Brisket 203 magic temp

[Kelv2888]

Hello all ,
I have a question about smoking a brisket on the PBC.
I made a brisket last week . The temps were around 230-270 and in about 3.5 hours it reached 165 in which I proceded to wrap it . It reached 203 in just 2 hours and then I put in the cambro for 3 hours .
i opened the foil and let it rest for another 30 mins .
it came out good and juicy but it wasn't as tender as I expected. It was a choice cut from Costco .
Heres my question . People say 203 is where the magic happens and to stop the cook then.
Others say to use the probe test and keep poking it with the probe until it's like going through jelly.
doesnt that mean that I have to cook it past 203 to reach that tenderness? Is it better to cook until the feel test or temperature ?
thanks so much in advance !

[DeusDingo]

congrats on the cook. it looks awesome! it gets my itch to do a brisket this weekend

203 is just a rule of thumb. all cuts of meat are different and not all will cooperate to be done at a single universal temperature. very little in this world is so simple as to have 1 answer and cooking brisket is the same way. there are cooks where you can take it off at 195, there are cooks where you have to take it off at 210. there is a difference between cuts of prime, a difference between prime and choice and select and they are all a little different. the probe test is what you eventually find to be the right answer. this also includes the variable of your own preference for tenderness. some people like a little more pull in their meat and some people like it to be falling apart. 203 is a good start but you learn as you do this more it's a little more complicated than that.

[Kelv2888]

congrats on the cook. it looks awesome! it gets my itch to do a brisket this weekend

203 is just a rule of thumb. all cuts of meat are different and not all will cooperate to be done at a single universal temperature. very little in this world is so simple as to have 1 answer and cooking brisket is the same way. there are cooks where you can take it off at 195, there are cooks where you have to take it off at 210. there is a difference between cuts of prime, a difference between prime and choice and select and they are all a little different. the probe test is what you eventually find to be the right answer. this also includes the variable of your own preference for tenderness. some people like a little more pull in their meat and some people like it to be falling apart. 203 is a good start but you learn as you do this more it's a little more complicated than that.

Thanks for the quick response !
only thing is I'm afraid if I wait until it probes in like jelly , then it will be too dry or over cooked .
Ill keep experimenting , thanks !

[Notavegan]

Brisket reheats very well, very forgiving. So even if a little dry(er) or not quite as tender, amazing things seem to happen when reheated. It goes from IT of 40 to 205 to 140 to 40 and then reheated to eat a second day and somehow manages to be a-mazing.

[scottranda]

203 is rule of thumb. Use probe tender poke check. I've had difficulty with getting brisket flats tender. If you are too, try the point. Much easier due to the intramuscular fat!

Oh, and make sure your thermometers are accurate! Just to be sure!

[DeusDingo]

yeah that is the risk we run when trying to get it perfect. i have had flats dry out on me trying to figure out if they are done or not. i'm not super experienced with brisket but i have done enough where i have victories and "failures" but a failure to me means not perfect. we are our own harshest critic; my wife thinks they are still really good when they aren't perfect. following the knowledge here every brisket i have made has been really good and completely edible and enjoyable.

[JeffJ]

The last brisket I cooked was a 17 pound prime from Costco. It was probe tender at 195. As was stated above, every cut of meat is different and the numbers are just guides. It's tender when it gets tender.

[Kelv2888]

I wonder if the PBC just cooks too hot and fast for it to be tender . Maybe I'll try plugging some holes from the bars to maintain temps at 225 and cook longer then pull at 203 .

[JeffJ]

I doubt that is the case. I've seen a lot of crowing about perfectly cooked brisket on the PBC on this site and I don't recall anyone stating they took measures to run it cooler by plugging holes.

[Kelv2888]

Thanks for all the replies and good advice ! I'll keep experimenting . Thank you !

[Spinaker]

The times provided are guidelines. Every piece of meat is different. So some are probe tender at 195 F some at 208 F it all varies. 203 F is the average, in my experience. However, probe tenderness is the ultimate guide.

[Kelv2888]

The times provided are guidelines. Every piece of meat is different. So some are probe tender at 195 F some at 208 F it all varies. 203 F is the average, in my experience. However, probe tenderness is the ultimate guide.

Got it , thank you !

[Spinaker]

You bet!

[GadjetGriller]

Kelv2888 a few weeks back I did a Select brisket (a packer Brisket) on the PBC. It wasn't probe tender until 206 still came out wonderful. it did however have the point still attached (and the accompanying fat) so that helps keep it moist check out the video I did (jump to 9 min that's when I'm probing it) https://youtu.be/YkBLuJ37MXc

[fzxdoc]

The PBC turns out some amazing brisket. Let it run at its sweet spot 260 to 290 usually. If you try to starve the PBC of oxygen to force it to run at 225 you could kick up some bad tasting smoke. If you want it to run cooler try lighting fewer coals at the start or adding the meat sooner.

FWIW, I've smoked brisket on the PBC at 225 and it didn't taste any better nor was it any more tender and juicy than the ones I routinely do at 275.

Kathryn

[Kelv2888]

The PBC turns out some amazing brisket. Let it run at its sweet spot 260 to 290 usually. If you try to starve the PBC of oxygen to force it to run at 225 you could kick up some bad tasting smoke. If you want it to run cooler try lighting fewer coals at the start or adding the meat sooner.

FWIW, I've smoked brisket on the PBC at 225 and it didn't taste any better nor was it any more tender and juicy than the ones I routinely do at 275.

Kathryn

Awesome , I'll try fewer coals then . Thanks everyone so much , you guys are so friendly and cool here !

[Kelv2888]

Kelv2888 a few weeks back I did a Select brisket (a packer Brisket) on the PBC. It wasn't probe tender until 206 still came out wonderful. it did however have the point still attached (and the accompanying fat) so that helps keep it moist check out the video I did (jump to 9 min that's when I'm probing it) https://youtu.be/YkBLuJ37MXc

Wow that came out beautiful ! Proves you don't have to buy a $250 snake river prime for tenderness .
Makes me want to try one again tomorrow !

[DWCowles]

Beautiful!