Dry Brisket Question?? Need Help

[SLCMACK]

I smoked a brisket yesterday, fast and high style. It was about 6.5lb brisket that I injected some Red Creek into and rubbed with Montreal Steak spices and garlic salt. I foiled the brisket at 165degrees and squirted with Beef Broth and put some in the foil as well. I pulled the brisket out of the smoker at 200degrees and wrapped in a towel for about an hour. I was dissapointed with the dryness of the brisket even though it pulled apart the way a good brisket does. Any input on why this thing was dry? This is my second brisket cooked high and fast. I love this method as a time saver but need to get down and figure out why is was dry. Thanks for any suggestions or input. Sean

 

[OneHump]

Did you go probe at all or just pull at 200?

 

[landarc]

I assume you did just a flat, based on the weight. I have found that flats cook so fast using the hot-n-fast method, they do not render as well as a slower cook. I am still trying to figure out doing a flat only cook. The last one I did was the closest to being the way I would like so far. I did not foil and really paid attention to the final half hour or so. I did not do temperature other than to tell when to start probing. Once it felt pretty soft, not as easy to probe as a slower cook, I pulled, panned and foiled. Then put back onto cooker as it cooled, coals going out. After 45 mins, pulled it out and sliced. It was better.

 

[SLCMACK]

Yea, I probed it in several spots and maybe I should have waited a little longer. It went in pretty easy, but the whole probe didn't make it the whole length of the probe. Should I have let it keep going in the foil? I know its supposed to go in like butta but maybe the whole probe is supposed to go in like butta? Thanks

 

[btcg]

I assume you did just a flat, based on the weight. I have found that flats cook so fast using the hot-n-fast method, they do not render as well as a slower cook. I am still trying to figure out doing a flat only cook. The last one I did was the closest to being the way I would like so far. I did not foil and really paid attention to the final half hour or so. I did not do temperature other than to tell when to start probing. Once it felt pretty soft, not as easy to probe as a slower cook, I pulled, panned and foiled. Then put back onto cooker as it cooled, coals going out. After 45 mins, pulled it out and sliced. It was better.

I get these flats from a chain store store called Giant Foods sometimes. Often, they're my only option if I want to do brisket. They're rather thin, and not a quality cut, like I'd get from Whole Foods (if they ever had any @ my local store). Being so thin, they easily dry out.

I've found that the injection is crucial (you've really gotta fill it up) and let it sit after for a full day.

Lastly, as you noted, low & slow is the only way, and the BBQ Guru device is critical for me. I keep track of my internal temps as well.

I finally did one I was very happy with a few months ago.

 

[landarc]

Yea, I probed it in several spots and maybe I should have waited a little longer. It went in pretty easy, but the whole probe didn't make it the whole length of the probe. Should I have let it keep going in the foil? I know its supposed to go in like butta but maybe the whole probe is supposed to go in like butta? Thanks

I do not punch a 6" hole into my brisket, no, I use the probe for about a couple inches at most. If it is done, it will be soft to the probe pretty quickly. There is another way, you can actually touch the brisket with your fingers, if you are not sensitive to heat, and feel the softness between the grains. Probing is better than using your fingers though.

I am not a fan of foil for a hot-n-fast cook (maybe I didn't say that before). I just think with the heat and speed, foiling adds another wild card to be controlled. As btcg said, if the flat is one of the thinner ones, hot-n-fast may not be the best method...now that I reread your post, what was your temp and what did you cook in? A lot of doing a good brisket, regardless of temperature and time, is getting the connective tissue to render before the meat burns. This can be done in many different ways.

 

[btcg]

A water pan is crucial too.

Did you use a water pan, and if you did, did you keep it filled?

 

[Twisted Martini]

I did one yesterday That was about that size on my BGE and it came out very moist. I put it on at about 300 for 2 hrs, no injection, right out of the fridge, with apple chunks. Once it got to 165 I put it in an aluminum pan with a cup and ahlf of beef broth, a little woostershire and some rub. Back on until about 190 (the egg had cooled off to about 250)
rested it in foil for 90 min and sliced. I didn't trim the fat and cooked it fat side down, if that matters.

 

[thillin]

If it's dry, you're most likely over cooked it. I cook at 300+ and prefer to pan & foil for my best results. To save a cook like this, reserve all the liquid from foiling and dunk or soak the slices.