My high heat brisket tasted like high heat pot roast...d'oh!


 

Jay Turner

TVWBB Member
So I enthusiastically tried the high heat brisket method I've read about and it didn't work out for me very well. I don't exactly know what went wrong. Some observations and theories:

1. The brisket was a low "choice" grade brisket packer
2. I foiled the brisket at 170 and tons of moisture came out in the foil
3. Smoke flavor was sharply diminished
4. Bark formation was very poor probably because the large amount of liquid kept it from firming up
5. I may have pulled it out too soon because it was not that tender
6. Rested for 30 minutes and the brisket was very juicy
7. It was okay between a couple of slices of bread with some cheddar and mayo, as long as I thought of it as roast beef and not bbq brisket

I'm all for trying new techniques and loved the idea of being able to cook a brisket in such a short amount of time. I think I might have been able to form some bark if I had put it back on the smoker, but I don't know what I could have done to make it have more smoke flavor. To be fair, my friends and I like a lot of smoke (I used hickory).

The WSM performed very well and kept temp right on (approx 320). I foiled at 170 and tried to pull it when I thought the time was right, but I think I may have pulled it too soon.

In conclusion, I think I will stick with my tried and true low and slow. I do agree that the meat selection is very important in being able to cook a brisket for so long and get it to turn out right. I think I'll just stick with getting the best cuts of meat and doing what's gotten the crowd excited so many times before. I'll probably try it again next time the moon (and my beer mug) is full.
 
I've never done a high heat brisket, but if I wanted more smoke taste, I'd throw some oak in the fire. Hickory is good, but to me, oak seems much stronger.
 
You didn't say how long you cooked it for?

On my high heat brisket cooks, I don't foil until about the 3 hour mark, then it stays foiled in the smoker until it's fork tender. The whole process takes upwards of 5 hours.

I use a thermapen to check temps when I think the brisket is close to the foil point, but don't rely on any therm to tell me when it's done......brisket temps can vary by a lot in the flat....and finding that nirvana temperature point can be tricky.

You won't get the same bark on a high heat cook, but I use a paste and it retains as much or more flavor than just a dry rub.

Hope that helps.
 
Jay, I've done about 4 of these high heat cooks and have been pleased. Yes, what you noted is true about the lack of bark and smoke taste. If I wanted to "bark" the brisket I would take it out of the foil sooner,put it back on the smoker, add more smoke wood, and let it finish that way until you get the proper feel. Like Craig says you can tell when it's done by feel. I'd try it(high heat cook)a couple more times and tweeking it before I abandoned it. You've got some teams that compete and win using this method so it can't be all bad.
 
I cooked for about 4 hours and 15 minutes. Again, I don't think I cooked long enough, but I thought it was pretty easy to move the probe around. I guess knowing that point just comes with practice.

I think next time I will use a stronger wood like oak and also take it out of the foil to firm it up a bit. Of course, I think I read somewhere in here that it was a good thing to reserve and rest it in its own juices as well, so I'll save that from the foil.

I wish I could come by and see some of you guys do the brisket so that I could know the texture and flavor I'm looking for. It's just hard to taste and feel the brisket texture from those award-winning briskets over the net.
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I am used to relying half on my temp and half on feel with my low and slow briskets. It seems that I have to rely just on feel and time for this one. Thanks for all the help and suggestions.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jay Turner:
I wish I could come by and see some of you guys do the brisket so that I could know the texture and flavor I'm looking for. It's just hard to taste and feel the brisket texture from those award-winning briskets over the net.
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</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I couldn't agree more. I have no clue what a brisket should feel like when it is correctly done.
 

 

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