Wagyu Brisket

[tstalafuse]

I was gifted a SRF Wagyu gold 18lb brisket to cook for the 4th. Prepared it just like I have all my other briskets, cooked it at 210 (lower temp due to altitude where I live), and pulled it to rest after 13hrs when it probed tender. I always check my probes, Fireboard ambient and food probe and ThermoWorks instant read) to make sure they are all on the same page regarding temp. The brisket probed tender done at IT of 190, but after a 3hr rest when I cut into it this was driest brisket I have ever cooked (Death Valley desert dry). Given the result, I double checked the probes the next day and they are all reading correctly in boiling water, so I don't think that was the issue. Other than dry, it was tender and had a good taste.

Is there something different about cooking this type of brisket that I should know before destroying another $250 brisket?

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

I had a similar issue with a prime over the weekend. It probed ready at a much lower temp than I expected, and even with a long rest at 180ish most of the time it was kinda dry. It is tender but not perfect. Take some of that brisket and microwave it for 4 or 5 minutes, if its less dry than when you sliced it off you undercooked it. I'm sure someone much more experienced with higher grade briskets will have better advice, but that's what I did and I'm very much enjoying my leftovers more than I was dinner the day of the cook.

[tstalafuse]

ItsAllGoneToTheDogs, nope now it is just very hot and dry.

[Panhead John]

I believe Troutman has experience with Wagyu briskets. Perhaps he can help.

[Huskee]

I know conventional wisdom says "probe tender", meant to make you focus less on arrival to a certain temp, but in my experience you still have to take it up so high. For me, I'm usually a minimum of 195-197, and only if it's gotten there slowly, but usually more like 200 though. Even with Wagyu. I too have never been impressed with Wagyu briskets though, the cost-vs-end result ratio just isn't there for me at all.

[tstalafuse]

Huskee, I live at 9100ft, so water boils at 196. If I take it to those temps I really will boil out every ounce of moisture (learned this the hard way), which is also why I cook at 210 so that it doesn't blow through the stall without being able to breakdown all the connective tissues.

I am also not sold that the rate of return on price vs. taste is worth it. Having never tried one and now having never successfully cooked one, I thought I would give it one more try.

[Huskee]

Good point on your elevation and adjusted temps. Still, "probe tender" as the end-all doesn't always cut it for me. It's not always tenderness, it's moisture (rendered fat) that's the ticket to a delectable brisket. But, some are just ornery and can't be anything they aren't. tstalafuse

[tstalafuse]

Huskee, I agree on probe tender and 190 IT is about where I pull others because of the time/temp adjustments. It felt right and it seemed really moist when I wrapped in paper to put it down to rest, which is really what made me wonder if there is something different about Waygu. If there isn't something different, maybe I did just get a bad cut.

[glitchy]

I'm far from a brisket expert, I only cook 1-2/year on average. I have cooked one SRF Gold Wagyu and it was probably the best brisket I['ve ever made. However, like Huskee suggests, I'm not sure it was 3 times better than the Prime briskets I've cooked, so won't likely be something I'm regularly looking for. Mine was also a culled leftover from a competition team, so it had a less than ideal flat. I just checked the Fireboard session from the cook and had two different readings 195 and 205 when I pulled it. Thinking 195 in the thickest part of the flat and 205 in the thinner part.

That all being said, I have a question that kinda relates to what ItsAllGoneToTheDogs started with. When you sliced it and it was dry, did it crumble apart? That's another indicator that it was overcooked. If it was dry, but the slices still stayed together I think you undercooked it.

Less good brisket makes amazing chili. Not that I know from experience However, Wagyu brisket chili makes some pretty expensive pots of chili.

[tstalafuse]

glitchy, It wasn't crumbly. Taste/texture/pull all seemed to be really good, but it was so dry it made you thirsty trying to eat it. On other failed briskets, I usually just add beef broth and sauce for sandwiches. It just breaks my heart to do that to such an expensive piece of meat.

[grantgallagher]

It sounds like you know what you are doing. Typically wagyu fat renders at a lower temp too, so im not too worried about pulling at 190. Its easy to assume wagyu will just be good no matter what but a unhappy cow is an unhappy cow. I know on the few occasions ive done a Wagyu brisket its always been probe tender at 185-195ish and been pretty darn good but never blow your mind good.

i agree with the above though about it not being better enough to justify the price.

[Troutman]

Couple things come to mind. First off I love American Wagyu brisket. I love the oiliness and the monounsaturated fat. I normally cook either SRF or Mishima Reserve (both of which are sold locally) or order from the A Bar N Ranch, or other Texas purveyors. The fat content alone helps keep them super moist and they tend to go probe tender, as everyone has said, much quicker than even prime. I normally pull them around 195-197*F. I'm not surprised yours probed at 190*F.

Now for some questions. Did you probe it all over and was it all jiggly as a whole? What exactly was dry? Small thin ends on any brisket are going to go dry I don't care what you do. I generally cut them off for burger grind or if large enough make pastrami. I have never had one go dry on me due to all the fat. How was the point??

The other issue that may have been a problem in drying is overcooking. Yea believe it or not if you pulled it at 190*F and had it wrapped in foil and a bunch of towels and cambro'd it immediately it just kept on cooking. I'm seeing this more and more. You've got to let the proteins rest and ramp down some after you pull it. Like a steak that re-absorbs its juices you have to let a brisket cool off and reverse the cooking process. Otherwise if it overshoots, then sawdust. Was it crumbly when you carved it and generally falling apart? Overcooked.

That's the crown jewel of briskets. Honestly it's hard to mess them up compared to say an old store bought select one. I'd say you did something fundamentally wrong. I'll bet it may have been one of the things I mentioned.

[tstalafuse]

I probed it all over. I had food probes in both the point and flat. I started probing for feel at 180 IT on the flat given how things cook where I live. The point began to feel done at 185 and the flat at 190. It didn't feel jiggly at any time but leaked juices from the probe points. The brisket rested for several hours after I pulled it, and the butcher paper & towels were not wet. to be continued.

[tstalafuse]

I didn't probe for temp when I opened it up to serve, but I was able to easily handle it wearing just food safe nitrile gloves, so it had begun reversing temp and cooling down. The meat it self looked perfect. It had great pull, color, texture, didn't act/look like it was over cooked (no crumble/falling apart), but it was as dry as a money lenders heart. The only part that had any moisture was a small piece in the point. to be continued

[tstalafuse]

I always test my probes to make sure they aren't flaking out before I start a long cook. In this case, I checked them afterwards as well. The two from Fireboard registered within a half degree of boiling water as did the ThermoWorks instant read. Nothing seemed off until I cut it open and saw how dry it was.

[CandySueQ]

Some briskets just have a dry mouth feel. Angus does in my opinion. If it's dripping juices, it still has a dry mouth feel. American Waygu is an Angus cross. Every brisket is different!

You wrapped in paper, not foil? I've found that paper prolongs the stall, which can produce a dry brisket. Not injecting or adding juice during the wrap, can produce a dry brisket. I cooked a prime for a friend last week and an A-9 at my last contest. I injected both, wrapped both in foil. The prime could have used an extra hour cook time, but I knew he was reheating it in the oven for a party. Should not have been overdone. I defatted the juices and poured them over slices.

A-9 was seared in a small drum, then cooked on a Backyard Jambo. Good enough for 10th place!

[Troutman]

Good to see you posting CandySue. Nice looking A9 !!!!

[tstalafuse]

I don't know. It wasn't a dry mouth feel. When I cut it there were no juices and it was just plain old dry. Maybe it was just a bad brisket, and I should save my pennies for another run at one.