Brisket Enigma (Briskegma?)

[Unfathomable Bastid]

Hey Brethren:

Aaron Franklin (Franklin's BBQ) makes me crazy. Everything he does, both in his video series and on BBQ Pitmasters, is by feel and experience. There's very little science to his BBQ -- which I suspect is why he's so awesome. Which is also why I'm not.

Anyway, checkout his brisket payoff video when he "decides" to take it off the cooker. Skip to the 5:30 mark to see what I'm talking about:

YouTube (Short URL)

Since I've been working on my brisket, I have yet to have one come off the smoker looking so soft and pliable as Franklin shows in this video. I am either over-cooking it, or severely under cooking it since my brisket have a significantly firmer tone than his. And since I never seem to probe the flat like butter between temps of 195 and 210, I'm not sure what he's doing that I'm not.

So what say you, my brisket brethren? What the heck is he doing that I'm not???

-Bastid

[aawa]

He just knows the exact feel of the meat when it is done. The first two briskets I cook, didn't turn out as well as I waned. One was slightly undercooked, the other slightly overcooked. The 3rd one I finally nailed it. After nailing brisket once I have found that I can consistently pick up a brisket and tell if it is done.

The big key is to know when I start checking for doneness. And that is all dependent on the size of the meat and the temperature you are cooking at.

[dwfisk]

Remember, Franklin probably cooks more brisket every day than you or I cook in 6 months. It's hard to build that kind of experience, I have been trying for years and I've only gotten comfortable cooking by look & feel in the last year or so. I have found that a fairly hot-n-fast method (325*) seems to work for me & my RF stickburner: about 4 hours then wrap in butcher paper for a couple hours or until Franklin floppy & probe tender and finally, rest for at least an hour (thx bludawg!).

[Bludawg]

Taught that boy everything he knows You under cooking it.

BBQ RULES FOR SUCCESS

YOU CAN NOT COOK GREAT BBQ ON A CONSISTENT BASIS BY COOKING TO AN INTERNAL TEMPERATURE OR BY TIME ( XXX MIN PER LB) YOU MUST COOK BY FEEL! For Brisket it must pass the poke test(probe like soft butter in the thickest part of the Flat) Ribs pass the Bend Test, Pork Butts when the bone wiggles loose. These are the only reliable methods to ensure that your cook will be a success.

this is my thermo the CowPoker

[HeSmellsLikeSmoke]

Well, cooking brisket actually isn't science due to the fact that each brisket has a different structure, fat, and collagen content. That is why feel is so important and his videos are so helpful.

[tx_hellraiser]

I am sure there are other things he does off camera that he does not say

[GrillsGoneWild]

You guys also forget about the quality of meat he starts with. He doesn't go to the grocery store to buy his brisket.....

[luke duke]

Originally Posted by GrillsGoneWild

You guys also forget about the quality of meat he starts with. He doesn't go to the grocery store to buy his brisket.....

This. He "cheats" and uses very expensive briskets. He also wraps his briskets and holds them for loooooooong time.

[hockeyfox]

I still use an internal thermometer...not as an end game, but it gives me an idea as to when I need to start babysitting it.

[Bonewagon]

Originally Posted by dwfisk

Remember, Franklin probably cooks more brisket every day than you or I cook in 6 months.

+1. You can't beat experience.

[Unfathomable Bastid]

Originally Posted by Bludawg

Taught that boy everything he knows You under cooking it.

Thanks Bludawg. I recognize that a "finished" brisket is done when it's done -- and not a desired temperature. That being said, I typically start probing the flat at 190 as a guideline and will keep probing every half hour.

The last couple times -- the thing got up to 210-215'ish and was still not probing like butter in the flat. That's when I decided I must have missed the target zone, and decided to pull it off the cooker. The target doneness can't be higher than THAT, can it????

It was good, but it didn't look soft and pliable like Franklin is showing in this video.

[spedly]

Originally Posted by GrillsGoneWild

You guys also forget about the quality of meat he starts with. He doesn't go to the grocery store to buy his brisket.....

Agreed. Quality is the biggest factor with a brisket, in my experience.

[Unfathomable Bastid]

Originally Posted by spedly

Agreed. Quality is the biggest factor with a brisket, in my experience.

Hmmm. I typically buy "choice" grade packer briskets from the grocery store. Maybe my issue is the grocery store product?

[spedly]

Originally Posted by Unfathomable Bastid

Hmmm. I typically buy "choice" grade packer briskets from the grocery store. Maybe my issue is the grocery store product?

To my palate brisket is one of those cuts of meat where quality really makes a difference. The last brisket I cooked was certified organic AAA Angus and it was one of the best pieces of meat I've ever tasted in my life. I don't think I could go back to a lower grade except for maybe making pastrami or Montreal smoked meat.

I think I'm going to head down to the butcher today and pick up one of those AAA bad boys for supper tomorrow. :)

[Bludawg]

Originally Posted by Unfathomable Bastid

Thanks Bludawg. I recognize that a "finished" brisket is done when it's done -- and not a desired temperature. That being said, I typically start probing the flat at 190 as a guideline and will keep probing every half hour.

The last couple times -- the thing got up to 210-215'ish and was still not probing like butter in the flat. That's when I decided I must have missed the target zone, and decided to pull it off the cooker. The target doneness can't be higher than THAT, can it????

It was good, but it didn't look soft and pliable like Franklin is showing in this video.

There are to many variables to really attribute it to one thing it could be the cow the grade, your technique or a number of other things. I have had some not give up until it was past 220.
Since I started cooking H&F 300+ I noticed a change in my brisket it was moister then I started using butcher paper and I saw another big change it finished quicker and had more give after a rest it would wiggle.
Franklin uses A high quality beef from 1 supplier. He also holds his briskets at IIRC 180 from the time they come off the pit until they are cut. They stay wrapped in the same piece of BP the whole time. I treat my self two time a year with a pilgrimage to Austin to the house that AAron built. Every trip I come away with another piece of his puzzle. I will tell you from what he shows in the Videos and what he does everyday the only difference is the cook temp and the size of the pit.