First Brisket and Advice on how to Improve


 
Hi everyone,

I'm in my mid-twenties and live in Fort Worth, TX. I've always loved good moist brisket, but I've also always found it extremely hard to find. Even some of my favorite places are frustratingly inconsistent. About 5 months or so ago, I stood in line for about 3 hours to try La BBQ in Austin. The brisket was great, but it was at that point I told myself that I was tired of standing in long lines for something I could learn to do myself.

After that point I started watching lots of videos online, especially the ones from Aaron Franklin's youtube series. I then got his book and finished it in about a week. I became obssessed with learning everything I could about smoking. After lots of research, I finally decided to buy a 22.5 inch WSM.

My weekends have been pretty busy with college football season, but I managed to try my first brisket a few weekends ago.

After all the research I did, I was holding myself to an extremely high standard, and was obviously disapointed when the brisket didn't come out the quality of Franklins.

Anyway, below is a step by step of my first cook. There are things I've self-identified as being a mistake, but I would love as much feedback as possible. I plan on doing brisket #2 this weekend. Thanks!

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1. Got my packer cut brisket from Costco in Fort Worth. It was Prime grade and about 13.7 lbs. Spent a lot of time picking out the brisket. Went with the one that was the most flexible and had what appeared to have a good fat distribution.

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2. I had watched a lot of videos on how to trim a brisket, so I was pretty confident going in, but it was a little trickier than I expected. I eventually got the hang of it, and feel like I did a pretty good job trimming off the bad fat that wouldnÂ’t render, and reducing the fat cap to ¼ inch thick.

3. I used Aaron Franklin’s method of seasoning using equal parts 16-mesh ground black pepper and kosher salt. Used a little bit of mustard to help hold on the rub. Really liked how it turned out.

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4. Before smoking this brisket, I fired up the smoker a few times to “season” it and get familiar with temperature control. For this smoke, I used Kingsford Blue Charcoal that I got started with my charcoal chimney and then used the “Minon Method.” I then threw on a few chunks of Hickory that I got from Lowes. I ultimately want to start using oak chunks, but haven’t found any yet. I also filled up my water pan with hot water after wrapping it in foil.


5. As the smoker is still pretty new, it apparently tends to run a little hot. 245 degrees is about where the smoker settled into a consistent temp.

6. I started the fire immediately after trimming the meat. Once the fire got started, I then did the rub. All in, the brisket probably sat out for about an hour.

7. I put the brisket on around 11:30 pm along with a wireless probe thermometer I used to tract the temp of the meat and one that I attached right above the grate to track the smoker’s temp. I’d read that the manufacturer dome thermometers aren’t very dependable.

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8. I stayed up all night making sure the smoker stayed at a consistent 245ish degrees. After the first 3 or 4 hours, I started spritzing the meat every hour with apple cider vinegar. This is also when the meat reached the stall. It stayed in the 160s for a long time and finally broke the 173 threshold around 9am (8 ½ hours) after putting the meat on.

9. This is when I took it off and put the meat in butcher paper. In hindsight, I should have done this much sooner. Some reason I had gotten confused and thought I should wrap after the stall, but in hindsight I think I should have wrapped as it hit the stall.

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10. After wrapping in butcher paper, I put the meat back on the smoker. The meat stayed at 175 for about an hour, and then my smoker started to slowly drop in temperature, bc I was running low on fuel.

11. I was tired and decided to be lazy, so I took the wrapped brisket and put it in the oven at 275 around 10:30am. This is another mistake I may have made. Was the oven too hot, leading to the brisket getting to temp too soon?

12. I left it in the oven until the internal temperature reached 203 (the temperature aaron franklin referenced being the temp most his briskets are finished at), which was about two hours later at 12:30pm. This was definitely my biggest mistake. In hindsight, I should have depended a lot less on the thermometer I was using, and also should have started “probe testing” much sooner around 190 degrees. From what I understand now, the best indication of a brisket being ready is when the temperature probe slides into the thickest part of the flat like butter.

13. At an internal temp of 203, I pulled out the brisket, unwrapped it, and let it rest for a little over an hour.

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14. Before cutting it, I could tell the meat didn’t feel as jiggly as I was expecting it to be, so I was worried it had over cooked. Slicing into it confirmed this, as the meat was pretty dry and not very tender. I’m pretty positive I over cooked the brisket, but I have read things that say that overcooked brisket, while dry, also falls apart into pieces, while undercooked brisket is dry and tough. I feel like my brisket was definitely more tough than it was falling apartÂ… but I just can’t fathom that my brisket was undercooked after reaching an internal temp of 203.

15. The point was okay. It had a few tasty slices that were moist with fat that had rendered well, but overall, I was pretty dang disappointed with how it turned out.

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I naively hoped I could nail it on my first try. I was unfortunately wrong, but the potential is definitely there. Anything blatantly stand out that I did wrong? All advice is much appreciated!
 
Have you been to Pecan Lodge in Dallas? or Cattlelacks? Cattlelacks is a long line but their brisket, at least when I went was phenomenal. Pecan Lodge seems pretty consistent but I went once where the brisket was badly oversmoked somehow.

Anyway, you should wrap when the bark is set. This will happen kind of into the stall, not at the beginning. I wouldn't set a temp although I'm guilty of picking 165. I had one stall at a lower temp than that and I wrapped pretty late like you did.

That flat looks overcooked to me as it looks a little crumbly. I've found primes tend to be done at lower temps. I've had a couple done around 192 or 193. I've had some go to 210 though.

The 275 temp isn't that big of a deal. In fact, I've read Franklin advocates cooking at 275. Furthermore, they also cook up to 300 once wrapped because the paper protects the meat from the heat. I've had pretty good luck cooking at 245 and up to 275.

Overall though, those middle slices look pretty good. The point looks good too. A lot of times you can't avoid overcooking the very thin end of the flat. At Franklin, they would just not serve that part and use it for chop.
 
I shouldn't give any advice on brisket as I've only done two, and one was so long ago I don't recall anything of my approach. The last one was fairly recent and was quite good. I've got another prime packer sitting in the refrigerator right now.

I would suggest running with the pan dry. The water is more of an insurance policy against the temperature running too high. It will suck up huge amounts of heat. You'll save a lot of fuel if you can control the temp without water in the pan.

If you decide to go with water, I'd recommend against foiling the pan. The water can work its way under the foil and then up the sides and over the edge when the pressure builds. I don't find clean up too difficult as long as the pan doesn't run dry. With a dry pan foiling will save you a big mess, but with a wet pan it's likely to cause more problems than it solves. It doesn't sound like you had this problem, so good job with the foiling, but in the future I'd either go foil/dry or no-foil/wet.

I would think post oak would be readily available in your area, particularly since Aaron Franklin isn't using it by the truckload right now. I bought online from Fruita Wood this year and was pleased with what I got. I didn't check the price carefully but my gut feel was it was a wee bit more than buying comparable woods at the local megamart, except I got better quality wood. They have a very wide selection available.

On my last brisket I followed a recipe I got via email from ThermoWorks. It allegedly got a perfect score at some competition. I was happy with the results. It used a two-stage cook, starting at 180F for five hours and then moving to 275F. I have no idea if that very low start actually did much. Next time I'm going to try 275F the whole way like Franklin suggests. At least I'll be able to mentally compare the two approaches.

As you've already suggested, you'll be better off paying less attention to the read out on the thermometer and more attention to how it feels going in. Use the thermometer as a guide for when you should start checking that buttery feel.

One thing I've found is that with very long cooks like this the temperature probe transmits enough heat to the inner portion of the meat that it's probably not the best indication of doneness of the overall piece of meat. The portion around the probe, assuming you don't move it, will be a wee bit warmer than other parts of the meat. I don't think it's a huge difference, but it's enough that it's worth considering, particularly if you have more than one piece of meat cooking and the probe is in only one.
 
Done two, first was excellent, second was almost as good, third will be better! I'm not so sure how much "flex" will be distinguishable through cryopack but, to each their own "tricks and techniques". I have not used water for any of my cooks, do not bring the thing "up to temperature" or wrapped any of the butts or briskets I have been lucky with. Terra-cotta plant saucer (wrapped a la Rich Dahl) offset minion method (Enrico Brandizzi style via Tony UK), rubbed as long as two days ahead or as little as an hour, Cherry for smoke (it's a Michigan thing I think) usually, oak, pecan, apple, olive once in a while.
Too lazy to wrap, just had a buddy who I've not seen in years stop by for brisket not long ago, he was very impressed and he's won a couple of local fund raiser comps and thought mine was better than his (he could be pulling my chain) but, the worst barbecue I've done is still pretty darned good!
Keep at it, make notes, learn from the experience!
Now I want a brisket!
 
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Dwain,
Until I scrolled down far enough I thought you had posted a pic of your wounded, bandaged finger. :rolleyes:
Sure glad it was some excellent looking brisket instead! :)

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Taylor: First off...WELCOME TO THE OBSESSION! IMHO, the WSM was an excellent choice.

I too do LOTS of research before I do anything that costs a lot of money. It saves me from "the agony of defeat".

I've only done 3-4 briskets and all (but 1) have been great. The other was just good.

Since I do not enter contests (and don't really care what others think...about my technique), I cut my flat from the point at the place they meet (around the center as you are looking down on it), and smoke them separately since they finish at different times.

I also double wrap in foil. I have a roll of the pink paper (used it once), but I'm not convinced that it's right for me. When foiled I can save the liquid for au jus.

Learning with my butts, I use the temp probe as a guide for doneness. I probe for tenderness from the outside toward the center. Naturally the center will be done last, but the probing gives you some indication of how much is not quite ready. I usually start probing at 200F. My go to goal is between 203 and 207F. (I had the dark muscle on a butt go to 209F last week before it was probe tender). I also leave all of my meats wrapped in towels for a minimum of 2 hours. I tried 1 hour a couple of times before, but I thought I was pushing it so I tried 2 and it seems the best for me.

Not sure if I answered your questions, but I hope something here helps with your technique. Good luck.

Bill
 
From what I understand now, the best indication of a brisket being ready is when the temperature probe slides into the thickest part of the flat like butter.

13. At an internal temp of 203, I pulled out the brisket, unwrapped it, and let it rest for a little over an hour.



but I just can’t fathom that my brisket was undercooked after reaching an internal temp of 203.


I naively hoped I could nail it on my first try. I was unfortunately wrong, but the potential is definitely there. Anything blatantly stand out that I did wrong? All advice is much appreciated!
You answered your own question. Brisket (like chuck roast, pork butt, ribs, etc.) is done when it is done. Internal temp has nothing to do with it. By focusing on hitting some magic number instead focusing on what the meat felt like you pulled it too early (yes, it was underdone).

If you're going to low/slow (not necessary) then you are correct that if you are going to wrap, wrap sooner. When I used to low/slow I didn't wrap but one certainly can.

I do briskets (any size, any grade) in 4 hours. I have a brisket of nearly exactly the same size, grade and source as yours on the cooker now. I just foiled (earlier than usual, I'm experimenting) and it's running 375˚.
 
Welp..

Saw a link on Facebook the other day to a high heat brisket and thought, "Huh, I might do one".

Dwain reminded me that I need to do one like that for my next brisket cook!!
 
Practice is your best friend but, as others have said:
“It will be done when it’s finished!”
Make notes if you wish, it’s not a bad idea, I typically am way too lazy so, I lean toward the light it and take a nap school.
I fretted like a mother hen over the first one but the second I lit off at about 11:00 and went to bed. At 7:30 next morning, everything was rolling along just fine. By feasting time, everything was just fine. That was 4:00 so it was a long cook. I’m ready for the next one right now to be honest! And now I have a slicer too! Toys are fun!
 
I have made a half dozen briskets this year (since May) on my WSM. Each brisket is different. I would say two have been damn near perfect. One of the other four was just a touch under, and the others were just a touch over. Not tough or dry by any means and still plenty moist, but when you hit one on the head you know with the slices.

