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Brisket FAIL. Stumped as to why.

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    Brisket FAIL. Stumped as to why.

    Hi everyone. I had a brisket failure and I’m stumped as to why. Hoping someone can offer some advice and/or suggestions.

    I’m a relative newbie when it comes to BBQ. I’ve been studying, primarily via this amazing AR website, for several years. For Christmas last year, I got a GMG Daniel Boon pellet grill, and I’ve been cooking up a storm with great success. Following Meatheads BBQ Beef Brisket Texas Style recipe to a T, I cooked my first brisket in April. It was a A+ success. I cooked my second a month later, and it was more like a B. It was good, but just not as moist. I noticed this second brisket shrank in size more than the first, which caused the foil-wrap crutch to become loose. I suspect this caused the moisture to escape too easily, so I made a note to myself to wrap the next brisket tighter and with an extra third layer of foil.

    So this brings me to brisket #3, the failure "F" brisket. It was the same as the other two: full packer brisket of about the same size, USDA Prime, bought as Costco (for $2.99 a pound), let sit in my fridge for a week, same trimmng, same rub, same 24 hour pre-salt, same injection with the same broth, same grill, same weather, same pellets, same start time of 12:30am. All three briskets were identically prepared except for this third one, I noticed it was thinner after trimming. It seemed to have had more fat. I suspected it wouldn’t take as long to cook, however I was shocked when it hit 150 internal in only 3 hours. Not believing this, I double checked with multiple thermometers, and yes, it was 150. So, at 3:30am, I foil wrapped / crutched it – 3 layers of foil, very tightly and let it go, aiming for 203 internal. It hit 203 3 hours later, at 6:30am. Where brisket #1 was a 12 hour cook, and brisket #2 was 15 hours, this third brisket was a shockingly short 6 hours. Worse, dinner was still some 12 hours away. So, without any other option, I put it in the warming drawer at 150 for 12 hours. Note, I did the same for the first two briskets, but they were only in the drawer for 3 to 5 hours.

    Upon unwrapping the 12 hour really fully rested brisket, it looked perfect and smelled delicious. The tight foil wrapping was apparently successful, in that it trapped what seemed like a gallon of liquid that poured out when I unwrapped it. However, upon slicing it, unless you ate it within a minute of being sliced, it dried out to cardboard right in front of your eyes. I’ve never seen a meat loose moisture that fast. I couldn’t slice it and get it on a serving plate fast enough. By the time it hit the dinner table, it was dry as a bone.

    It was not great. Dry, tasteless… miserable. I stopped trying to convince myself it was edible via using BBQ sauce as distraction by day 2, and threw it out.

    I’m at a loss as to what happened. I replicated the recipe and procedure exactly. The GMG maintains its temperature extremely accurately (and I verify it by 3rd party thermometers). Yes, every animal is different, and this cut did seem thinner than the rest, but enough to cut cook time by more than half? Has anyone else ever had a whole packer brisket be done in 6 hours? Was letting it sit in the warming drawer for 12 hours a big mistake? If so, what would be an alternative? Can you over-wrap or wrap too tightly at the crutch? Maybe don't crutch at all?

    I’m at a loss as to why my brisket cooks have gone from A, to B, to F.

    Any thoughts / advice?

    Thank you!
    Matt

    #2
    Thin briskets are tough, they seem to throw all your pre-planning out the window. What I believe would've been a slightly better way to go would be not wrapping it so early. If it cooks quick, delay the cook. Delay wrapping even more. Wait until it's out of the stall, maybe 180 before wrapping. This might take up another 2 hrs of time, which still could've led it to be cambro-ready 10hrs before dinner....still not good timewise, but your bark would be better at least.

    I honestly think what I will do next time I get a quick cooking brisket is chill it once it's done instead of holding it that long. Personally I wouldn't hold one past 3 or 4hrs anymore. Once it's done, chill it on the counter, then pop it in the fridge until 2 or 3 hrs before dinner, then re-heat it, wrapped, and then unwrap it to firm the bark back up for maybe 30 mins or so. Timings are estimates of course.

