Up until a few weeks ago, the smoker I used was a Brinkman Trail Master indirect heat charcoal smoker. For everything I smoked, including brisket, I would regulate the temperature to 250 degrees and smoke two chip boxes of chips, which takes about an hour-and-a-half. Then I would put the meat in an aluminum baking pan and cover it tightly with foil to form a steam seal, and put it in the oven at 250 degrees. It would cook there until done, which for brisket I liked 200 degrees. Every brisket I prepared was great. The ones that were choice grade were not as juicy as the American Wagyu, but all were good.
Then I got the vertical gas water smoker shown in the picture, and it works great. The ribs and chicken I've prepared on it were superb. I encountered the stall with the first brisket and didn't understand why the brisket wouldn't finish cooking, which led me to the amazing ribs web site. So last Saturday, I purchased a 6.6 pound choice brisket flat at the supermarket with a nice fat cap and good marbling for a choice brisket. Smoked it on the water smoker at 250 degrees for 2 hours. Then put it in an aluminum pan, added 6 ounces of hot, salted to taste beef broth for added moisture, covered the pan tightly with foil, and cooked it in the oven until it reached 202 degrees, which was about 2.5 hours. I Left it in the covered foil pan, wrapped it in a beach towel and put it in a plastic cooler to rest for 3 hours, which is something I have never done with any meat before. It was tender and flavorful, but very dry. You couldn't swallow it without something to drink to wash it down. There was probably a half gallon of juice in the pan with the brisket.
The only thing I can think of that happened was that the beef broth was saltier than the brisket and drew juice out of the brisket. This method of cooking brisket at 250 degrees on the smoker and in the oven has worked well for me for years on my indirect heat smoker, so I don't think it's that.
I didn't think to take a picture of this brisket, but here is one of another choice brisket I cooked the same way on my indirect heat smoker, but without adding the beef broth or letting it rest.
Any ideas about what happened, or suggestions?
Allen
Then I got the vertical gas water smoker shown in the picture, and it works great. The ribs and chicken I've prepared on it were superb. I encountered the stall with the first brisket and didn't understand why the brisket wouldn't finish cooking, which led me to the amazing ribs web site. So last Saturday, I purchased a 6.6 pound choice brisket flat at the supermarket with a nice fat cap and good marbling for a choice brisket. Smoked it on the water smoker at 250 degrees for 2 hours. Then put it in an aluminum pan, added 6 ounces of hot, salted to taste beef broth for added moisture, covered the pan tightly with foil, and cooked it in the oven until it reached 202 degrees, which was about 2.5 hours. I Left it in the covered foil pan, wrapped it in a beach towel and put it in a plastic cooler to rest for 3 hours, which is something I have never done with any meat before. It was tender and flavorful, but very dry. You couldn't swallow it without something to drink to wash it down. There was probably a half gallon of juice in the pan with the brisket.
The only thing I can think of that happened was that the beef broth was saltier than the brisket and drew juice out of the brisket. This method of cooking brisket at 250 degrees on the smoker and in the oven has worked well for me for years on my indirect heat smoker, so I don't think it's that.
I didn't think to take a picture of this brisket, but here is one of another choice brisket I cooked the same way on my indirect heat smoker, but without adding the beef broth or letting it rest.
Any ideas about what happened, or suggestions?
Allen
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