Brisket A Bit On the Dry Side


 
C

craig hess

TVWBB Fan
Hey Guys-

Looking for your thoughts on brisket. As I mentioned in a post last week, I don't do them much, but have had decent results with my last few cooks.

My only "complaint" is they have been just a bit dry.

The cooks have been on my OTG, temps ranged between 275-325, fat side down and have pulled them at 187 and 195, respectively. The one I pulled at 187 was not foiled, however I did foil @ 160 the one pulled off @ 195.

I know brisket isn't easy, but looking at the brisket Toby Keil posted last week, mine isn't close to being that juicy.

Should I pull them at 180?
 
meat was pretty tender and actually pulling apart on one end...had no issue in slicing... maybe i'm just being picky
 
Excuse me, if it was tender and pulling apart it was more likely overcooked than undercooked. I was just going by straight temperatures.

Although on further review I guess 187-192 to be the sweet spot for flats non-foiled. If they're in foil they can go as high as 220 without being finished, the dynamic is so different.
 
Agreed, a bit over.

There is no temp that equals done/tender. You've got to feel for that.

Are you wrapping and resting? If so, for how long? At those cooktemps it's possible the meat is overcooking a bit after it is removed from the cooker, depending.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave from Denver: If they're in foil they can go as high as 220 without being finished, the dynamic is so different. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Howdy hi Dave,

If you go to a true 220 degrees F., there is not going to be very much water left in a piece of meat. Boiling point, evaporation and all that science stuff apply... Water is one component of what is commonly thought of as moistness in meat.

###
 
True. For 20 to be accurate the brisket would need to be mostly if not totally devoid of water.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by K Kruger:
Agreed, a bit over.

There is no temp that equals done/tender. You've got to feel for that.

Are you wrapping and resting? If so, for how long? At those cooktemps it's possible the meat is overcooking a bit after it is removed from
the cooker, depending. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Kevin-

tightly foiled and let them rest for 15-20 minutes after cooking, so i'm thinking that the rise in temp during this stage is causing a bit of the problem, as you stated
 
Dave and Kevin-

Thanks for the input. Like I said, the briskets have been far from disaster, in fact, they've been THIS close to being very good, in my book.

I've got a huge cook planned for a party we're hosting labor day weekend and want to nail it!
 
Possibly. Try again with similar variables. Remove when the brisket is probe tender. Tent (only) with foil and rest 20-30.

If doing flats, in particular, foiling can help. Not required (thoughj moreso, imo, at temps nearing 300 or above) but helpful in containing evaporative moisture.
 
Kevin, Like Craig, I have also struggled a bit with brisket and I tend to go by temperature rather than by feel. Exactly what is meant by "probe tender" and when and how often do you start checking? I have a 9# packer I plan to start early Saturday morning, assuming it will take me around 11/12 hours at 250 degrees.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by K Kruger:
True. For 20 to be accurate the brisket would need to be mostly if not totally devoid of water. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Golly I should know better than to try to fudge my numbers around here.
Craig - If you hadn't noticed there's a few gurus kicking around on this board. DL and Kevin Kruger are two of them. Take careful note of what they say!
 
Graig sounds like u are over cooking the brisket, brisket is only dry when over cooked like most meats will be
 
Actually, tough cuts of meat can read as dry in the mouth and be undercooked. This is not an uncommon occurrence with cooks new to barbecue and new to determining 'done'. This happens at a point after the muscle fibers have squeezed out moisture, but before significant rendering of connective tissue and interior soft fat has occurred. Undercooked tough meat will be, well, tough, hard to get off the bone (if bone-in, like ribs), chewy, and will feel dry in the mouth. Overcooked meats will be tender-but-dry, not hard to remove from the bone at all, more fall-apart/stringy rather than chewy.

Jerry-- 'Probe tender' means exactly that, tender to a probe. In other words, when one inserts a probe (or pick or fork) into the meat it enters nearly effortlessly. This indicates tender, i.e., sufficient rendering has occurred - connective tissue/collagen has gelatinized and the muscle fibers are lubricated - enough so a probe will part them with little resistance when it's pushed into the meat (or through the meat, in the case of ribs, between the bones).

If cooking low/slow and temping you can start checking in the 180s. No need to poke all over the place. Pick a place near where your probe is already inserted (around the center of the flat) and just feel what it feels like going in.
 
The first 2 years I had my wsm I was unhappy with my briskets. Most of the time they were dry. I finally listened to the pros here on the board.

Everyone said to cook to tender not temp. So finally I listened and guess what, juicy brisket. I use my therm and take readings to about 180. Once the temp reaches 180 there is no need to turn it on if it is electronic. Once the meat reaches 180 I take the therm out to the smoker and check for tender about every 20-40 minutes. I use the therm as the probe that Kevin talks about in his posts above. When the therm slides easily into the middle of the flat it is done. I only do packers, so I take brisket off and cut off the point and put it back on for a couple of more hours. The flat gets wrapped in foil and into a cooler.

Remember when the meat becomes tender the heat is now drying out the meat. Since not all briskets are the same, they won't become tender at the same temp. Temp is not a sure fire way to tell if it is done. I wasn't happy with my briskets until I basically turned off the therm. It took me a couple to get the hang of it, but I feel all my briskets come out well anymore.
 
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