    Once due to strange timing I had a brisket on heat for 24hrs, 10-12hr cook and 12-14hr cambro/oven cycling. It tasted great but was crumbly as I feared. I've cambroed 6hrs and 3 hrs, and 6 I thought was too long for my tastes too, kinda crumbly. 3 seemed ok. Just my personal experiences, YMMV.

    I usually only allow myself 12-14hrs max from start of cook until dinner time. That way if you get a quick cooking brisket it's not wayyyy too long until chow time. If you get a slow cooking brisket, crank the heat and wrap earlier.

    Comment


    • boftx
      boftx commented
      Editing a comment
      I would agree with Huskee, especially about the thinner cuts. It was most likely that long hold time. On a tangent, "203F" is not a magic number but a guideline. The true test is the meat itself. It is done when it is probe tender. That piece might have been done at 295F or even 290F.

    • Skip
      Skip commented
      Editing a comment
      Totally agree with HuskeeI and boftx. I had a similar experience with a small brisket once it was trimmed. Next time I will make pastrami or burnt ends or roast beef sandwiches. Just not a good piece for regular brisket IMO. Don't give up!

    #3
    That thing spent 15 hours tightly wrapped in foil.....and likely above 150 internal by a wide margin most of the time.

    Comment


      #4
      Sometimes the GMG grill probe can become insulated with grease/soot. Every so often, I reach in and wipe mine clean.

      Another consideration, although not ideal, would be to make burnt ends if it looks like a quick cook.

      Comment


        #5
        I just had the same experience today .... I had a brisket get done crazy fast. Like 7 hours. I had to hold/rest it for 6 hours. I fully expected, since it was a smaller brisket, that it would cook fast .... like 10 hours. Where my typical brisket cook is 13-14 hours. When it was probe tender and done in just 7 hours I was totally stumped.

        If you care to read my write up on the cook .....

        Okay, I just had a crazy experience with brisket. Anyone else ever seen this happen? Started with a bit smaller brisket, only 11.7 lbs. Trimming took it down

        Comment


          #6
          I am 0-for-3 with brisket, but for very different reasons. I was working with 3-4 pound cuts, flat (which I didn't know at the time). Mine, too, came out juicy when I was slicing it. Once it hit the table, it was dry as a bone. I'm proceeding with caution, as there are just two of us, and The Boss doesn't believe in using the Food Saver.

          Comment


            #7
            I usually inject flats with beef broth.

            Comment


              #8
              Try not injecting the next Prime brisket you get. You're defeating the purpose of getting a Prime brisket. Why delete the original flavor? At least try it once without the injection. You might be surprised. 😊

              Comment


                #9
                I am theorizing here... I always slice my brisket flat at least an hour before I turn brisket in at a contest. It rests in the defatted juice. It doesn't dry out. Perhaps this technique would work holding, or chilling to reheat later.

                Comment


                  #10
                  Personally I'm starting to think if I do a flat-only again I will slice & serve right at the table for immediate plate filling like I would a prime rib. Flat slices dry out in 5 seconds, which is 5 seconds quicker than mashed potatoes get cold.

                  Comment


                  • ecowper
                    ecowper commented
                    Editing a comment
                    I'm with you Huskee. Pretty sure I won't ever do a flat only, except for corned beef, again. But, if I did, I would slice and plate right at the table.

                  #11
                  Brisket flats are one unforgiving piece of meat. I just had one last weekend that cooked in less than 8 hours and was as dry as bone after sitting wrapped in a cooler for 6 hours. I've done my fair share of brisket cooks over the years and had my share of failures. I'm kind of in Huskees corner and thinking to cook and serve immediately. If I can't, then cool it down fast, put it in the fridge and reheat later when needed.

                  Comment

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