Somehow, a CHEWY Brisket?

[dannyR]

Hey guys (and perhaps girls)

My third crack at a brisket today only because I was due for a Cold Weather Cook. 7 degrees F here in CT when the meat went on this AM.

Anyway, I cooked a 'whole' brisket, ~7 lbs, to an internal temp of 174, foiled, and cooked to 204. Out of the foil, sauced, and then back on the WSM for some re'barkin'.... Lid temp was b/t 250-275 throughout the cook.

I sliced it across the grain, juices cascaded, flavor was good, smoke ring was great, but it was ULTRA CHEWY? My bad for not doing the old fork/probe test first, but is it possible the meat was undercooked? My first 2 briskets (flats) came out great, yet the third go-round was disappointing--not sure what I did differently. ANY SUGGESTIONS???

 

[Robert Clark]

Did you slice the point or the flat?

 

[Dave Russell]

Yes, if undercooked, ALL briskets are chewy, and small briskets cooked in foil can have particularly high IT's before tender.

 

[dannyR]

Sliced both together actually, and then trimmed the fat in between...Point did seem a bit more chewy than the Flat though...

 

[dannyR]

Forgot to mention...the Brisket was a cut from my brother's "1/2 cow," had been in my freezer for about 4 months I'd bet...would that factor in? (obviously I thawed it in the fridge before prepping)

thanks guys.

 

[Dave Russell]

Originally posted by dannyR:
Sliced both together actually, and then trimmed the fat in between...Point did seem a bit more chewy than the Flat though...

Did you find it difficult to slice both the flat and point against the grain without seperating first? Never tried, myself, but I know that some pros do.

 

[George Curtis]

to keep things simple, its under cooked. its why i do the temp/probe thing to make sure.

 

[DavidT.]

Originally posted by dannyR:
Out of the foil, sauced, and then back on the WSM for some re'barkin'.... Lid temp was b/t 250-275 throughout the cook.

I sliced it across the grain, juices cascaded

Did you let it rest?

 

[Dave Russell]

Danny, I don't know if it's true or not, but I've READ that there is an occasional piece of meat, or at least brisket, that just won't get tender. Not trying to propogate a myth here, so if someone would like to dispel it, you won't offend me.

It would seem that if juices "cascaded" out of the flat when slicing, it would be done. However, I'll stick to my original guess and agree with George that it just wasn't done yet.

 

[Bob Sample]

Ok first things first. You had a 7lb whole packer? I have never seen one that small? Second thing. If it "bled" a lot when when you sliced it then you probabbly didn't let it rest long enough to retain it's juiciness. When you removed the foil did you save the au jus? If you save the au jus and collect the juice from slicing you can throw everything in a dish with your not so moist brisket and let it sit for a bit. Bet everyone will love it after that.

 

[dannyR]

The brisket was foil tented and rested for about an hour before I got the little guy down for his nap and had a chance to slice it... I reserved about 2 cups of juices, and to be clear, it was very chewy, but not dried out in the least. Agreed, it was a smaller hunk than I was accustomed to, the point was only about the size of my fist---and i think i read somewhere on this site that smaller pieces actually can take longer per pound? The total cook, foiling included, only took 5 1/2 hours, which surpised me because i planned for 8+. Perhaps I was just not "low 'n slow" enough?
Still baffled by the internal temp "lying" to me!!!

 

[Glenn W]

Another vote for undercooked.

Still baffled by the internal temp "lying" to me!!!

Temps don't mean anything when in foil, they are false. Can't explain the whole reason but Kevin K has posted several times on this issue. Trying again is always fun

 

[dannyR]

You bet i'm looking forward to trying again! I'll chalk this one up as a "lesson learned."

Thanks for all the help guys, and at least I've got some great smokey meat for my 'superbowl chili'...