Here is my usual brisket routine:
Costco prime packer
1) Trim leaving about 1/4" of fat cap, and craving off any hard sections of fat. I also trim out a fair bit of the fat between the flat and point.
2) 12-24 hour dry brine/seasoning with commercial beef rub. OR regular dry brine and then a custom pepper, garlic, cumin mix. I have had the same problem with both, so I can't point to one or the other as a culprit.
3) Pellet pooper set to 275°, smoke tube loaded with hickory chips. This is standard for all my beef cooks and has never really changed. Maybe it needs to?
4) Brisket goes on fat cap down. I have flip flopped between fat up and fat down over the years, and honestly I have never really noticed a difference.
5) Smoke for 2.5 hours, then bagged, sealed, and into a 150° water bath for 24 hours. The temp of my water bath has come down over the years. I used to go 160° for 24 hours, but got better results at the lower temp.
6) Out of the bath, drain, filter and reduce the juice from the bag, then slice and serve the brisket.
7) Grumble and complain about screwing up another brisket. This last step is optional, but I have been using it a lot lately.
Here is a pic of my most recent attempt. The flat is just plain dry and tough. The point is not as tender as I like, but it is at least, decent eating. So the big question is, what am I doing wrong? I have a hard time believing it is just a case of poor meat quality. The results are getting too predictable for that I think?
Anyone have any pointers for me?
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