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Brisket -- Where did I go wrong?

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    Brisket -- Where did I go wrong?

    Hi all!

    This will be my first (real) post on this forum. Wish it were to tell you that I made some amazing food and show some pics, but such is not the case. Oh well, learning experience.

    Anyway -- over the weekend I made my 2nd brisket ever, and it was very dry despite despite the whole process having gone almost perfectly by the book. Couple of things about the cook -- I used by LBGE, and the temps held steady at 225 (grate) for the whole cook. The brisket was a 4-pound choice point, with big bad beef rub, trimmed with probably 1/4" fat cap for most of it, with part of the cap trimmed a little too thin. The cook took about 17 hours to hit an IT of 203, and I did not wrap it. I let it go all by itself to see how it would differ from the first brisket I did, which was a 5-pound choice flat, Texas crutched to 203 IT, for what it's worth.

    I let it sit for about 90 minutes wrapped in foil and towels in the faux cambro. I would have liked it to sit longer based on what I've read here, but I had guests on the way. When I went to cut it, I was pretty shocked at how tough it was. I couldn't even use my regular butcher knife -- only a serrated knife would cut through. It was super dry.

    I should say -- it wasn't a loss by any means. My guests absolutely loved it and we had a wonderful cookout, which is all the actually matters in the end. But, I suspect they don't eat good brisket too often

    In any case, I'm pretty baffled. Can anyone possibly shed some light on why it was so dry? By all accounts, everything went according to plan.

    #2
    17 hours at 225F seems awfuly long. I would have expected 10 Hours. The point is the juicier piece, so I would check doneness (probe test) earlier, say 190-195F to start. Also, look at where your leave-in thermometer was placed. If the tip was in the hunk of fat between the two muscles, it might have given you a bad reading.

    Comment


      #3
      I would say something is amiss with your temp probes brother. That is a dang dang long time to cook a small piece of meat. I usually knock out a whole packer in 10-12 hours. What temp devices are you using might i ask?

      Comment


        #4
        I agree, it definitely seems pretty long based on how long it seems to take others. I'm using a flame boss probe.

        Comment


          #5
          Agree... seems like a long cook to end up with a dry point. Maybe check for probe tender rather than temp. Wrap after stall will help also.

          Comment


            #6
            Agree. The point shouldn't have done that to you. Seems like a long time.

            Comment


              #7
              I've learned to use temperature only as a guide with brisket. i start checking for tenderness at 195 with the feel of my temp probe sticking into the brisket.

              Comment


                #8
                As HorseDoctor said, it's tenderness - not temp that determines when the meat is done. I suspect you overcooked the brisket by a long shot by using temp as your guide.
                Having said the above, have you checked your probe(s) for accuracy? They should be close to 212* in boiling water, (adjusted for your elevation). The boiling point drops just under 1* F for every 500' increase in elevation.
                Last edited by RonB; June 26, 2017, 08:05 PM.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by RonB View Post
                  As HorseDoctor said, it's tenderness - not temp that determines when the meat is done. I suspect you overcooked the brisket by a long shot by using temp as your guide.
                  Having said the above, have you checked your probe(s) for accuracy? They should be close to 212* in boiling water, (adjusted for your elevation). The boiling point drops just under 1* F for every 500' increase in elevation.
                  I may check to be sure.

                  Thanks to everyone for all of your insight so far!

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Next cook, try raising that temp to 250. I've found that it can take a long time to get that last bit of temp out of a Brisket when cooking at 225. As our friends have stated, 17 hours is about double the time you need on a 4 pound hunk of point.

                    Did you use a temp probe to test for tenderness along the way? That search for "Probe Tender" is a huge part of the payoff in cooking brisket. Learning when brisket is ready to wrap, then ready to pull is the hardest individual task in smoking barbecue.

                    Practice, Practice, Practice! About 10 briskets in, you will be smiling from ear to ear! And your guests will be begging for more.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Are you using a separate probe to monitor the temperature of your pit? I have a BGE and the dome mounted temperature gauge is 20 degrees off - compared to my BBQ Guru clip mounted probe.

                      Comment


                      • Huskee
                        Huskee commented
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                        Welcome!

                      #12
                      Welcome TA29

                      Comment


                        #13
                        Wrap that rascal next time. And don't get too hung up on internal temperature and time.

                        Comment


                          #14
                          I'm no expert by any means but I inject and wrap brisket. I also recommend checking for IT with another device just to keep your probe in check and to check the temp at different areas of the meat. This will give you a good indication of the IT throughout the brisket not just at temp probe placement. I generally start checking other areas around 190 just to be safe.

                          Comment


                            #15
                            Originally posted by PaulstheRibList View Post
                            Next cook, try raising that temp to 250. I've found that it can take a long time to get that last bit of temp out of a Brisket when cooking at 225. As our friends have stated, 17 hours is about double the time you need on a 4 pound hunk of point.

                            Did you use a temp probe to test for tenderness along the way? That search for "Probe Tender" is a huge part of the payoff in cooking brisket. Learning when brisket is ready to wrap, then ready to pull is the hardest individual task in smoking barbecue.
                            Thanks, I think I'm going to use this advice. This isn't the first time a small piece of meat took forever and a day. I did a small pork butt a few weeks back that took similarly long, and I've been questioning if 250 might be better. But since I'm still fairly new, I've been going by what I've read here as much as possible.

                            I didn't check for tenderness, which I'm thinking was my most egregious mistake.

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