Help!!! Overcooking Brisket!!!

drunkenmeatfist said:
I don't think you need to wrap at 165, you could probably wrap when you are happy with the bark. I'd also say that if you go from the cooker to the ice chest then it will be way longer than two hours before you are at 140.
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Yeah - I meant a couple of hrs, take it out, unwrap and let it simmer down to around 140 or so
 
pjtexas1 said:
Stop going by temp. It'll be 195 or 215. Probe tender in the thickest part of the flat is the best way to test for doneness.

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Actually - I tried that (going by temp too much). In fact, that may be whats screwing me up...
 
Last edited:
SmoothBoarBBQ said:
As others have said you've undercooked the meat and that's why it's tough and chewy. Your stated plan for next week sounds pretty good, but I wouldn't worry about waiting until it comes all the way down to 140° before you start slicing it up. Putting the brisket in an ice chest is really only something you should do if you want to HOLD the meat, rather than rest it. Holding will keep it hot for several hours, while resting it slowly allows the meat to reduce from ~200° to a more edible temperature. If you're close to ready to eating when the brisket is nice and tender then let it REST, on the counter, loosely tented in foil for maybe 35-45 minutes.

The "probe test" is the most effective means at determining the doneness of a piece of meat. Temp is a good guide but as others have stated large cuts of meat can have huge spans of finishing temps....from 190-215°. People say butter but for people who are trying to figure out what that means I suggest using a jar of peanut butter rather than a stick of butter. Before you probe the meat stick the probe into some peanut butter and get a feel for that resistance...that's going to be just about right in terms of how the brisket should feel when you probe it. Mind you I'm talking about the flat, not the point. You can cook it a bit further and get closer to butter, but butter has no resistance and when you take a brisket that far you're going to end up with some crumbling...which is OK because it's still good.

Also, Lang's are Reverse Flow cookers, so your entire cooking chamber should be VERY close in temp...probably 5° left to right. So no need to get in there and rotate the meat...just leave it alone, leave the door closed, and run a clean fire.

Good luck with your next cook and post your results (with some pics), and this way if you're still having problems we can try and give you a bit more guidance.
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Great advice from you and all. Thanks for the confidence. Greatly appreciated. I will be back with pics (if I can figure out how to upload... :)
 
Rockinar said:
Try wrapping at butcher paper at around the start of the stall around 165-170. That should help a LOT. It will help preserve moisture and protect it from the heat. Dont run naked till you can do wrapped briskets. Wrapped is easier in my opinion.

Also any chance you're UNDER cooking it and you just think you're over cooking it? Almost sounds to me like you're UNDER cooking it.
1) Under cooking it will be dry and chewy. You will have to work your jaw to eat it like a Golden Corral steak.
2) Over cooked it will be dry and crumbly/brittle. It will fall apart in a bad way when you try to slice it. You wont really be able to get good slices.

Ignore the point 100%.

There is no "jiggle/wiggle test" that will tell you anything or be any help. All briskets have fat and will jiggle/wiggle. That does not mean its cooked.


Purchase Aaron Franklin's Masterclass and follow his advice. Its really good.

Also you have a reverse flow. Water pan does not go on firebox end, it goes on the opposite end.
Click to expand...

pjtexas1 said:
Stop going by temp. It'll be 195 or 215. Probe tender in the thickest part of the flat is the best way to test for doneness.
Click to expand...

This right here.
 
SmoothBoarBBQ said:
As others have said you've undercooked the meat and that's why it's tough and chewy. Your stated plan for next week sounds pretty good, but I wouldn't worry about waiting until it comes all the way down to 140° before you start slicing it up. Putting the brisket in an ice chest is really only something you should do if you want to HOLD the meat, rather than rest it. Holding will keep it hot for several hours, while resting it slowly allows the meat to reduce from ~200° to a more edible temperature. If you're close to ready to eating when the brisket is nice and tender then let it REST, on the counter, loosely tented in foil for maybe 35-45 minutes.

The "probe test" is the most effective means at determining the doneness of a piece of meat. Temp is a good guide but as others have stated large cuts of meat can have huge spans of finishing temps....from 190-215°. People say butter but for people who are trying to figure out what that means I suggest using a jar of peanut butter rather than a stick of butter. Before you probe the meat stick the probe into some peanut butter and get a feel for that resistance...that's going to be just about right in terms of how the brisket should feel when you probe it. Mind you I'm talking about the flat, not the point. You can cook it a bit further and get closer to butter, but butter has no resistance and when you take a brisket that far you're going to end up with some crumbling...which is OK because it's still good.

Also, Lang's are Reverse Flow cookers, so your entire cooking chamber should be VERY close in temp...probably 5° left to right. So no need to get in there and rotate the meat...just leave it alone, leave the door closed, and run a clean fire.

Good luck with your next cook and post your results (with some pics), and this way if you're still having problems we can try and give you a bit more guidance.
Click to expand...

:thumb::thumb: Probe it, can't go wrong!!
DanB
 
PJ is correct. Briskets are like people no two are the same. Cook naked till you are happy with the color and bark then wrap. Start probing thick part of the flat around 195. I have had them finish anywhere between there and 215.

Also do not obsess with a pit temp. Every pit has a sweet spot where it will run clean and easy. Find where your pit settles in adjust your time lines to fit that and follow the other advice and you will be amazed with the result.
 
