in a vein of fat, or in the space between the grain. Incidentally, I do this for any cooking method using a thermometer, never with the grain. Also, I try to stick it into the fattest part of the flat and in the middle.

I do not normally cook with foil, I prefer the darker bark and crispy edges of a no-foil brisket or butt. If I am in a hurry, I would foil, or if I am cooking for people that I know will freak out at what looks like a 12lb hunk of charcoal. As is often commented on (especially by Bigabyte the Mad BBQ Scientist) the moisture of the brisket is not from water, hence, it is not driving off water that results in a dry brisket. It is rendering of connective tissue that defines brisket moisture, you have more leeway in terms of this moisture at is does not become liquid until the very end of the cook. Hence, I feel no foil is necessary if I have time.

[landarc]

You know, a good example of that last paragraph, is when you get a piece of pot roast that was braised to death. How can you get a dry piece of meat when it is cooked in broth? Well, it is because water moisture has been driven from the meat when it reached 145F, once well done, the water moisture has been driven from the meat, the cellular structure has surrendered it's moisture long ago. Then the meat is braised even beyond that and the collagen renders, if you do not stop it shortly after it becomes tender, you now will use the water in the braise to draw the collagen and push it into solution. Now the meat is wet, yet has no moisture to the palate. You must now add gravy to make it right. And why is the pot roast gravy so darned good? Because all of the collagen, water, protein and seasonings are not in the gravy.

[Mister Bob]

Great photos! Everything looks outstanding!:thumb::thumb::clap2::clap2: ...but isn't today Saturday? :confused:

[landarc]

Phrasty is from Jamaica, that is Jamaican time Bob.

[Phrasty]

You know, a good example of that last paragraph, is when you get a piece of pot roast that was braised to death. How can you get a dry piece of meat when it is cooked in broth? Well, it is because water moisture has been driven from the meat when it reached 145F, once well done, the water moisture has been driven from the meat, the cellular structure has surrendered it's moisture long ago. Then the meat is braised even beyond that and the collagen renders, if you do not stop it shortly after it becomes tender, you now will use the water in the braise to draw the collagen and push it into solution. Now the meat is wet, yet has no moisture to the palate. You must now add gravy to make it right. And why is the pot roast gravy so darned good? Because all of the collagen, water, protein and seasonings are not in the gravy.

Yeah I get what your saying... Again, I wouldn't consider the meat "dry" it just wasn't as moist as it should have been! I see you point about probing from early to get a feel of the meat so you can compare later on is the cook.

Thanks again Brother! I'll probably give you a shout prior to my next one. ;)


Great photos! Everything looks outstanding!:thumb::thumb::clap2::clap2: ...but isn't today Saturday? :confused:

:shock::shocked::shock::shocked::shock::shocked: :confused: :doh: I did it yesterday...? :confused::shocked::heh::heh::heh::becky:

Phrasty is from Jamaica, that is Jamaican time Bob.

You're almost right... Dont get it twisted tho, we're ALWAYS on time for food... Ah Fark, who am I kidding... guilty as charged! :bow::becky:

Cheers!

[bigabyte]

Now I'm hungry!:hungry: Looks amazing!:cool: