Beef Brisket internal temp confusion


 
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Big Ir

TVWBB Member
Hey everyone,
I will be cooking a brisket on sunday, and I have read the 3 recipies Chris has in the let's cook section. On the midnight cook he took it off the cooker at a temp of 185 internal. On the other 2 he took them off and oven finished to a internal temp of 205. Why is this? And does it matter?
 
Big IR, while I don't want to speak for Chris, my guess is that he was either experimenting with different finishing temps or that is the temp where the meat felt tender to him. I have basically seen briskets get tender at between 185-195. I have another thought that I'm not sure is shared by the real pro's on the board, but I think if you cook hotter and shorter then your finshing temp should be higher then if you cook at a lower temp.
 
Read Chris's post but I think the difference between the temps is whether its a sliceable brisket or pullable...the higher internal temps generally lend itself to a pullable/choppable brisket cause slicing it would be practically impossible. It would just fall apart...

Regards,
PrestonD
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by PrestonD:
[qb]...the higher internal temps generally lend itself to a pullable/choppable brisket cause slicing it would be practically impossible. It would just fall apart...[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>The briskets I've cooked to 205*F are all sliceable. They can be brittle toward the edges, especially if thin, but otherwise they slice nicely...just go slow and careful.

Every brisket is different, so the experience you have with one brisket cooked to 205*F may not be the same as with the next one. If after doing several you feel 205*F results in meat that is too tender/brittle for your taste, try a lower finishing temp. Or do it the other way around--finish at 185*F and work your way up to higher temps until you find a temp that works well for you.

Regards,
Chris
 
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