Smoking Brisket -- where am I going wrong??!

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drew4392

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Hey everyone! Really hoping someone can help me out.

I'm on my 3rd brisket and I am encountering the same problem-- it comes out dry. I am using a pellet grill.

This is my general process:

- trim/season/refrigerate the night before
- fat cap down
- 215 degrees for about 6 hours until I hit stall
- wrap in butcher paper
- back on at same temp for another 5-6 hours
- once or twice I cranked the heat to 250 or so because I was scared I wouldn't make dinner time (this was towards the end)
- I pull at 203 ish (I notice it is not very tender, but I don't want it to cook longer, so I pull it)
- either it goes in the cooler for a couple hours or I let it rest uncovered (or with a towel draped over top) on my stove in a tray

And when that glorious moment comes where I cut into the flat.... dryness. UGH. It's not awful, but it certainly doesn't fall apart (i.e. Aaron Franklin's pull test).

Am I missing a major step somewhere?

Thanks in advance!!
 
drew4392 said:
- trim/season/refrigerate the night before
Click to expand...

I’m not a brisket expert, but if your rub contains salt, I’d say seasoning the night before maybe your issue.

Do you find a lot of moisture on the outside of your brisket when you pull from the fridge?
 
You're most likely not going long enough. If it doesn't probe tender then your intramuscular fat hasn't rendered. Don't go by time. Don't go by temp. Go by probe tenderness.
 
Also what grade of brisket was it? Nothing in your technique sounds wrong, except possibly you pulled it too early. Bumping up the temp to 250 isn't going to dry it out.
 
BigThicket said:
You're most likely not going long enough. If it doesn't probe tender then your intramuscular fat hasn't rendered. Don't go by time. Don't go by temp. Go by probe tenderness.
Click to expand...

I agree 100%....sounds like it's not cooking long enough. The probe test always works, never go by time or temp, the brisket will be done when its done! I have done briskets that have taken a very long time and some were done way quicker than I planned.
 
What type of pellet grill? What type of brisket?

I believe that Franklin gets first pick Prime briskets delivered to him, so he's starting with pretty top notch meat.

In my experience, and I'm far from a brisket expert, I've had mixed luck with choice briskets. I've had a couple stellar ones and a several meh ones, and a few that get turned into chili. I cooked very similar to you, wrapping after the bark is where I want it and starting to check for probe tender about 185-190 and usually finding it at 198-205, and resting in a cooler for a couple hours. Several of the choice briskets would then fall apart when I tried to slice them.

When I get USDA Prime packers from Costco, the results seem more consistent and easier to reproduce. On most previous pellet grills with drip trays, I do cook fat cap up since the most of the heat is actually rolling around the pan and hitting the brisket from the top.
 
From everything you've said, it sounds like you're undercooking your brisket. Generally, tough/chewy and dry means undercooked. Dry and crumbly is overcooked.

I'm kind of surprised you're able to get to 203 in 12 hours cooking at 215. Have you calibrated the probe you're using to temp it with? For me personally, I start out cooking briskets around 250 and gradually bring up the temp to 275-300 for the majority of the cook. You could maybe try bumping to 250 plus after you wrap to speed the process up
 
I'm still learning my cooker, and lucky to have friends who will provide me with their briskets as I practice. Its a win-win for all of us since I get to practice for the cost of the pellets.

I just re-watched the Aaron Franklin PBS episode on youtube "BBQ with Franklin: The Cook". Its helped me tremendously.

To me the biggest take away in the vjayo is the cook temp. He's cooking on that tiny smoker at 250F

I've been doing mine at 275F minimum, and gradually testing the outcomes as I cook higher and higher temps.

Since doing that, my briskets have a terrific bark, color, tenderness, and full of delish juice.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!
 
As most have said on here, need to cook to probe tender not focus so much on a temp. That's likely the biggest issue.

You are never going to make a brisket as good as AFs on your pellet smoker. That's not to say you can't make a dam good one though.

You will also likely never be able to make one as good as him if you don't use the same quality meat. I was lucky enough one time to find a Creak Stone Farms prime brisket at a local butcher a few years back. It was better than any prime or Costco wagyu I've ever bought.

