Brisket problem

[Nuco59]

Do? On a brisket? Judicious trimming. Heavy season with coarse salt and pepper - maybe a tiny bit of onion powder and garlic powder if I'm feeling feisty.

Get one of my UDS (probably the 55 gallon one) up to 325- let it stabilize on temp and the smoke is cleared up.

Meat on. No Probe. Just using the grate thermometer for now. Let it go at 325 for about 4 (maybe 5 hours). IT will be somewhere in the 150 to 170 range- I'm mainly looking at color. Tightly wrap in butcher paper or double foil if that's all I have.

I will put a probe in the thick part of the flat at this point. I will set it for like 205. it chimes? I probe thick of the flat with a skewer. Still Tight? Set the temp up 2 degrees and probe it again. Rinse and repeat until it probes tender (just the thick of the flat- ignore the point). All good? Sit it on the counter- open the wrap to vent the heat. Let it sit about 20 minutes. Rewrap if you can - easier if using foil. if I'm using paper, I will wrap it in foil - rewrapping greasy butcher paper is a chore. Rest on the counter wrapped in old towels, or in an empty ice chest or in an electric turkey roaster set to 150-ish. You could use a warm oven- heat to 195 - turn it off and put the brisket on a rack.

This process takes about 8 hours total. If you eat at 5:00pm it's easy. If you want to eat at noon, you have to get up a little earlier - or get creative.

If this did not answer the question you wanted, hit me /us again.

 

[Bob Wiley]

Smoke at 225-250 naked until temp 160.
Wrap in foil and raise cooker to 275-300.
When brisket probes 200-205 take it off.

When your learning or having problems use a good instant read temp probe. Not a cheap one, a good one. It makes a difference.

 

[gtr]

In the unlikely event you're looking for a brisket thread rabbit hole, here ya go:

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=109807

Time might be best served jumping down to "Great Tutorials and Wisdom"

 

[Crotonmark]

Smoke at 225-250 naked until temp 160.
Wrap in foil and raise cooker to 275-300.
When brisket probes 200-205 take it off.

When your learning or having problems use a good instant read temp probe. Not a cheap one, a good one. It makes a difference.

I do. I have a thermapen

 

[pharp]

I love brisket but I might give it up
I don't know what else I can do time wise
It never gets done!
There is only so early a guy can start :mmph:

Don't give up. Just crank the temps and cook it in 6 hours.

 

[Shadowdog500]

I love brisket but I might give it up
I don't know what else I can do time wise
It never gets done!
There is only so early a guy can start :mmph:

OK Just read the article. Seems to me that the jury is unclear about brisket and it takes a master to get it right?

Don’t give up. It don’t take a master to make good brisket. You just have to find what works for you.

It was confusing at first for me as well because of all of the different and sometimes conflicting advise I received from people who claim that their brisket is the best. After seeing all of the different advice given I’ve concluded that there must be at least a dozen different ways to make good brisket because everyone giving different advise swears that their brisket is the best, including me! LOL!:razz:.

I finally decided to pick one method instead of trying to mesh together a combination all of the different advice. I followed Arron franklins guidance to the letter and started making good brisket. Since then I added some of Harry Soo’s methods of setting up my smoker since he uses the same WSM smoker as me.

My first few briskets turned out the same as yours, and I bet everyone else here had a similar experience. My wife rescued them by putting them in a pressure cooker with beef broth.

 

[Crotonmark]

Don’t give up. It don’t take a master to make good brisket. You just have to find what works for you.

It was confusing at first for me as well because of all of the different and sometimes conflicting advise I received from people who claim that their brisket is the best. After seeing all of the different advice given I’ve concluded that there must be at least a dozen different ways to make good brisket because everyone giving different advise swears that their brisket is the best, including me! LOL!:razz:.

I finally decided to pick one method instead of trying to mesh together a combination all of the different advice. I followed Arron franklins guidance to the letter and started making good brisket. Since then I added some of Harry Soo’s methods of setting up my smoker since he uses the same WSM smoker as me.

