An ornery brisket

[PeterD]

A few weeks ago a nice 13# packer kicked my @$$ but good and I'm now really curious about how this happened.

I do not cook to exclusively to temp (though I use a Maverick ET-73 or a Stoker probe as a guide to start checking for probe tender). After 12 hours everything looked good and the briskey had broken through the stall so I figured all was good. I used my thermopen to confirm the internal temp was what the Stoker probe said and it was, plus the thickest part of the flat wasn't tender. All was good, and I left it on for a while. When I was seeing low-190s I probe-tested again. The point was wonderfully wobbly but the flat felt the same way it did at 175 or so, a while back.

So I let it go another half hour. And another. And another. Finally the thickest part of the flat was about 220 on both thermos. At no point in the entire cook was the flat ever probe tender. I let it rest for an hour in foil and, although it looked gorgeous, the flat was crumbly and dry. Overdone. The point was OK, but big rivers of fat were still present; I hadn't trimmed as much pre-cook as I should have, I suppose.

I've done a few now where the flat never ever gets truly tender (14+ hour cooks at 225-240), and a few where it's a wonderfully gelatinous blob of briskety wonder using the exact same process. What should I consider doing if, after 12-13 hours and internals approaching 190, the flat is still tough? I'm afraid of ruining another $35 piece of meat on a failed experiment.

 

[Bill Schultz]

Since I am getting ready to do my first full size packer I would like some info on this also from you guys.

 

[Al Silverman]

You might want to start checking for tenderness earlier. Or try the HH method.

Al

 

[Frank H]

It always seems crazy to me that you can cook a piece of meat that's 8 inches thick at one end and 2 inches thick at the other and expect it to come out good at both ends. Don't get me wrong , I'm no expert and personally I've only ever smoked small point briskets , but if I ever do buy a packer to smoke , I will think hard about separating the two chunks and smoking them as different animals . I know guys like Aaron Franklin do whole packers all the time , but if you read their interviews they throw a lot of meat away too. Anyway , I will follow your progress with interest and I wish you good luck. I love brisket , but it is dang hard to cook right.

 

[Dave Alvarado]

If the flat was crumbly, you overcooked it. I bet you just completely missed the tender part somewhere between 175 and 190.

 

[dwayne e]

I start checking for probe tender around 185-190. When the flat is done, I separate it from the point and the point goes back in foiled for at least a couple more hours. I think last time, I left the point in for another three hours and I cubed it and it came out like beef candy!

The flat goes into foil and a cooler for a little nap before carving.

 

[dwayne e]

and I agree, you probably missed the tender zone and it was overcooked imho.

 

[Noe]

It always seems crazy to me that you can cook a piece of meat that's 8 inches thick at one end and 2 inches thick at the other and expect it to come out good at both ends. Don't get me wrong , I'm no expert and personally I've only ever smoked small point briskets , but if I ever do buy a packer to smoke , I will think hard about separating the two chunks and smoking them as different animals . I know guys like Aaron Franklin do whole packers all the time , but if you read their interviews they throw a lot of meat away too. Anyway , I will follow your progress with interest and I wish you good luck. I love brisket , but it is dang hard to cook right.

Brisket is one of the easiest meats to cook. Choosing the rite brisket is the hard part.

 

[Dave Alvarado]

Brisket is one of the easiest meats to cook. Choosing the rite brisket is the hard part.

Too true. I learned that pretty quickly--success at brisket starts at the butcher or grocery store. My local grocery tends to stock a bunch of packers, so every time I'm in there I spend a few minutes looking at everything they have in stock. When I find one that is really well marbled in the flat, I buy it. Most of them are junk, but the well marbled ones cook up beautifully.

Related to that, there's nothing wrong with freezing a good brisket and using it whenever you're ready. Almost all of my briskets and butts have been frozen by me before use.

 

[Ron A]

Related to that, there's nothing wrong with freezing a good brisket and using it whenever you're ready. Almost all of my briskets and butts have been frozen by me before use.

I have been a Foodsaver junkie for about 10 years. I buy all my meats (not just the one for the WSM) in large quantities from either the local butcher or Costco. We have the luxury of having two full sized freezers in the garage (one upright, one chest), so there's plenty of room. One freezer (chest) is dedicated exclusively to meats (ribs, burger, roasts, steaks, butts, bellies, briskets etc...) as well as cooked leftovers like pulled pork). Tonight I'm grilling a couple Costco rib steaks that were purchased in March 2012, frozen and then vacuum sealed. I found them buried under a pile of stuff in the upright freezer. They will taste exactly like the ones you would buy today (especially with a little seasoning and a finishing of Sweet Baby Rays!). In the event of Armageddon, you're all invited to my place. I believe I have enough meat stored up in the freezers to last a few years.