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Did I just blow a brisket?

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    Did I just blow a brisket?

    Did I under cook it or over cook it?

    I had a brisket on with a tin foil wrap to get through the stall. It was at 200 degrees so I unwrapped it to make sure I had the thermometer in the right place. My Thermapen showed 199 so I left it on unwrapped to get it to 203..

    The temp fell to 185 so I left it on longer. I don't understand why that would have happened. Then it stalled there. Have you seen this before?

    I finally pulled it off the pit, just from a pinch test it wasn't as jiggly as it was when I started. Its in my 160 degree oven warmer with an internal of 187. I trimmed off the first slice of the flat an it was pretty juicy.

    How do I tell whether its over cooked or under cooked when I carve it? I don't know the difference.

    Should I throw it back on and keep cooking?

    Confused....

    #2
    I think at 199° your good. If the probe on your pen slides in easy your there. AKA probe tender. 203° is a target number 199° is a good number too.

    Let that baby sit a bit then eat it : ) You'll know if its good or not.

    Comment


    • ecowper
      ecowper commented
      Editing a comment
      What Jon said

    #3
    Hi Hugh ..... the key to a brisket being "done" is the probe test. The temperature range is a guideline. That temp drop, while fairly big, is not unusual. The stall is caused by evaporating liquid that is cooling the meat. When you unwrap it, it is absolutely normal to get a drop as evaporative cooling happens again. I usually just probe my brisket through the foil to avoid the problem.

    About telling if the brisket is done .... when your probe (and a Thermapen makes a great probe) feels like it is going into warm butter when you push it in the brisket, it's done. That usually happens somewhere in the 195-203 range, which is why we use that temperature as a guideline. Once it is probe tender, then hold it in a faux cambro or oven. Goal is to hold the internal temp at 170, give or take a couple degrees. 1-2 hours of hold will make an enormous difference.

    That said, if the first slice of the flat was juicy and the brisket probed tender (sounds like it did) then you are good to go.

    Comment


    • texastweeter
      texastweeter commented
      Editing a comment
      Wrong eco, not like it is going into warm butter, its gotta be like "buttah" , n but for real, you will learn to feel it. Sometimes I cook it more to make it more potroasty, and sometiemes I am cooking to slice. all depends on what you are looking for.

    • ecowper
      ecowper commented
      Editing a comment
      Sorry texastweeter ... I'm a west coast type .... butter, not buttah ;-)

    • texastweeter
      texastweeter commented
      Editing a comment
      Lol, I'll take that.

    #4
    PS It's a lot harder to "blow BBQ" than it seems from everything you read online. If you cook a brisket or pork butt at a consistent temperature created by indirect heat and convection for a long period of time until the internal temp gets somewhere in the 195-203 range, you are gonna have some good eating. it's, more or less, that simple.

    Comment


      #5
      thx guys

      Comment


      • ecowper
        ecowper commented
        Editing a comment
        no problem .... love to hear how it is once you slice and serve

      #6
      I don't know who to thank so I'll just thank all of you. It worked out well. Every Sunday night the neighbors and my inlaws come over supper. The brisket was probably over done but still juicy and it was a hit. I made fresh coleslaw with Meatheads creamy southern dressing as well as corn on the cob. Simple meal and it was a big hit. People think I know how to barbeque!

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      • scottranda
        scottranda commented
        Editing a comment
        Looks awesome!

      • Pirate Scott
        Pirate Scott commented
        Editing a comment
        Your guests are correct. You do know how to barbecue. I need to do a Brisket soon.

      • CaptainMike
        CaptainMike commented
        Editing a comment
        Looks like you know how to BBQ after all!

      #7
      FYI, I didn't smoke this one. I had too much bark (and salt) on the previous one so I wanted a baseline to see what kind of bark I got with no smoke and using the texas crutch. Turns out I prefer the smoke.

      Next up - sous vide chuck with an ice bath and a 3 hour smoke finish.

      Comment


        #8
        Nice-looking Brisket! The others have said it, but I'll emphasize; once probe-tender, wrap tight and hold for 2-4 hours! You've got this!

        Comment


          #9
          Beautiful!

          Comment


            #10
            Looks great, Hugh . When you said you didn't smoke this one do you mean that you added no wood to the burning charcoal--no woodsmoke? Or did you make it in the oven? I'm guessing it was oven baked.

            One thing about brisket on the smoker, it can temp way different in different parts of the meat when it feels probe tender. Once you cambro it for a couple of hours, though, the temps even out and it's all juicy and tender.

            Kathryn

            P.S. Most rubs contain salt as their primary ingredient, so it's listed first in the Ingredients section. If you have a salty rub like that, use it to dry brine your meat. Meathead's rub recipes contain no salt which is really nice, since you can use just the right amount of salt to suit your tastes for the dry brining step and then add the rub. Have fun with your next brisket. Sounds like this one will be a hard act to follow.

            Comment


              #11
              Thanks fxzdoc. I cooked it on my gasser. Just didn't add the water and wood chips this time. I'm experimenting with bark. Will add the smoke again next time.

              Interesting what you say about the temps being different in different parts of the brisket. That explains my confusion and why I ended up over cooking it a bit. I will rely more on the probe test from now on.

              Comment

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