- 2.5 lb (after trimming) Hereford flat at 225-250 degF PBC temp: (2 hours to 150 deg F), 5.75 hours to 175 deg F, 1.75 hours in 225 deg oven to 203 degF. Rested in 170 deg oven for 1 hour. Total time: 8.5 hours
- 7 lb (after trimming) CAB flat at 225-250 degF PBC temp: (2 hours to 150 degF) 10.75 hours to 170 degF, 1.75 hours in 225 deg oven to 203 degF. Rested in 170 degF oven for 2.75 hours. Total time: 15.25 hours
Both briskets got to 150 deg F in the same amount of time even though the size difference was great.
Both briskets seemed to be caught in the Mother of All Stalls for their size. It got to the point that I thought that I was just drying the meat out at the expense of a good bark.
I used Dr. Blonder's method which he posted over on the Texas Brisket topic:
Dr. Blonder: “There is a compromise between the Texas Crutch and powering through to 203F over 16 hours. I usually place my brisket, after it reaches 175F or 180F, on a rack in a foil tray, then tent with foil. This keeps the bottom of the meat out of the jus, so it does not braise. And, the blanket of air surrounding the meat slows the temp rise, and moderates the steam effect from washing off the bark. But still raises the ambient humidity. Get a long wired penetration probe so you can monitor temp during this foil tray period. The one down side with this method is you cannot wiggle the foil crutch to see if the meat is ready.â€Ââ€â€Dr. Greg Blonder on AR’s Brisket forum
I also injected both briskets with Butcher's Brisket BBQ Marinade.
The results were tasty with beautiful bark. There was NO juice in the pan that I wrapped either brisket in. I had wrapped them without additional liquid, but should there have been some meat juice in the pan after their trip from 170/175 to 203?
I can't say the final results were juicy juicy, but they certainly were not dry and that bark was TDF.
I finally pulled the bigger brisket at 170 and wrapped it because it didn't seem that 175 was ever going to happen. Besides the fact that I've seen vultures circling that looked less famished than my DH and friends as we waited for that magic 2-0-3 to appear on the Maverick that afternoon.
Should I have cooked at a higher temp to shorten the cook time?
Should I have added moisture to the wrap?
But mostly, assuming one has all the time in the world, when does waiting for the meat to get to a certain (higher than 150 deg) temp before wrapping become counterproductive from a juiciness standpoint?
TIA,
Kathryn
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