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texas brisket - no stall

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    texas brisket - no stall

    Usually if people freak out over brisket, it's over the stall. Last time I made brisket, I freaked out on account of an absence of stall. Needed to faux cambro the hell out of the meat, since it inexplicably didn't stall out.

    The issue of course, is gauging cooking time when preparing for an event. By using the crutch and the cambro, applied correctly and as required, you give yourself a nice window you can aim for when it comes getting the meat off the smoker and onto the table. Still, my time calculations take the stall into account, and having the thing come off five hours early, without using a crutch, is bad news all around.

    I suspect the reason for the misfire is that I'm using smaller packers. For reasons having to do, I understand, with this year's state of the meat industry, cows are being killed younger, which means smaller everything, including briskets. Can't get anything larger than 10 lbs for love or money. My last 2 were 8 lbs and change.

    Any thoughts on the exact opposite problem that everyone else has when making brisket?


    PS: I <3 brisket.

    #2
    What temp are you cooking at? What grade brisket are you using? I know Primes and Wagyus cook faster due to better fat marbling which transmits heat better. Are you happy with your results even after having to cambro so long? I'd say if you are, and your methods reproduce acceptable results, use this as your baseline and plan your cooks according to how your cooker works.

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      #3
      Shit, sorry, should've said- 225F to 203 internal, smoking on a BGE.

      Yeah, I'm not smoking wagyu. Might be tasty, but to me, it's kind of against the whole spirit of barbecue- the transmogrification of something coarse and unpalatable into something appetizing and sublime.

      As for what grade, I honestly don't know. I get my meat from a local butcher in a good farmer's market, in downtown Toronto, Canadian standards differing from American standards. Maybe it's a prime equivalent? I'll ask tomorrow when I pick up.

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      #4
      Our briskets are still big down here. I was told by a veterinarian that worked in beef plants they might get small, but that really hasn't happened yet. I had a 19.9 pounder a couple weeks ago. Most are the normal 10-12 pounds.

      Mine have been pretty consistent, with a couple not being wrapped at all, but no major cut in cooking time.

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        #5
        All this talk about brisket is making me hungry. Guess I'll cook one this weekend - maybe get up real early Sunday morning so it'll be ready for the 1:00 football games. I've got a 13-pounder in the freezer, but there's an 8-pounder in the outside fridge. This will be my first one on charcoal, though my pastrami was pretty good. May even try wrapping in butcher paper.

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          #6
          Originally posted by biggreenmatt View Post
          Shit, sorry, should've said- 225F to 203 internal, smoking on a BGE.

          Yeah, I'm not smoking wagyu. Might be tasty, but to me, it's kind of against the whole spirit of barbecue- the transmogrification of something coarse and unpalatable into something appetizing and sublime.
          And they're freekin' expensive.

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            #7
            I'm hungry too! I'm getting ready for a little Brisket this weekend! Going to try with no crutch, and keeping the packer whole (was doing HOP and HOF separated last couple).

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              #8
              Ok, so I spoke to my guy this morning when I picked up my two ten pounders, and I was told that their local sources get them AA and AAA meat. The two bad boys I picked up were nice and fatty- even the flats. It's going to be a good, good day tomorrow.

              Oh, and for the record: I'm sort of minimalist when it comes to rubs. Generally I just use Dalmatian spice, but last time I added garlic powder, and it came off much, much better than it had before. Rubbed down the beasts this morning with S&P, GP and a bit of white sugar (to ramp up the caramelization process and get more bark- plus, if I know my food science, it should assist on the light overnight cure, aka: "dry brining"- hate that term).

              I'll post a picture or two of the results, including a picture of two briskets in one L BGE, using a second rack and a pair of food grade culinary bricks.

              Comment


                #9
                I'd start keeping a log of the thickness of the flat and the point, total weight, cook time and stall temp and length, if any. Might be interesting. I'd be willing to wager that those small cuts are pretty thin and that there is a correlation between thickness and stall more than weight and stall.

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                  #10
                  How often do you check the temp? A thin cut (even ribs) stall at 225F, but sometimes for only an hour and you could miss it. A shorter, lower temp stall without a water pan, a higher temp, longer stall with a water pan.

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                    #11
                    What's up, doc. Using a Guru, I get the temperatures fairly regularly in my iPhone. Silly, but it appeals to the techno-nerd in me. I'm guessing the brisket I used last was a one-off exception, because I've got the stall going on right now with a vengeance. Even with the crutch, it's a pain in the ass. I crutched both my briskets, unwrapped them at 195F en route to 203F, and low and behold, they dropped 10 degrees and just stayed there. I had to re-crutch them an hour or two ago. I'm serving in an hour and a half, and they're still not ready. Goddammit. Proof that unless you're an actual Pit Master, smoking hundreds or thousands of briskets a year, you never get really good at brisket- you just get a little less worse every time.

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                    • jneuman60
                      jneuman60 commented
                      Editing a comment
                      All this talk about meat and I almost missed the Guru iPhone comment. I've been trying to get my CyberQ to consistently link to my WiFi with little success. So here it is 3:00 am and I'm off to check my temps. Did you have much trouble getting getting it to work?

                    #12
                    Aaaaaaand, I'm about to fling past my window. Brisket is the cruelest mistress there is.

                    Comment


                      #13
                      Douglas Adams once said that he loved deadlines, most especially, the whizzing noise they made as they blew last him. That's what's happening in my backyard, right now.

                      Comment


                      • Huskee
                        Huskee commented
                        Editing a comment
                        Lol. We're pulling for you Matt.

                      #14
                      An hour late and the first one came off, 10 degrees short. Another hour later and the second one came off. Wouldn't win any competitions, but good enough for the freeloading bastards who can't tell the difference. Oh well, here's the pix:

                      Comment


                        #15
                        "freeloading bastards"? Why didn't you just say in-laws in the first place?

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