Second brisket.... Much better, but I still have some learnin' to do...

[Music Junkie]

Attempted my second brisket today. Picked up a nice 16lb brisket at Costco on Saturday, after deciding to give it a go again. After getting it home and trimming it down, I gave it a healthy rub of SPOG, paprika, cumin and cayenne. Got up this morning at 3:30am to get the pellet pooper going. I admire you true wood burners out there, and how you have to spend much more time prepping for an early start. Threw the brisket on and went back to bed at about 4:15am. After about 9 hours, I hit 195-IT. Probed and decided that it needed a bit more time. It reached about 205, and it probed wonderfully. Took it off, wrapped it and placed it in the dry cooler for about 2.5-3hrs. Took it out and sliced it up. A little dry, thinking I should have wrapped it. Decided to go unwrapped after reading some articles on whether to wrap or not wrap. I am a "bark" lover, so I went that way. Flavor was spot on (for me). Not dry, but not overly moist either (live and learn). Tenderness was perfect. Held up on its own weight when I held the end, and the bend test was decent (I think). Not a perfect brisket by any means, but I like the progress over cook #1.

Thanks to all of you who have chimed in, wrote posts, and posted pics. You are such an amazing source of solid information. What a blessing this site is.

 

[Porcine Perfection]

Nice job. Great smoke ring. Yeah it looks like the flat was a little dry and crumbly. Keep working at it. You are on the right track. If you like hard bark, try wrapping in butcher paper. It will help keep your moisture in while still giving you some bark.

 

[Music Junkie]

Nice job. Great smoke ring. Yeah it looks like the flat was a little dry and crumbly. Keep working at it. You are on the right track. If you like hard bark, try wrapping in butcher paper. It will help keep your moisture in while still giving you some bark.

Thank you so much for the comment. I was going to try butcher paper, but could not find any (except an 1,100ft roll at Smart & Final). Was gonna try parchment paper, but did not research that enough. That is my next cook. I have done foil and no wrap so far. Foil had more juice, no wrap had better bark... I am thinking the butcher paper is going to be my happy medium!

Thanks again!

 

[BBQ Freak]

it looks great to me and I love the crumbles of meat .

 

[Music Junkie]

Nice job. Great smoke ring. Yeah it looks like the flat was a little dry and crumbly. Keep working at it. You are on the right track. If you like hard bark, try wrapping in butcher paper. It will help keep your moisture in while still giving you some bark.

Thanks! The "crumbles of meat" is piled about 6" high or so, Much better than I had last time. I am seeing scrambled eggs with brisket and BBQ beef samiches.

On a side note, my wife is laughing at me for "Sharing my cook"... She just doesn't get it! This stuff is seriously challenging and fun for some (if not all) of us. However, she supports me and entrusts me with feeding others, so it can't be that bad..:biggrin1:

 

[SmittyJonz]

Looks GOOD to Me...... mine are a lil on the dry side side but so Tasty. I like Sliced Flat with a lil Stubbs Original BBQ Sauce with Pickles n Onions on a Soft Bun or Roll.

 

[Music Junkie]

Looks GOOD to Me...... mine are a lil on the dry side side but so Tasty. I like Sliced Flat with a lil Stubbs Original BBQ Sauce with Pickles n Onions on a Soft Bun or Roll.

Stubbs is a preferred brand around here too. There are three or four on the market that are very tasty. All I know is..... I would never have tackled a pork shoulder or a brisket without this site. This is some fun stuff... I can't speak for anyone else, but even when I "mess up", or don't cook something perfect, it is still good (usually)... Not a bad deal... :wink:

 

[jsperk]

Really nice brisket.

 

[MikeWin]

I would dig into that without hesitating:thumb:

 

[cheez59]

Looks mighty good from where I'm sitting too.

 

[Bigr314]

Nice looking cook. Best part of learning is cooking some more to practice. You are a good learner.

 

[quamdar]

Slightly dry and crumbly means slightly over cooked. That long in the cooler after reaching 205 was probably overkill. That's a lot of carryover heat...

Definitely on the right track. Looks awesome still!

 

[bathmatt]

I tend to just ask my butcher for some paper... They'll give you 4 ft or so no problems.

Thank you so much for the comment. I was going to try butcher paper, but could not find any (except an 1,100ft roll at Smart & Final). Was gonna try parchment paper, but did not research that enough. That is my next cook. I have done foil and no wrap so far. Foil had more juice, no wrap had better bark... I am thinking the butcher paper is going to be my happy medium!

Thanks again!

 

[IXL]

Thanks! ........... I am seeing scrambled eggs with brisket and BBQ beef samiches...................

And soft tacos. Don't forget the tacos!

 

[westsidehomebbq]

Looks delicious!
Prime brisket, nice! No Costcos around here, I generally get mine from Sams Club - they have Choice. I am anxious to try a Prime brisket and see how they compare to Choice.

 

[Enrico Brandizzi]

Nice job!
In a few days you should startthe third cook !!

 

[5am]

Did it pull apart easy? Hard to tell by the pictures, but it looks underdone if I had to guess.

 

[spurs21stx]

Looks good fromantic where I'm sitting 8)

 

[toymaster]

Did you vent it before you put it in the cooler? If you didn't, it will continue to cook. That might be why it's overcooked. I'd still hit that :hungry:

 

[Music Junkie]

Did it pull apart easy? Hard to tell by the pictures, but it looks underdone if I had to guess.

Yes, it pulled apart very easily. It barely held up under its own weight when I picked a slice up by one end. I think the earlier comment about letting it rest too long in the cooler was spot on.