Another brisket question

[j. pavone]

this past 4th of july i smoked a 13 lb packer with wonderful results and happy faces. i foiled at 160 degrees like i always do then removed the packer at 182 degrees. my previous brisket back in the end of june i foiled at 160 then removed at 185 - 190 degrees with the flat portion being very dry. some friends of mine told me how much tender it was during the 4th of july than the cookout in june. so i had to do another packer 2 days ago just to see if i was doing something right or wrong. foiled at 160 - removed at 182 - called some hearty eaters over and let them go at it. same results like my 4th of july cook - very tender and juicy. so my question is - should i continue this way or go back to cooking it untill 195 and ending up with a dry flat portion?

 

[Bryan S]

J, it's been working for you but sooner or later you'll cook one that won't be as tender if cooking to a set internal temp. I use internal temp to know when to foil. After that I cook till tender. I start checking the flat when the brisket hits 180. Testing with a probe or fork pushed in to the flat and feels almost like it's going in to room temp butter. I pull it off just ever so slightly shy of fork tender, because of the carry over heat will cook it a tad more while resting in a cooler. Just my method. Many ways to do them. This way you know it's tender when pulled verses cooking to a set internal. HTH