I usually look around and find a nice prime packer brisket either at HEB or Costco to put into my meat frig. I do this on a rotating basis, let it wet cure for 45 days, cook it, then replace with another one. So doing the math I probably cook a packer at least 10 times a year. Been cooking them for more years then I care to remember. Most of the time they aren't spectacular but usually they are pretty good.
Anyway had a real nice prime 14# ready to go this past week end. Salt brined it for 36 hours just prior to then fired up the pellet cooker to 250* and put her on about 9 am. Prime packers at that temp will usually cook for me in about 8-9 hours, this one was no exception. I'm not going to bore you with all the details, usual brisket rub and procedures were followed, here she is going on the cooker with multiple Fireboard probes;
As the day progressed the IT was climbing nicely. Got well up into the 160s IT within a few hours. Now primes will do that, they tend to cook faster for me. In fact the probe at the top was in the point and that was around 180* at this point in time. I thought about letting it go, I did inject with beef broth and phosphate so wasn't too concerned about drying out. Maybe that's what I should have done.
Well at about 165* it started to slow and I sensed the stall about to approach but was also concerned that the point was getting well up around 190* and didn't want to dry it out. Was out of butcher paper but went ahead and threw it into a foil pan and covered it and raised the heat to about 275*. Here it is just prior to the stall, looking great;
Well I hit the mid 190s rather quickly, pulled my probes out and started to Thermopen it for butter soft. Here's my graph of the cook, notice how quickly it got up to temp;
Here is where I believe things went south. As I mentioned I had injected about a quart of liquid into the whole packer and the foiling brought all of that out into the pan and began to braise the meat. I was literally wobbling all over the pan when probed but still had a hard spot on top of the flat. I figured I'd let it go until the flat yielded, I was determined. Well it finally got up to 199* in the flat and about 205* in the point and I called it a day, right at the 8 hour mark. Cambroed for 2.5 hours and pulled it out to serve for dinner.
To my surprise I overshot the thing, it was evident the minute I started to carve. It was way too soft and crumbly. It had great flavor and was moist as all get out, but it was pot roast. I may as well have put it into a crock pot and cooked it low and slow. It was feakin' POT ROAST.
You know it tasted really good all in all but I just wanted to share with everyone that 1) briskets all seem to cook a little differently, there is no magic formula, 2) prime briskets definitely cook faster, you have to start probing at 190* or maybe earlier, 3) be careful how you crutch, in my case there way too much available liquid, I think paper may have been a better way to go in this case.
Anyway, the purpose for this post is to let those out there struggling to cook that perfect brisket to hang in there. Eventually you will get the hang of it and develop a method that works for you. And then again, every once in a while you will just bust out. No big deal.
Have a great July 4th ya'll, look forward to seeing everyone's cooks !!!
Anyway had a real nice prime 14# ready to go this past week end. Salt brined it for 36 hours just prior to then fired up the pellet cooker to 250* and put her on about 9 am. Prime packers at that temp will usually cook for me in about 8-9 hours, this one was no exception. I'm not going to bore you with all the details, usual brisket rub and procedures were followed, here she is going on the cooker with multiple Fireboard probes;
As the day progressed the IT was climbing nicely. Got well up into the 160s IT within a few hours. Now primes will do that, they tend to cook faster for me. In fact the probe at the top was in the point and that was around 180* at this point in time. I thought about letting it go, I did inject with beef broth and phosphate so wasn't too concerned about drying out. Maybe that's what I should have done.
Well at about 165* it started to slow and I sensed the stall about to approach but was also concerned that the point was getting well up around 190* and didn't want to dry it out. Was out of butcher paper but went ahead and threw it into a foil pan and covered it and raised the heat to about 275*. Here it is just prior to the stall, looking great;
Well I hit the mid 190s rather quickly, pulled my probes out and started to Thermopen it for butter soft. Here's my graph of the cook, notice how quickly it got up to temp;
Here is where I believe things went south. As I mentioned I had injected about a quart of liquid into the whole packer and the foiling brought all of that out into the pan and began to braise the meat. I was literally wobbling all over the pan when probed but still had a hard spot on top of the flat. I figured I'd let it go until the flat yielded, I was determined. Well it finally got up to 199* in the flat and about 205* in the point and I called it a day, right at the 8 hour mark. Cambroed for 2.5 hours and pulled it out to serve for dinner.
To my surprise I overshot the thing, it was evident the minute I started to carve. It was way too soft and crumbly. It had great flavor and was moist as all get out, but it was pot roast. I may as well have put it into a crock pot and cooked it low and slow. It was feakin' POT ROAST.
You know it tasted really good all in all but I just wanted to share with everyone that 1) briskets all seem to cook a little differently, there is no magic formula, 2) prime briskets definitely cook faster, you have to start probing at 190* or maybe earlier, 3) be careful how you crutch, in my case there way too much available liquid, I think paper may have been a better way to go in this case.
Anyway, the purpose for this post is to let those out there struggling to cook that perfect brisket to hang in there. Eventually you will get the hang of it and develop a method that works for you. And then again, every once in a while you will just bust out. No big deal.
Have a great July 4th ya'll, look forward to seeing everyone's cooks !!!
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