Whole Texas-style brisket coming out dry on a Primo. Any suggestions?

[rsarver]

Hey all, long time reader, first time poster

I have done 4 briskets (Prime from Costco) on my PrimoXL, following Meathead's instructions to a T with digital thermometers and all. 3 of the 4 have come out pretty dry. I have a water pan in there the whole time. Can't figure out why they are coming out dry though.

Any thoughts or ideas of what I should be looking for? Any other details I can share that might help narrow it down?

[Red Man]

What’s your cooker temp? Are you pulling at probe tender or a specific internal temp? What’s your cambro or rest procedure?

[Spinaker]

First I would love the water pan in the kamado. All I have found they do is create a steam bath in the cooker, which can extend the cooking time.

You can spritz the brisket about every half hour for the first three-four hours of the cook. And that will help.

Another thing I know works for me is too dry brine at least 24-hours before the cook. I think this helps a lot with the finished product.

Thank you for your years of support!

[Sephon]

Hey all, long time reader, first time poster

I have done 4 briskets (Prime from Costco) on my PrimoXL, following Meathead's instructions to a T with digital thermometers and all. 3 of the 4 have come out pretty dry. I have a water pan in there the whole time. Can't figure out why they are coming out dry though.

Any thoughts or ideas of what I should be looking for? Any other details I can share that might help narrow it down?

Are they whole briskets or just the flats? Also, are you going to a set temperature or just probe tender? I find that a Prime packer can be probe tender sometimes as low as 190.

I'm with Spinaker , lose the water pan, it will just hurt the bark in a Primo. A drip pan is fine.

I struggled with flats in my Primo for a long time, so I started buying and cooking packers whole. Made a difference for me.

I'm doing one Friday night. Goes on a midnight at 225. When I get up at 7, it will most likely be in the stall. I'll take it to 275 and cook at that temp until 190, then I will check for probe tender every degree or two after that. Don't worry about opening the Primo to check too often. That thing is heat soaked and will be back to temp in no time at all.

Hope this helps!

[rsarver]

What’s your cooker temp? Are you pulling at probe tender or a specific internal temp? What’s your cambro or rest procedure?

225 cook temp. Wrapping around 150 after a good crust and then pulling at 203. Cambro for about 2-4 hours until 140.

[BBQSurgeon]

Agree with rsarver on all fronts , Cook temp, wrap at 150,pulling at 203.
The other thing i do i when i wrap is i add beef stock then wrap tightly.
Also the cambro for a min of 2-4 hrs is very important.

Hope this helps!!
You will find the the sweet spot, keep trying!!

[Red Man]

I’d definitely lean towards it being over cooked, does a 1/4” slice pass the bend test? I’ve found when cooking at 225, the meat will be way over cooked if taken to 203. 225 and 203 are just too close in temp to transfer much heat, so it takes too long to get up to 203. I personally like cooking brisket in the 250-275 range.

[rsarver]

First I would love the water pan in the kamado. All I have found they do is create a steam bath in the cooker, which can extend the cooking time.

You can spritz the brisket about every half hour for the first three-four hours of the cook. And that will help.

Another thing I know works for me is too dry brine at least 24-hours before the cook. I think this helps a lot with the finished product.

Thank you for your years of support!

Thanks for the tips. I have found them actually cooking faster than I would expect, so it hasn't been drawing out the time so far. I do generally dry brine about 18-24 hours before. Final season right before the cook.

I'll try spritizing instead of the pan next time and see what happens

[rsarver]

Are they whole briskets or just the flats? Also, are you going to a set temperature or just probe tender? I find that a Prime packer can be probe tender sometimes as low as 190.

I'm with Spinaker , lose the water pan, it will just hurt the bark in a Primo. A drip pan is fine.

I struggled with flats in my Primo for a long time, so I started buying and cooking packers whole. Made a difference for me.

I'm doing one Friday night. Goes on a midnight at 225. When I get up at 7, it will most likely be in the stall. I'll take it to 275 and cook at that temp until 190, then I will check for probe tender every degree or two after that. Don't worry about opening the Primo to check too often. That thing is heat soaked and will be back to temp in no time at all.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for following up and the tips.

I do whole packers. The flat part is always the dry part -- the point is obviously fatter and juicer. But when I see photos on here of other cooks, their flat definitely looks more moist and juicy than mine does.

that's good to know that probe tender can come earlier. Maybe I'm over-cooking it by temp then, especially as those last few degrees come slowly for me.

Again, thanks for the tips. Good luck with your cook!

