Brisket cooking....foil or not?


 
J

Jim Smithson

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Hi Gang

I am 11 hrs into my Brisket cook....8.5lb'r.

Internal temp is up to 180...I want to get to 205. The recipe book I am using (Rib Stars) says to foil at this point until 205.

I plan on resting this in foil and towels in a cooler for a few hrs prior to eating...but I am in no hurry right now as it is only 8am and we want it for dinner.

I am thinking to not foil and continue to mop it hourly until 205. If this starts to take too long during the day, I thought I would then foil to speed up the cooking.

Foiling during cooking helps with moisture in the meat? But doesnt it soften the 'bark'?

Opinions this morning? Thanks!
 
Well, the only time I ever foil a brisket is when I'm running short of time. If you were at 180 earlier, I'd say that puppy's probably done by now. 205 is awfully high, to my way of looking at it - I've run them that high before, and they've just fallen apart. My guideline temp is more like 188. For doneness, don't always trust the thermo. Does a thermometer probe slide into the lean such that you can't tell if it's going into fat or lean? Does a carving fork twist easily in the lean? Does it go "waba waba" when you poke at it, kind of like jello? If so, then it's time for a rest (fat side up).

Smelled good coming off the smoker, huh?
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Do you always take your briskets that high? That's sort of a shreddable rather than sliceable temp. Me, I like to slice 'em, so generally pull 'em off in the 190s.

If you mop every hour you will really extend your cooking time (you'll lose a ton of heat every time you open the lid). If I mop (or spray with apple juice), I do it halfway thru the cook, then halfway again, and again, etc. So if it's a 14 hr cook I spray at the 7 hr mark, then 3.5 hrs, then another hr 45.

If it were me, I'd keep her real low and real slow. You're at a temp where you may hit another plateau, but after that you will be darn close to a perfect temp for pulling it off. I'd try to nurse it along on the smoker as long as humanly possible so that you can pull it off about 3 hrs before dinner to let it rest in foil (fat side up). And don't go just by temp---stick a probe in her when she's at 190 or so and see if it goes in nice and easy, and if so, you can pull her off and foil her and stick her in a warm cooler.
 
I figured the mopping out pretty quick this morning....enough of that. Temp was nice and steady and then I had to fight with it.

I like it really tender, but I will let it go low and slow right now...I am at a serious temp plateau...been 180 for 3 hrs...lid temp down at 225F now and letting it stay. (I stick the Maverick probe thru the lid vent so it is probably 3 inches down...I am thinking of getting some type of alligator clip to pinch it onto the grate but this works for now.)

I dont plan on foiling unless I am getting close to dinner minus 3 hrs rest time. (i will foil during rest obviously)

Thanks!
 
I find that the 180 plateau doesn't last as long as the 160 plateau, but I do enlist it if I fear my meat will be done way too early. If you get scared, you can raise your temps a bit and it will pop right out of the plateau. If you REALLY get desperat--like it's nowhere NEAR done about an hour before dinner time----you can even foil it and stick it in the oven, but I'm thinking your timing is going to work out fine for dinner, even with that super high temp you want. I don't think you'll even need to foil it later on during the cook, but I dunno. I've never foiled a breakfast.
 
Ok, it is 12:30 now and temp has released and risen to 190. Looks like I will be able to pull by 2, rest 3 hrs and dinner at 5. Perfect!

I will report how it turns out.
Thanks!
 
Well, I got the brisket to 205 and foiled it for 2 hrs in a cooler.

It was incredible! Just falling apart tender (which we like, which is why the high temp). Whole family including young kids were happy and very full. Entire cook was 18 hrs for a 8.5 lb'r...seems like a long time! +2 hrs in the cooler!

thanks all for the advice.
 
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