Lots of great advice already. I would suggest covering the readout on your thermapen and probing for feel. I undercooked 3 briskets when I first started smoking and each time I thought it was overcooked. I had my "ah ha" moment by complete accident. I went out to run errands and totally forgot I had a brisket on. Came home and my UDS was running at 350. I immediately took it out and temped it and almost cried because I thought I had "wasted" that brisket. It temped at 207 and I was ready to throw it in the trash. I left it wrapped on the counter and sliced it up anyway...and it was perfect!. I don't mention the 350 or the 207 because I think these are magic numbers by any means, just a pure coincidence. I remembered that probe feel and that is now what I look for.

Good luck!
 
U got a 203 reading with lots of 180 readings. That 203 reading could be a fat pocket that is rendering down and reading at a higher level.

The feel part of a brisket is key. Probe tender like others have said. Someone cooking a brisket at 225 and someone cooking hot/fast at 300 will have different finishing temps. Cookers, briskets, and outside weather conditions can all be different parts of the equation also. That is why the probe test works all the time. Going to one temp can work, but might not work another time based on other conditions.


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sjb67 said:
PJ is correct. Briskets are like people no two are the same. Cook naked till you are happy with the color and bark then wrap. Start probing thick part of the flat around 195. I have had them finish anywhere between there and 215.

Also do not obsess with a pit temp. Every pit has a sweet spot where it will run clean and easy. Find where your pit settles in adjust your time lines to fit that and follow the other advice and you will be amazed with the result.
Click to expand...



Home Farm BBQ said:
U got a 203 reading with lots of 180 readings. That 203 reading could be a fat pocket that is rendering down and reading at a higher level.

The feel part of a brisket is key. Probe tender like others have said. Someone cooking a brisket at 225 and someone cooking hot/fast at 300 will have different finishing temps. Cookers, briskets, and outside weather conditions can all be different parts of the equation also. That is why the probe test works all the time. Going to one temp can work, but might not work another time based on other conditions.
Click to expand...



Lots of great advice in this thread and here are two solid examples of common sense. :clap2:

Good luck.
 
It sounds simplistic- but cook it until it's done. Some folk plan a brisket like it's an amphibious attack plan- maps,schedules, synchronized watches- the whole enchilada.

I stopped caring so much and I was happier and the food was better.

Wrap it when it hits the color you want (or hell- don't wrap it at all). 150, 160, 170, 180 - you need to stop worrying about internal temps- you will be happier.

You can temp it and wiggle it until the cows come home- doesn't matter.

It''s not done until it's probe tender- doesn't matter how much temp control you had over your pit - highs- lows- none of it really matters. How long you had it on, how many beers you drank while it was on- none of that matters. (OK-if you drink too much, pass out and turn your brisket into a dry husk- that's on you). There IS a correlation between temp/time and doneness - but this is not making a cake. Cakes are science- brisket is art...and art is feeling.
 
I will usually wrap at around 165 but having a good bark set is more important than the actual temperature at this point. After wrapping, I will begin to probe check for tenderness at 195. Every brisket is a little different but the probe test for tenderness is the final answer, not the temperature. They will usually be perfect between 197 and 203. Also, it's very important to let it rest no less than 2 hours. I actually prefer 4 hours. Enjoy !!
 
Most folks would be better off trading their thermometers for skewers and learn to cook by feel.

Cookin old skool in Tejas

Larry
 
I didn't read all the responses, but you remind me of myself a few years ago. I swore off brisket because I couldn't get it right. Then I accidentally got it right and figured out what I was doing wrong. Undercooking was my problem.

What size Lang? I cook on a 36 stretch. Fat up on the top rack. Let that convective heat hammer the point. Forget a spritz, you're just slowing down the cook. I wrap when coming out of the stall. Internal temp is usually around 210 when it's puuuuuurrrfect.
 
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...
 
My rule of thumb is to leave 4 hours for the rest/hold. I've cooked 10 before and most were done in 6 hours and others took 9+. Those last 2 came out of the cooker as my friends arrived to pick them up. You just can't know for sure. If they are done early then set the oven to 170 and let them hold for however long you need wrapped in foil. That's why restaurants cook the day/ night before and hold for hours and hours. The longer the hold the better they get.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 
Rockinar said:
Try wrapping at butcher paper at around the start of the stall around 165-170. That should help a LOT. It will help preserve moisture and protect it from the heat. Dont run naked till you can do wrapped briskets. Wrapped is easier in my opinion.

Also any chance you're UNDER cooking it and you just think you're over cooking it? Almost sounds to me like you're UNDER cooking it.
1) Under cooking it will be dry and chewy. You will have to work your jaw to eat it like a Golden Corral steak.
2) Over cooked it will be dry and crumbly/brittle. It will fall apart in a bad way when you try to slice it. You wont really be able to get good slices.

Ignore the point 100%.

There is no "jiggle/wiggle test" that will tell you anything or be any help. All briskets have fat and will jiggle/wiggle. That does not mean its cooked.


Purchase Aaron Franklin's Masterclass and follow his advice. Its really good.

Also you have a reverse flow. Water pan does not go on firebox end, it goes on the opposite end.
Click to expand...


I agree! I had this same problem and started wrapping around 165-170. I cook to 200 F and its GREAT! Also Franklin has several videos on YouTube and I also found several on Amazon Prime
 
Let us know how your brisket turns out this weekend! Stick to your plan and I’m sure it will be great! Chris
 
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