Brisket at 275 degrees


 
B

Bob H in Cowtown

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Anybody tried/had success smoking a brisket at 275 on a WSM? I cooked one over the weekend ; the crust and smoke ring were fabulous, but the meat itself seemed dry.
 
275°F is my go to temperature. What was your grade of meat? Did you wrap at any point? Usually the problem is brisket without enough intermuscular marbling fat.
 
B.A. Poole said:
275°F is my go to temperature. What was your grade of meat? Did you wrap at any point? Usually the problem is brisket without enough intermuscular marbling fat.
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I agree with this 110%. I am really picky on what cuts of most things I buy because of this.
I am the dumb dumb at the cooler inspecting every piece I can grab just to make sure I do not disappoint later.
Full in trimmed brisket is really hard to tell though, buying at a higher grade will help in this situation.
 
I would have rather have it dry than so fatty you can't eat it.
If you want to render a point well some of that flat is going to get over done. I think the only way around that is to make burnt ends out of the point.

Some will say that dry means undercooked but it can be both. Tough and dry is undercooked. Falling apart and dry is overcooked. You can also get that if you slice it while it's too hot because all that moisture evaporates quick. Got to let it cool before you slice it.
 
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MartinB said:
You can also get that if you slice it while it's too hot because all that moisture evaporates quick. Got to let it cool before you slice it.
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^^^^this^^^^

I’ll add one step further, adding tallow at the wrap helps protect the flat, from my own brisket experiences.

Then a nice rest of at least 3 hours. The brisket will feel like jello when you pick it up from its rest. That’s how you know it’s going to be great.
 
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Thanks all for your responses. I'll assume we're all on the same page - 275°F on a Bullet. The meat was tender (didn't pass the pull test) but dry. I wrapped it in butcher paper and let rest for 3+ hours. Possibly the flat was not well marbled; I'll pay closer attention next time I buy, Will also look into tallow of some form or other. Like you guys, I'm my own harshest critic - my 20+ guests all loved it.
Foil or paper wrap?
 
Did this over the weekend and had a similar experience. I meant to wrap but realized too late I was almost out of foil, so I boated. Also cooked fat side down, so might try fat side up next time. Maybe trimmed too much. It was just a flat, so it was done in about seven hours and rested for 90 minutes.
 
ChrisAmico said:
Did this over the weekend and had a similar experience. I meant to wrap but realized too late I was almost out of foil, so I boated. Also cooked fat side down, so might try fat side up next time. Maybe trimmed too much. It was just a flat, so it was done in about seven hours and rested for 90 minutes.
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Don’t trim if you’re doing just a flat. Flats need as much protection as possible due to their leanness. You can alway cut off the cooked fat if needed. But it’s nearly impossible to add fat back in. JMO. Do as you feel necessary.
 
I know WSM is a different beast and you’re closer to the fire, but most people I know run stick burners at 250-275°. So, the temp itself is not a problem.

@ChrisAmico I‘ve had good luck with flats wrapping in butcher paper with some tallow when the bark looks good. Usually around 160-170° IT. Seems to help keep from drying flats out so much.
 
I leave my top vent open 100% and the bottom 3 at ~50%, and use water in the pan, which gives me a temp measured on the cooking rack at 265°F all day.

I only smoke prime meat, and most of the time, the entire brisket comes out just right. The last one I smoked, the flat was a bit less in mass than I am used to and it got a tad overcooked, but the point was perfect. I wrap with butcher paper after about an hour of the stall.

Smoking meat isn't an exact science, even though we do the basics as well as can be done. sometimes the meat isn't on the same page. I've had dry brisket at quality bbq restaurants, so, I wouldn't worry about it unless your basics are not in order.
 
Again, thank you all (y'all?) for your input. I'll single out Big JohnV for his specific pointers as they relate to the WSM, as well as timing for the wrap.
One challenge with the 18" Bullet is fitting the brisket under the lid. Perhaps I need to start cutting a sizeable portion of the flat off and consider it a separate cook (i.e. the lower grate, and covered with the fat trimmings.)
I cooked a spectacular brisket last year but haven't been able to replicate that success to date. One aspect of the first success was that the brisket had been previously frozen; the less successful ones have all been fresh. One of the gurus I follow swears by previously frozen brisket. Any comments?
 
Bob H in Cowtown said:
Again, thank you all (y'all?) for your input. I'll single out Big JohnV for his specific pointers as they relate to the WSM, as well as timing for the wrap.
One challenge with the 18" Bullet is fitting the brisket under the lid. Perhaps I need to start cutting a sizeable portion of the flat off and consider it a separate cook (i.e. the lower grate, and covered with the fat trimmings.)
I cooked a spectacular brisket last year but haven't been able to replicate that success to date. One aspect of the first success was that the brisket had been previously frozen; the less successful ones have all been fresh. One of the gurus I follow swears by previously frozen brisket. Any comments?
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fresh is always better than frozen, imo. place a chunk or two of smoke wood under your brisket in the center to "dome" it. it will fit side to side on the 18 wsm this way. once the cook is 60-75 mins in, the brisket will have started to shrink and you can just remove the wood chunks before the wrap.

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