Brisket slice question

This pic redefines the notion of PRON.

And your question is what exactly???

the thinner part may be slightly overdone, probe the thickest part of the flat, when done I just slice the thin part all the way off and chop it, slice the better stuff

Bludawg said:

And your question is what exactly???

Click to expand...

he is trying to cook the thin and thick part perfectly

You are right there on the fine line of too tender because you had to slice it thicker to keep it together, and it looks like the right end is starting to tear too. Not that this amount of tenderness is wrong, many folks love it this tender.

Probing is something you learn over time and all meats have a different "feel" when probing, so it's best to use the same probe (like an ice pick with a rounded point), as least this way you have one constant (the probe itself) while you are learning how to judge tenderness.

I know it's easy to visualize terms like "slides in like warm butter", but in reality if a brisket was butter tender it would be near impossible to get it off the pit without something like a pizza peel. :biggrin1: I compare my probing to various stages of baked potato... a raw potato has a lot of resistance, a perfectly done potato has very little resistance. A perfect brisket for me feels like a potato that is not quite perfectly done.

its my experience that the thinner end of the flat isn't going to be as good as the thicker part of the flat. best way to get them closer is to trim that thin edge/end off and make it a snack part way thru the cook.

edit: its also a good way to test a new rub without ruining a whole brisket.

Perfectly done brisket should be able to hold it's own weight if you hold a slice up vertically, but pull apart easily when pulled. For this test, the thickness of the slice doesn't matter.

This is not the only way to test the tenderness of a brisket, nor is it any better than any other way.

When I probe/temp i always do it in the middle of the brisket- not the thinnest part but not in the thickest part.

If you only check the thickest part, the thinner end could be over-cooked and crumbly. If you only probe the thinner end, the thick end could be chewy and under-cooked. So I split the difference and go for the middle.

I actually like my brisket a little over-done. That way, i get to eat more crumbly delicious meat bits while i'm slicing it.