1st brisket - a couple questions


 
C

curt van

New member
On Saturday I tackled my first brisket using the high temp method I read about here. It turned out great and was a huge hit but I have a couple of questions. Here's the details: 8lb flat from Sam's Club rubbed and put on right out of the fridge fat cap down. I used the Minion Method/coffee can with 20 lit K, offset the lid and got the temp up to 345 in 15 minutes. Measuring temp on the grate it stayed steady between 330-360. 2.5 hours in the internal meat temp was 171 so I foiled it, flipped it fat side up and put it back on the smoker. After another 1.5 hours the meat internal was at 206 so I poked it and some parts were very tender, others not so tender. Another 15 minutes and the meat temp was at 209. My poke test was the same but the temp scared me so I pulled it off, wrapped once more with foil and rested for 1 hour. Final results were good smoke ring, great smell, great taste and a ton of compliments.

My question is on the meat temp. Did I pull it off too early or too late. I was afraid of it drying out at that high of a temp but could I have let it go a little longer? Or did I miss the "all tender" and it started to toughen up? Thanks for any advice.

Here's a few pictures.

Brisket cook
 
I guess the question is: How was it in terms of tenderness and juicyness? Was it tender and juicy? Tender but dry? Tough but juicy, tough and dry ? Answers to those may help !
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">My question is on the meat temp. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Do not temp the meat after it is foiled. When cooking at high heat the internal temp after foiling is utterly immaterial.

Test for tenderness with a probe about 10-20 min before you think it will be ready. No need to poke all lover the place. I test the center of the flat--period. If not probe tender yet re-wrap and check 15-20 later. When tender, it's done.

Glad it came out well and that you and your guests enjoyed it.
 
I'm with Kevin on this one. I don't temp the meat ever on my high heat briskets. I got for 2.25 hours unfoiled, and foil until the poke test tells me its done. so far, I've only ever had to poke twice on the same piece of meat. Briskets are done when they are tender. When I first started doing briskets, I was temp crazy, and I cooked a delicious brisket that happened to be done at 195, but the next one I did was nothing more than a mudflap at 195. Weird pieces of meat, and some cows walk more than others!
 
Originally posted by K Kruger:

Test for tenderness with a probe about 10-20 min before you think it will be ready.


So this is the key for me. I checked for tender at 4 hours, was this too late? It was tender and juicy so I may have gotten lucky with my timing. Sometimes it's better to be lucky!
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Yes, it is.

I do packers but there is little difference between them and a substantial flat (like the one you did). At the temps you cooked, I'd check at about the 3:50 mark first, expecting to hit done anywhere from that point on to about 4:10. I figure them at 4 hours even, so check 10 min before.
 
There's an interesting (to me at least) subtle question here. Curt mentioned poking (testing) in several locations. Mike and Kevin say once (or twice.)

So if you poke once and hit a really soft spot, figure it's done and remove it from the smoker, how likely is it that there will still be some "tough" parts?

Conversely, if you happen to hit an unusually "tough" spot and leave it on until that area is tender, how likely is it that the rest will be over done?

JimT
 
Try poking (I prefer to "poke" with a therometer) in the fattest part. If it is done there, it is done. You don't want alot of holes in your brisket. Take a look at how much juice gushes out of the hole when you remove the "poker."
 
JimT--

Both scenarios are unlikely. Were you to, say, test the thinner, tapered end of the flat and judge by that then yes, you could have problems, but if you focus on the thicker, central area of the flat then no, it is very unlikely that once that spot is tender you'd have tough spots still, or that, having tested the same spot and found it still not tender, other areas would overcook while that central spot reached tender.
 
Curt, your brisket looks great!!! I've done a lot of briskets high heat and have yet to have a clearly defined smoke ring such as yours. Mine look a little washed out. Never the less, smoke ring or not they've all tasted very good. High heat rules as far as I'm concerned for brisket
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Have to agree with Dave here about checking the temp only once. Although I have never done the high heat method. I usually only check the temp once, and in the thickest part of the brisket.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by paul h:
Curt, your brisket looks great!!! I've done a lot of briskets high heat and have yet to have a clearly defined smoke ring such as yours. Mine look a little washed out. Never the less, smoke ring or not they've all tasted very good. High heat rules as far as I'm concerned for brisket
icon_smile.gif
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Paul, that is interesting that you are not seeing a defined ring. You may want to try starting out at a lower temp. The theory is, the longer the surface of the meat is exposed to smoke at a temp below 140 degrees, the more pronounced the ring will be. This is why I always take the brisket directly from the fridge to the cooker. Another tip is, make certain you have a chunk of wood smoking from the first minute you put the meat in. As soon as the surface temp of the meat reaches 140, the chemical reaction that causes smoke ring formation stops. Dave
 
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