I'm about to give up on Brisket.

[David C]

When you guys are taking your temp measurements, are you in the flat?

I have one probe in the flat and one in the point. I then move the brisket around in the cooker to try to get both of them to finish at the same time.

[David C]

I appreciate all the advice greatly. Like I said, pork and chicken are a no brainer and my family and friends think I'm a BBq god. I hate to disappoint with the brisket.

If you do buy Prime or Wagyu, then it really should work out without injecting or anything very fancy, as long as you get some combo of time/temp right. Not that injecting might not help, but it certainly shouldn't be required for a good cut of meat to get a good cook.

[Scott_F]

Question. Water in the drip pan?

[scottranda]

I'm done with flats (for now). I'm going to try points, since there is more intramuscular fat.

[Meathead]

Yes!

[boftx]

I'll probably be stoned for this, but, get an offset.

Joking aside, there is much to be said for wrapping or "boating" a brisket when it comes out of the stall.

[johnec00]

I'm guaranteed to get stoned, but when it comes out of the stall, I usually wrap and put it in the kitchen oven until it's probe tender. It usually turns out great, although the occasional brisket may be a little dry (particularly if its select, but I usually avoid buying those).

[boftx]

I won't be throwing stones, once it's wrapped it won't be getting smoke.

[Scott_F]

When it comes out of the stall or when it starts to stall?

[boftx]

Unless I'm really pressed for time, when it comes out of the stall.

[Breadhead]

Scott_F ... You're thinking to hard! Relax.

It seems to me because you've had a couple of less than perfect brisket cooks you're grasping for answers, different techniques, methods.

Kamado's are famous for maintaining moisture. No water pan necessary. No Texas crutch necessary. No injection necessary.

Just go low and slow... 225°. Higher temperatures extract more moisture.

Don't wrap... It screws up your bark.

Don't worry about the stall or the double stall.

Don't power through the stall... Low and slow, all the way.

I always separate the flat from the point. I put the flat on the regular grate level. I put the point higher up (3 1/2") in the dome. It cooks a little hotter up there for a couple of hours.

I want the point to finish earlier so I can cut it into burnt ends and put it back on the BGE before the flat is done.

I probe check both pieces of meat at 195° IT temp... When they are buttah soft, they are done.

I start ALL brisket cooks 18 hours before the time I want to serve them. Most brisket cooks on my large BGE take 14/16 hours at 225°. I want at least 2 hours of cambro time before serving them. If they get done in 14 hours they get 4 hours of cambro time, which is safe, food safety wise.

Go back to basics... Use the benefits of your unique cooker to maintain moisture... And do it low & slow.😎

[Scott_F]

Breadhead most of my flats are thicker on one end. Assuming you temp check the thinner end?

[Breadhead]

Scott... I always temp check the thickest part of the meat.

[PJBowmaster]

Great post! Thanks for the info and the inspiration. I bout jumped through the screen to get those burnt ends.....LOL

[Meathead]

With all due modesty, when you asked for a definitive guide, have you seen this? http://amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/texas_brisket.html
At about 10,000 words it is a small book on everything brisket. But the single best piece of advice is to start with USDA Choice or Certified Angus Beef (not just Angus).

[gcdmd]

While we've got you here, Meathead, do you know if Amazon will be including your book in their matchbook program, which allows a deep discount for the Kindle edition for those of us who bought the print edition from them?

[Meathead]

No idea what a matchbook program is. And Amazon doesn't communicate with authors. Sigh.

[Powersmoke_80]

I am going to disagree on "higher temps extract moisture" due to the fact brisket flat is a lean meat and chicken is even leaner and as you know most people run chicken at higher temps so it does not dry out. Time is needed to break down the connective tissue but to long just extracts more moisture, Just my last 2¢.

[Meathead]

The thing is that the juiciness in meat comes from water, fat, and collagen, and brisket depends a LOT on collagen melting to be juicy.

[LA Pork Butt]

Scott_F I cook on a large BGE and after moving from Louisiana to Texas I am making the switch from Boston Butt to brisket. I did a Select brisket which was really dry. I've done four choice briskets. I like separating the flat from the point and either cook them separate or pulling the flat when it is done and lettting the point finish. I wrapped the flat that I cooked the other day and it really came out moist and passed the bend test on the slices, but the bark was soft. Yesterday I did the point and while it wasn't quite as moist (I didn't wrap) as I would have liked it was good. While my briskets are not yet up to par with my Boston Butts, they are good. I Amy have over trimmed the point. I am still learning, but think that a half dozen more briskets will get me up to par.

I think that Choice is the answer to your dry brisket. I won't do a Select again. Hang in there this brisket thing is not as difficult as I was led to believe.

[Mosca]

LBGE here. I do mine at 250*, but if they sneak up to 270* I don't care, and I inject them with something called Butcher's Blend. But it tastes like beef broth, so I think beef broth would be fine.

I don't dry brine, because the injection is salty, and I put the rub (BBBR) on right before the cook. I don't wrap, I dunno they come out fine so I don't want to mess with success.

[Scott_F]

With all due modesty, when you asked for a definitive guide, have you seen this? http://amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/texas_brisket.html
At about 10,000 words it is a small book on everything brisket. But the single best piece of advice is to start with USDA Choice or Certified Angus Beef (not just Angus).

yes sir. I've read it three times.

its ya a great write up. Just not sure where it goes south. My meat selection is clearly an issue.

I I go to BBq joints. Brisket is great. I have a hard time believing they are buying super high quality considering how much meat they push through. But maybe at the prices they charge, a better choice cut of meat is simply the cost of doing business.

[Meathead]

The best are buying choice. But a better grade and then come back and tell us what you think.

[Scott_F]

Does anyone else split the point from the flat prior to cooking?

[Mosca]

I do, I always have. For a non-commercial cook, there is no reason not to, other than "it's always been done this way." The reason I hear most frequently is "Aaron Franklin says..."

[Scott_F]

Thanks again for all the help from everyone.

[ecowper]

Scott_F do you have a Costco membership? I buy my brisket at Costco. They sell prime Packers fro $2.79/lb. The one and only time I had a problem with dry brisket was when I bought a choice hunk of flat at Safeway. When I buy at Costco and follow Meathead technique, it comes out great. And I don't inject, either. I think two huge keys are wrapping once the bark is set firmly (which is basically during/after the stall) and holding in a faux cambro for a minimum of 1 hour, usually 2-3.

[johnec00]

It all depends on where you live. Around here Costco only seems to have choice, and mostly already trimmed flats. Both are more expensive than equally good choice from Walmart and Restaurant Depot.