My first few briskets turned out the same as yours, and I bet everyone else here had a similar experience. My wife rescued them by putting them in a pressure cooker with beef broth.

Where do I see Arron Franklin's guidence?

 

[Monkey Uncle]

As someone who does brisket a few times a year, I feel your pain. I've done a good many of them over the years, but I just don't do them often enough to get the "probe tender" thing to work. Not sure what kind of magic it takes to master that particular zen, but it just doesn't work for me. Every time I've tried to take a brisket to probe tender, it has ended up overcooked (dry and crumbly).

Here's what does work for me. Cook it unwrapped at about 250 F until it reaches an IT of 200-203. Take if off and rest it on the counter for 1/2 an hour or so. Slice and serve immediately. Perfect. Yes, it takes a long time, typically 12-14 hours.

 

[Pig_Farmer]

What you are discussing is holding rather than resting. 30 minute rest time is leaving the meat on the table (at room temp) to allow it to come down to approximately 145° before you slice into it. Holding, as you're describing, is keeping the meat above 145° for long periods of time to ensure there is no harmful bacterial growth.

If you cook the meat to a perfect tenderness there is no need for holding at all. There's a good article here on AmazingRibs.com about all of these holding / resting myths.

https://amazingribs.com/more-techni...ce-juiciness-why-resting-and-holding-meat-are

@CrotonMark,

The brisket was likely not finished and needed a bit more time. Probing is definitely the way to go and you've got to probe in a few different areas, with the most emphasis being placed on the thickest part of the FLAT. If that area is probe tender then you should be good to go.

A good rule of thumb for brisket is this : when you think it's finished cook it for another 45-60 minutes (if cooking low and slow). Slightly overcooked brisket is much better than slightly undercooked brisket.

I hear what you're saying about rest and hold. I will vent mine until the IT around 180* wrap tightly in foil and "hold" in the cambro for a couple hours. I have found that the vent (for me) has been the key in addition to the hold.

 

[Shadowdog500]

Where do I see Arron Franklin's guidence?

I bought his book. https://www.amazon.com/Franklin-Bar...t=&hvlocphy=9003875&hvtargid=pla-432151559456

You can watch his YouTube series. https://youtu.be/VmTzdMHu5KU

You can also take his masterclass. https://www.masterclass.com/classes...mE7njZpQnMsmSr9nYqX1VCQUyu1XhfiYaAuB-EALw_wcB

 

[Nuco59]

I seem to remember a fella on this site named Bludawg- I think he had a few posts on how to whip out a fine brisket. He might not be Aaron Franklin... but Aarron Franklin ain't no Bludawg either.

 

[Ag76]

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=175804 (See Post #5)

BluDawg Brisket:

K.I S.S. some of the best brisket you will ever eat! Total cook time including the rest 8 hrs or less. I promise it will be as moist as mornin dew on the lilly, tender as a mothers love, pure beefy smoky goodness.

1 packer 12-15 lb

Trim off the hard fat on each side of the flat thin the fat cap to 1/4"

Mix your Rub
1 part kosher salt 4 parts Med grind Black peppa by volume( this is a true 50/50 BY weight)
apply a coat of rub you need to be able to see the meat through the rub clearly.

Pre heat the pit to 300 deg
place brisket on the pit Fat Cap Down and point to the firebox unless it is a RF cooker then point to away from FB

Maintain pit between 275-325 if cookin on a stick burner
cook Brisket 4 hrs
remove from pit wrap in a single layer of Butcher paper Return to pit Fat cap up.
after 1 hr probe the thicket part of the Flat only! If it isn't *probe tender it will be within 1 hr.
once it is probe tender remove from the pit keep it wrapped in the paper you cooked it in and allow it to rest on your counter until the Internal temp reaches 150 this will take about two hrs.
Don't ever slice more than you can eat big pieces retain moisture and won't dry up on you like slices will.


*PROBE TENDER>This is the feel that is mimicked by cutting room temperature butter with a hot knife, there should be no drag