Franklin's 203 temp is just a guideline. I have had them finish under that and a little over. I have had a 13lb untrimmed Prime packer finish in 10.5 hours. I had another finish without a stall in under 7 hours.

I cook at 275. Wrap in paper once you are through the stall.

The thermometer is just a gauge. One thing I like to do is pick it up and see how the whole brisket bends. Sometimes "stiff" means its under and not over cooked.
 
Dittos on the comments made earlier about pulling too soon. It took me years to get away from that, and I still fight it. Overall it looks like you have good technique. Don't get hung up on wrapping (wrapped v. unwrapped, foil v. paper, timing....). You can probably skip the spraying. The probe test (like buttah) is THE KEY. Plus, once you pull it, let it sit uncovered for 20-30 minutes then wrap it up and let it sit for a few hours.

Enjoy the ride.
 
Taylor - i see a lot of good suggestions on here. I'm looking forward to seeing the results of your next brisket cook.
 
Guess I might as well be the contrarian and say that your brisket was overcooked. Take a look at this picture.

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I'm seeing plenty of separation of the muscle fibers in those slices. Too much actually.



As someone else said, you have answered your own question really, go by feel instead of a specific temp. Reason being is that the finished temp is dependent upon a number of variables. For example, the higher the cooking temp, the higher the finish temp will be. Conversely, the lower the chamber temp, the lower the finish temp. Next, grade comes into play. Well marbled prime beef generally will finish at a lower temp than choice beef cooked at the same chamber temp. Choice beef will finish lower than Select.

Guys like Aaron Franklin can go by temp because they've basically eliminated variability. They have mastered their pits so they always run at a consistent temp. The meat from his supplier is extremely consistent in size and quality/grade. Since EVERYTHING is almost always the same, the finish temp of his briskets will be the same as well. (But, that temp will change if he runs a pit higher or lower, or if the quality of his meat changes.)
 
I think it looks pretty good for a first brisket. The brisket is about the most difficult piece of meat to master, if you can master it you can 'que most anything, IMO. It requires patience.

Looks a bit dry, but pictures can be deceiving. I try to keep my WSM around 250-265, if it's below 250 mine takes forever...so like to do at least 250 at the start, then possibly bump it up to 260-265 at the stall. I use virgin olive oil for binder, some prefer yellow mustard, it's up to you. I personally just separate the point/flat at the stall, since everyone likes burnt ends and I like to keep the flat for sandwiches.

What I do is add some rub to the bald spot after separating, cube up all of the point and get rid of some fat if need be, and render in a tin with sauce. I put the flat back in and let the bald spot get some color, then wrap either in foil or paper. I have not used pink paper, but I use white freezer paper and it works for me. I just don't tell the meat the paper is not pink and it never knows the difference...Some people don't like to wrap at all, and if that is the case with you, go for a lower heat and longer cook. Otherwise I like to wrap. That will keep it moist. I like to pull it around 195-200 and wrap and let it rest to shoot for about 205-210 final after rest...the burnt ends take longer, usually about 1-2 more hours. I just render them until they seems done...dump the fat out and re-sauce before serving. Usually they don't need very much sauce added, but I like to freshen them up.

Best advice is keep doing it, the only way to master brisket is to keep smoking 'em...but it's not the only cut of meat...there's a lot of cool stuff to do...your imagination is the only limit in the WSM.:wsm:
 
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I’ve made brisket several different ways. I find that wrapping in paper is much better than wrapping in foil but I don’t find wrapping in paper to be much better than not wrapping at all. The only time I wrap anymore is if the brisket appears to be getting too dry which I only seem to have happen with the lower cuts of meat. I generally smoke the prime packer briskets from Costco.

I smoke at 235 degrees and also have water in the pan to help hold moisture. I don’t smoke to any certain internal temperature but rather start probing the brisket for tenderness every half hour starting at 190 degrees internal temperature. I’ve had some probe tender at just over 190 to as much as 205. I get my best results this way.
 

 

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