Resting/Holding Brisket in Cooler (Trouble with dry flat)


 
L

Louis Fenech

New member
Hi everyone,

Prepping for a competition in April and have done brisket twice in the last month. Usually cook at about 250F on my 22" WSM, wrap around 150F internal temp, then pull off around 203F. For competition, I have to cook the brisket overnight and rest in a cooler, but the past two times, the brisket flat was dry after resting. The point was still perfect. Wondering if anyone has run into this issue and has any advice? Also any advice on resting/venting before holding in the cooler? Thanks.

Lou
 
What grade was the brisket? The flat naturally has less internal fat than the point especially if you used a lower grade beef. That's why the big boys like to cook Waygu for competition, lots of internal fat. I have pretty good luck with Prime grade and sometimes choice can have good marbling.
Did you inject? Products like Butcher's will help hold moisture.
Resting for 1 to 2 hours will let the fibers relax and suck moisture back into the meat.
 
Hi Greg, thanks for the response. The grade I had was USDA choice, superior angus beef. I injected with a beef stock I made, nothing too fancy. I rested in a cooler with towels for about 2.5 hours but the flat was dry after slicing. Was wondering if I should have let it rest out of the foil before putting it in the cooler or put it in directly still sealed in foil.
 
Louis, when you say dry, do you mean it had less moisture or that the texture seems dry, such as when slicing, did the slices tend to crumble ?
 
Hi Bob, the slices definitely had less moisture, but were not falling apart or crumbling. It seemed that the flat was a bit tough as well.
 
Take your drippings from the wrap, separate the fat out and pour the remaining au jus over the slices to moisten them back up.

The flat is always dryer than the point because of less fat as was mentioned above.
 
The flat being tough is indication that you could have cooked it longer. And I'd take Greg's good advice. I poke my briskets with a wooden skewer until it feels like I'm going through peanut butter. If it feels like that, you're done. I wouldn't use temperature as my sole gauge for doneness.
 
Donna Fong said:
The flat being tough is indication that you could have cooked it longer. And I'd take Greg's good advice. I poke my briskets with a wooden skewer until it feels like I'm going through peanut butter. If it feels like that, you're done. I wouldn't use temperature as my sole gauge for doneness.
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What if say, the internals were at say 205 and it's still not tender, what would you recommend in this case? Still let it go? This is something that I haven't been able to fully understand.
 
Mac LA said:
What if say, the internals were at say 205 and it's still not tender, what would you recommend in this case? Still let it go? This is something that I haven't been able to fully understand.
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Hi Mac,
It is my opinion that the ultimate test for when a piece of meat is tender, is when it FEELS tender, regardless of the temperature it is at. The temperature at which a cut of meat is tender can vary. Some briskets can be done at 196 while others maybe done at 206, while others at 210. So meat temperature is not always a good proxy for doneness. However, when it FEELS tender, it IS tender, right? That being said, you may get good tenderness when you see 205, but it is only a matter of time when 205 doesn't work for another brisket.
I think data is always good. So measure the temperature but don't let that be the only determining factor you use in judging when a brisket is ready to be pulled from your cooker.
Donna
 
Donna Fong said:
Hi Mac,
It is my opinion that the ultimate test for when a piece of meat is tender, is when it FEELS tender, regardless of the temperature it is at. The temperature at which a cut of meat is tender can vary. Some briskets can be done at 196 while others maybe done at 206, while others at 210. So meat temperature is not always a good proxy for doneness. However, when it FEELS tender, it IS tender, right? That being said, you may get good tenderness when you see 205, but it is only a matter of time when 205 doesn't work for another brisket.
I think data is always good. So measure the temperature but don't let that be the only determining factor you use in judging when a brisket is ready to be pulled from your cooker.
Donna
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Got it Donna, thank you! Although I've been warned not to pay too much attention to temps, it's been a problem of mine not to. I'm going to start probing before I see I reach my target temps, just to get into the habit. I've been waiting for my temps to hit a certain mark, then probing.

Thanks again,

Johnny
 
Mac LA said:
Got it Donna, thank you! Although I've been warned not to pay too much attention to temps, it's been a problem of mine not to. I'm going to start probing before I see I reach my target temps, just to get into the habit. I've been waiting for my temps to hit a certain mark, then probing.

Thanks again,

Johnny
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Think of it this way; every piece of meat you cook came from a different animal. You won't know how it was raised or how old it was or if there are other factors that will affect its tenderness. Remembering Donna's analogy of feeling like peanut butter will serve you much better than a temperature.
 
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