Wayne Thompson
New member
A while ago I posted information on my unsuccessful attempts at smoking a brisket. With the help of fellow readers of this site I finally nailed smoking a brisket. If any of you who helped me out are reading this, thanks so much. I wanted to pass on some of this things I learned on this cook.
1. When smoking a brisket make sure it is a whole packer. My first four attempts were with just the flat which is hard to get right. Mine all turned out tender but very dry. This whole packer came out tender and juicy. When I trimmed it I erred on keeping more fat on the meat. Most of it was rendered off during the cook and I feel it kept the whole brisket more moist.
2. Keep your cooking temperature as steady as possible. I fought off the urge to fiddle with the vents several times. I wanted to cook at 250* for this cook but I was more in the 230* to 235* range. It seems that the steady temperature is more important than the actual temperature as long as you are close.
3. Do not go strictly by a finishing temperature to decide when this thing is done. Once the meat hits 185* to 190* start checking it for tenderness by inserting your thermometer probe. As I have heard said, it slides in like butter. Another test I did to check doneness was to lightly tap the meat with a finger. When it is done it jiggles like jello. (I saw that on a video by Aaron Franklin.)
4. Let the meat cool to 170* before wrapping it and putting it in a cooler to hold it until you are ready to eat. By letting the temperature drop the meat stops cooking. On my first brisket cooks I popped them in the foil and the cooler as soon as they hit the temperature I wanted. They came out over cooked. I had to hold this one for quite a while longer than I planned on because it cooked much faster than expected. It was still moist some time later.
5. If you, like me, are having trouble with brisket keep at it. This was my fifth try. Trust your instincts and keep trying.
Finally, I wanted to thank Chris. I followed a lot of your techniques from your Midnight Brisket cook and they helped a ton. Thank you so much. If feels good to finally get the brisket right. I feel like I have moved up to novice level from beginner level. (LOL) I can't wait to move on to new challenges. I think some beef ribs will be next!
1. When smoking a brisket make sure it is a whole packer. My first four attempts were with just the flat which is hard to get right. Mine all turned out tender but very dry. This whole packer came out tender and juicy. When I trimmed it I erred on keeping more fat on the meat. Most of it was rendered off during the cook and I feel it kept the whole brisket more moist.
2. Keep your cooking temperature as steady as possible. I fought off the urge to fiddle with the vents several times. I wanted to cook at 250* for this cook but I was more in the 230* to 235* range. It seems that the steady temperature is more important than the actual temperature as long as you are close.
3. Do not go strictly by a finishing temperature to decide when this thing is done. Once the meat hits 185* to 190* start checking it for tenderness by inserting your thermometer probe. As I have heard said, it slides in like butter. Another test I did to check doneness was to lightly tap the meat with a finger. When it is done it jiggles like jello. (I saw that on a video by Aaron Franklin.)
4. Let the meat cool to 170* before wrapping it and putting it in a cooler to hold it until you are ready to eat. By letting the temperature drop the meat stops cooking. On my first brisket cooks I popped them in the foil and the cooler as soon as they hit the temperature I wanted. They came out over cooked. I had to hold this one for quite a while longer than I planned on because it cooked much faster than expected. It was still moist some time later.
5. If you, like me, are having trouble with brisket keep at it. This was my fifth try. Trust your instincts and keep trying.
Finally, I wanted to thank Chris. I followed a lot of your techniques from your Midnight Brisket cook and they helped a ton. Thank you so much. If feels good to finally get the brisket right. I feel like I have moved up to novice level from beginner level. (LOL) I can't wait to move on to new challenges. I think some beef ribs will be next!