[Sephon]

I think that's it. The flat dries out first, and I'm guessing it has been done well before 203. Start probing the flat at 190, you'll know probe tender when you hit it. It's absolutely like probing warm butter, very little resistance.

Good luck and Thanks!

[rsarver]

Sephon, thanks. That's super helpful!

[Troutman]

I know this may be a matter of opinion (far be it from me to opine ) but a couple more things that may help you. The first one is keep you fat cap pointed toward the fire, in the case of the Primo that would be down. Helps shield the meat. You may have already figured that out.

Secondly, you might want to experiment with injecting, especially the flat. You can buy all kinds of fancy injections or just try doing it with beef stock. It keeps additional moisture in the meat and potentially helps with drying out.

Finally, don't be afraid to separate the flat from the point when you go to wrap. Knowing the flat will dry out you can watch/probe it separately. Pull the individual pieces off when they are done and throw them in the cambro.

Good luck with your next one !!

[rsarver]

Super helpful. Thank you for the tips. Looking forward to trying the next one.

[mountainsmoker]

I don't have a Primo but several other smokers over 40 years. A prime is great at 195 even 190. Just have a drip pan as the juices will provide your moisture without a water pan. It is amazing how much juice a prime will release. When you take it off wrap it in foil. I don't usually Cambro it will hold it's heat for an hour or so.

[Huskee]

Do you dry brine ahead of time? This will help the proteins hold onto more moisture. Do you wrap? I like to wrap after the stall. Cooking nekkid increases the mass of the bark and can increase the dry-out time, in particular on the flat. Also, my biggest piece of advice is always leave a generous fat cap on, especially on the flat. That extra strip of soft salty deliciousness goes a long way in your mouth to elevate the sensation of delectability when feasting on brisket flat. In fact, I'd skip injecting in favor of simply more fat cap. Liquid will come out as you cook, and you will see even more liquid in the foil if you inject. Resist the urge to trim too much fat cap!

[Ahumadora]

+1

[rsarver]

These have all been really helpful tips and totally makes sense. Looking forward to applying some of these to the next cook.

[mountainsmoker]

Huskee if you are referring to my post this is how I do it. About 4, the day before do a rub with salt, in essence a dry brine for 14 hours. It seems I have always been dry brining all the time only not with just salt.

Trim the fat cap to 1/4 inch. The meat underneath does not absorb it as has been shown in various studies. It just melts an runs down the sides and maintains a constant temp.

Injecting is fairly new I have tried it a few times on choice briskest and it helps, I feel it is a waste of time on prime.

As far as wrapping I don't do it until I take off the grill. I want the bark. I have never had a dry brisket if I start testing at 190.

[Huskee]

Nope, just sharing what I've learned and how I personally do it.

[rsarver]

Thank you all for the great feedback. Super helpful comments and they all make sense. Looking forward to trying some of them out on the next cook!

[rsarver]

Oh, one more semi-related question for BGE or Primo owners -- I put 4-5 big chunks of wood on my lump charcoal at the beginning of a long cook. The fire seems to burn through them pretty quickly and I lose that nice hard wood smoke. Given the setup with the grills, pan, heat deflector plate, etc, it feels like taking that all out to put more wood in is too hard.

Any suggestions on how to maintain a good wood smoke for longer on a long cook?

[Mr. Bones]

Not bein a smart aleck, here, but jus throw a few more chunks on, at a time, as ya go, to keep yer smoke a rollin, til ya decide it's smoked enough...
Leastwise, that's what I do...

Different woods, different moisture contents, etc., yada yada, all have different burn rates, as well as aromas/flavours, so yer best bet is to experiment with th cooker, an th woods ya got, at present, an find what works to keep th smoke a rollin...

Best of Luck, on yer next Brisky, Brother!

[HWC]

From what I've read (and I'll be trying it next weekend), light the charcoal near the front first (closest to the bottom vent) and place the wood chunks at varying distances from front to back. The charcoal will burn front to back so not all the chunks will be lit at the same time.

[fttank]

I run a Primo and haven't had problems. I trim the fat cap, dry brine for 24 hours and inject. Drip pan dry. I inject with beef broth. Smoker at 230. When the stall hits at 150, I wrap in Butcher paper. I usually pull at 195. Wrap in foil and Faux Cambro for 2 hours. I 've been buying full packer Prime from Costco.

[RonB]

Welcome to posting side of The Pit.

One thing I didn't see posted is that briskets dry out super fast when sliced. I don't slice until it's time to serve, and I ask people to bring their plates so I can slice to order.