Suspect your cooking at low temp to get more smoke from the pellet grill? Once you wrap you can turn up the temp to 275 to finish as no more smoke is penetrating at that point anyway.

At the end of the day brisket is a fickle mistress. Every time I think I have it nailed I make one that I'm not overly pleased with. We are our own worst critics though, so as long as everyone had a good time and is full after the meal call it a success. :mrgreen:
 
eric21 said:
Also what grade of brisket was it? Nothing in your technique sounds wrong, except possibly you pulled it too early. Bumping up the temp to 250 isn't going to dry it out.
Click to expand...

Prime. Definitely seeing a theme, here! Thanks to you (and everyone else) for calling out cook time likely being too short despite temp reading where it needs to be.


BigThicket said:
You're most likely not going long enough. If it doesn't probe tender then your intramuscular fat hasn't rendered. Don't go by time. Don't go by temp. Go by probe tenderness.
Click to expand...

Copy that. Going to try this again!!


SirPorkaLot said:
I’m not a brisket expert, but if your rub contains salt, I’d say seasoning the night before maybe your issue.

Do you find a lot of moisture on the outside of your brisket when you pull from the fridge?
Click to expand...

Hmm... could be. Yes, there is some liquid the next morning. Not a ton. Anybody else think I should be seasoning just before placing on the grill?


fwdiii said:
I agree 100%....sounds like it's not cooking long enough. The probe test always works, never go by time or temp, the brisket will be done when its done! I have done briskets that have taken a very long time and some were done way quicker than I planned.
Click to expand...

Thanks!

glitchy said:
What type of pellet grill? What type of brisket?

I believe that Franklin gets first pick Prime briskets delivered to him, so he's starting with pretty top notch meat.

In my experience, and I'm far from a brisket expert, I've had mixed luck with choice briskets. I've had a couple stellar ones and a several meh ones, and a few that get turned into chili. I cooked very similar to you, wrapping after the bark is where I want it and starting to check for probe tender about 185-190 and usually finding it at 198-205, and resting in a cooler for a couple hours. Several of the choice briskets would then fall apart when I tried to slice them.

When I get USDA Prime packers from Costco, the results seem more consistent and easier to reproduce. On most previous pellet grills with drip trays, I do cook fat cap up since the most of the heat is actually rolling around the pan and hitting the brisket from the top.
Click to expand...

Masterbuilt pellet grill. Packer Prime. My 2nd brisket I tried fat cap up. I read somewhere that fat is hard and doesn't render/drip down through the meat. I'm willing to try fat side up again!
 
robertm said:
As most have said on here, need to cook to probe tender not focus so much on a temp. That's likely the biggest issue.

You are never going to make a brisket as good as AFs on your pellet smoker. That's not to say you can't make a dam good one though.

You will also likely never be able to make one as good as him if you don't use the same quality meat. I was lucky enough one time to find a Creak Stone Farms prime brisket at a local butcher a few years back. It was better than any prime or Costco wagyu I've ever bought.

Suspect your cooking at low temp to get more smoke from the pellet grill? Once you wrap you can turn up the temp to 275 to finish as no more smoke is penetrating at that point anyway.

At the end of the day brisket is a fickle mistress. Every time I think I have it nailed I make one that I'm not overly pleased with. We are our own worst critics though, so as long as everyone had a good time and is full after the meal call it a success. :mrgreen:
Click to expand...

Marquez said:
I'm still learning my cooker, and lucky to have friends who will provide me with their briskets as I practice. Its a win-win for all of us since I get to practice for the cost of the pellets.

I just re-watched the Aaron Franklin PBS episode on youtube "BBQ with Franklin: The Cook". Its helped me tremendously.

To me the biggest take away in the vjayo is the cook temp. He's cooking on that tiny smoker at 250F

I've been doing mine at 275F minimum, and gradually testing the outcomes as I cook higher and higher temps.

Since doing that, my briskets have a terrific bark, color, tenderness, and full of delish juice.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Click to expand...

