Help!!! Overcooking Brisket!!!

Flinger said:

All of you guys, rock... thanks for the additional advice. Love it. Love the post #9 on http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=213367"

That settles it for me... because that is exactly what happened to me.

Sooo - I'm hearing everyone say to stop over analyzing everything and just go by "probe feel". I get that...

But, there is this little reality... Usually - I'm cooking for people! At a certain time! So, how many hours ahead? If a min. of 2 hours rest - working backwards.... and, my earlier cook at 11 hrs for 2 11 lb'ers wasn't enough... how much more to get to "probe feel"?

Heck, there has to be some rule of thumb to make sure things are ready when the guests start to arrive...

Click to expand...

I prefer long cook items like butts and brisket for parties. the food is done and holding hours before the guests arrive and I have time to clean up and get ready. makes hosting a breeze.

like pj said build a 4 hr cushion into the cook.

I dont subscribe to hrs per lbs for brisket. smaller one take 8-10 hrs, larger ones 10-12. once you get the hang of things you can adjust cook temps on the fly to aid in timing.

I like your plan. No problems with finishing in the oven. Id rather over cook any day than under cook.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

overs definitely better than under. as long as it's not dry no one will care. on the 4th my brisket wouldn't even slice, chopped beef it was. gotta roll with the punches.

I use the oven, no problem. I prefer my countertop roaster, it goes down to below 150. I wrap in paper and finish in there. I go 225 overnight and 200 until finished and then drop down from there, 150 is good. with such a low cook temp if you catch it early you dont even have to vent. it should probe tender in the 190s

your plan should work, dont rush you have plenty of time.

Flinger said:

Ok. Not exactly sure what you're meaning by "catch it early you don't even have to vent"... Sorry to be so dense...

Click to expand...

your hot holding for a long time so it can kinda finish during the hold. it may get tender at 195 but is still in what I call the "window of perfection" until over 200. if your cook temp is low there will be very little carryover if any. best to pull it early on the doneness scale. numbers just confuse things, I prefer to cook without temp probes for that reason.

I agree with smoke ninja, two pieces of meat of the same weight may take different times. As an example, I did three equal weight butts for a luau two days ago. First one was done in about 8 hours, the next was ready in 9 hours, and the third was ready in 10 hours.

That cook was also a good example to no go by temp alone. This was the first cook using my new TP-08S temp probe. I set it to wake me up when the butt I thought would pop first reached 200° (I like my sleep). It woke me up at 3:30 AM and after probing the meat with the temperature probe I felt that it was nowhere near done. One of the other buts (without the remote) showed 205° and probed like butter so I pulled it. Then I put that thermometer from the finished butt into the butt that woke me up and it was only in the high 180° range. I never thought my brand new probe would be off that far, but if someone pulls from temp alone the meat may not be done. I use the temp as an indicator that it’s time to check the meat, but I still won’t pull it until it probes like butter.

Learning to feel what “probe tender” Is was another hurdle when I was learning.
I did a bunch of ribs a couple months ago and showed someone what probe tender felt like during the cook. The narrow end ribs are always done before the wide center ribs. About 3/4 through the cook I let him compare the feel of the probe tender narrow end ribs to the not probe tender center ribs. Once you know the feel it will be obvious. In my mind you can almost feel the probe cutting through the grain and fibers if it isn’t probe tender.

I did a 15lb brisket two weeks ago at 250° and it took 15 hours to hit 203° and it probed like butter. I’ve had others done in less time. That’s why I get a little nervous if brisket has a must serve time, which is usually 12 noon for me. I never wrapped a brisket, so I don’t know if or how much it changes the cook time. I do think your timing is sufficient.

Finishing it in the oven is no problem.

I’m sure everything will go great!

After you get it going, Get a few hours sleep because the 160° alarm will be waking you up and you probably won’t be getting any sleep after that.

If you could post some photos it would be great.

Chris

Flinger said:

Any ideas about how to simply post a picture rather than a URL?

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipMMBaHI8Tq2H8Mw_IJjtopvKF3zU5fOrApxjWS2

15.25 pounds - Choice

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipPE3ZRdrbNLUbj396dCOhTGo65ubrcV8vd7Tyiy

Trimmed up pre-slather

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipM1p6-6y6mJOo25YzmJNL-O9A1ISnbRjlv4OS3A

Trimmed up pre-slater fatty side

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipOtRNsPf7PeGQ9AxrfTsDvaUiPC2NO9qBp7qtgD

Ready to roll - 1/3 Kosher, 1/3 Coarse Black Pepper, 1/3 Garlic Powder

Click to expand...

Those links aren’t working. Don’t worry about photos now, post them after the cook. Chris

I can't ever read the IT on my Banboo skewer probes..........

Flinger said:

Any ideas about how to simply post a picture rather than a URL?

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipMMBaHI8Tq2H8Mw_IJjtopvKF3zU5fOrApxjWS2

15.25 pounds - Choice

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipPE3ZRdrbNLUbj396dCOhTGo65ubrcV8vd7Tyiy

Trimmed up pre-slather

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipM1p6-6y6mJOo25YzmJNL-O9A1ISnbRjlv4OS3A

Trimmed up pre-slater fatty side

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipOtRNsPf7PeGQ9AxrfTsDvaUiPC2NO9qBp7qtgD

Ready to roll - 1/3 Kosher, 1/3 Coarse Black Pepper, 1/3 Garlic Powder

Click to expand...

Post pics straight from your phone on TapaTalk..........

I would be real surprised if a 15lb brisket cooked at 250* was anywhere near done in 5 hours. Stranger things have happened I suppose.

How hot is the pit where the brisket is sitting. It would need to be more like 300° to get it done that fast.

I’m glad you got some sleep. I forgot you had a stick burner when I said to get some sleep early into the cook.

SmittyJonz said:

I can't ever read the IT on my Banboo skewer probes..........

Click to expand...

You have to hold them just right!