Brisket question

[lawman]

I'm at 5 hours and 45 minutes on a 10lb brisket that I trimmed about 1.5 pounds of fat from. It reads 195 all over inside with a therm that I trust. It is tender and the probe goes in with no resistance on the tender/large end. Is there anyway this thing is done? Help.

 

[lawman]

Oh and it was cookked in a bandera with temps at the meat between 225-240 on a hot day with a strong south wind blowing straight in the firebox vents.

 

[spicewine]

Since you are not at Comp -- Go ahead and take it to 200-205 and it will be nice and tender.

Spice

 

[Frisco_Smoker]

Oh and it was cookked in a bandera with temps at the meat between 225-240 on a hot day with a strong south wind blowing straight in the firebox vents.

I'd say restab your thermometer and make sure you just haven't landed the probe in the fat... but if you keep getting 195 my guess is that it's done. Maybe test the thermo in some boiling water too. Pretty damn fast cook!@

 

[lawman]

Thanks, I thought the high internal temp is what dries them out?

 

[lawman]

I made 6-7 temp checks and they were all within 2 degrees of each other.

 

[lawman]

This was my first brisket and I left it in for 7 hours. It was tender and very moist. I checked both therms in boiling water and they work fine. I don't know how you guys can cook one for 10-12 hours. I must be cooking much hotter. Other than a few spikes of 265 on the high or 210 on the low it stayed about 230 most of the cook. Could the large amount of fat that I cut off have made the cook quicker. I only left about 1/8 of fat and sprayed it with apple juice at least ten times during the cook.

 

[bbqinNC]

I have only done a few briskets, but I have cooked them all for around 12 hours. On all of them, I did not trim any fat off.

 

[kcquer]

The only fat I usually trim off of a packer is the crescent shaped piece of solid stuff from around the point. That stuff isn't of any benefit and is much easier to deal with raw than cooked. If selection isn't too good when I shop and I end up with a brisket with an exceptionally heavy fat cap, I may trim a bit of it off, but generally I leave that side alone.