KClandcruiser said:
From everything you've said, it sounds like you're undercooking your brisket. Generally, tough/chewy and dry means undercooked. Dry and crumbly is overcooked.

I'm kind of surprised you're able to get to 203 in 12 hours cooking at 215. Have you calibrated the probe you're using to temp it with? For me personally, I start out cooking briskets around 250 and gradually bring up the temp to 275-300 for the majority of the cook. You could maybe try bumping to 250 plus after you wrap to speed the process up
Click to expand...


Thanks a lot, everyone! Great advice. I'll report back after my next one. I know many of you know that sh*tty feeling of BBQ coming out crappy, and wanting to chuck the grill, the meat, or yourself in the trash can. This helps give me hope hahaha
 
Sounds like you undercooked it but everybody's ready to eat and the meat ain't quite done. We've all been there.

I've been smoking hot and fast (temps 275-325) for years and have consistent results. Season prior to smoking, wrap at 160-170 and cook until probes tender. I like to rest the brisket so Hot & Fast usually gives me a good cushion of time to do so.
 
Agree, its undercooked. If you went over you wouldn't be able to make slices, it would just crumble. 215 is really low, I would bump up your temps a tic.. at least go 225-250. Start checking it at 203, but don't pull it till you can probe the center of the flat and it feels like sticking an over ripe avacado or some butter that was left on the counter. You want it to feel that way in the thickest parts of the flat, not the point. Sounds like you're really getting there, just pulling it a little early. Overcooked is always better than under, but if you're doing low and slow, your window for perfection will be pretty wide.. Have patience!
 
I just cooked one a few days ago, it came out really really nice. here's exactly what I did (also others can chime in, this was the first brisket I did on pellets, I am not an expert):

Costco prime packer, 20.3 lbs. Trimmed quite a bit, part of the reason it was so heavy was it had a ton of fat. I'm guessing it was 15 lbs after trimming.

1. I put 60% salt 40% pepper mixture on it at about 7am.

2. 11 hours later, remove from fridge and set it on counter (1 hour pre-cook) - This is just a habit, I don't know if it helps or not. The idea would be to let the thing warm up a tiny bit before going on.

3. Hour 12 (7pm), put it on at 180 (smoke) for 2 hrs. I had it on the top rack, with a drip pan underneath but no water, fat side down.

4. After 2 hours at 180, raise temp to 225

5. I went to bed, but woke up at around 4am and noticed it was stalled at 155, so I sprayed it with a mixture of apple juice, water, and apple cider vinegar, wrapped it in butcher paper and put it back on, and raised temp to 275 and went back to sleep. I don't think spritzing did anything, but I wanted to try it.

6. I started having technical difficulties with the smoker (long story) and transferred it to the oven when it was around 165 internal. During this whole process the internal temp fell to about 145. I put it in the oven at 275, still wrapped, and now sitting in a 2.5 inch tall metal hotel pan.

7. Dropped the temp to 250, then to 225, as I monitored how fast it was coming up to temp so it wouldn't get done too early. I don't have a very good cooler and can't really hold for more than 4 hrs.

8. About 18 hrs after I started, I hit 200 and started probing it. It felt pretty tender at 200, but I didn't want to pull it too early, and left it for a tiny bit longer just to make sure, and took it off at 203-204.

9. Wrapped it in a another sheet of butcher paper to deal with some of the moisture (on top of the existing sheet) then wrapped it in a towel and put it in the cooler, with more towels crammed in, and let it sit for 3 hrs. After 3 hrs I temped it and was still at 170, so I let it sit another hour and when I pulled it out I was at 160. You don't want to fall below 140 for food safety reasons.

Hope that helps!
 
Seasoning the night before really isn't the problem that's for sure. You could try seasoning an hour or so before you cook, but other variables will make the majority of the difference.
 
Verify the temp you're actually cooking at with another trusted thermometer or two. You may not be even cooking at 215°.

I agree with most others. The brisket is undercooked.

I wouldn't worry about seasoning the night before. You are essentially dry brining that way.
 
IMHO there’s absolutely no good reason to cook most BBQ below 250deg unless you’re intentionally trying to slow the process down for some reason.
 
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