Brisket failure


 
PeterD

PeterD

TVWBB Super Fan
I cooked up a 10.5 pound packer (9.75 after gentle trimming) last week. I didn't go HH, but not true L&S either. I kept about 265 to 285 on the grate and cooked until the point was pretty well gelatinous, but the flat was just dry and unpleasant. I figured it was probably undercooked. I cut the flat into two large portions and foodsavered them, but even a long, slow boil for one and long-slow steam for the other yielded tough and very unpleasant meat. The point was pretty good and the bark was stunningly perfect. The flat was about 205 when I decided enough was enough (11 hours) and, with the point feeling good, I didn't want to risk overcooking.

The fat in the deckle between cuts wasn't fully rendered but the moist section was pretty yummy. The bark/burnt ends were also dryer than I'd like, but inside of the outer inch it was great.

Any thoughts about what went wrong or how I can prevent this from happening again? I don't like HH since it really plays havoc with that wonderful bark but I also want to time these so that they're ready for the faux-cambro around 4:30 or 5pm (I left it to rest for about 45 minutes, which may have been too short in retrospect). I'm planning on doing another one for Smoke Day next month and want that one to be perfect.
 
Sound like it just wasn't done yet. They say to cook until tender. I know that is easier said than done for your first few. Ones inclination is its dry so you don't want to get any drier. If it didnt crumble when sliced I would say it needed more time
 
Yeah, my gut says undercooked, for sure....but I think there may be more going on here. It was a very small brisket and 11 hours at 265-285 should have been more than enough to get the job done. The bottom line was that I ran out of time (we ate close to 9pm). Grate temps never dipped below 265 (my therm is still quite accurate, within 5 degrees at freezing and boiling, so close enough for me), and my previous experience has shown 14 hours at 240 for a 14-16 pounder is more than adequate--i.e. lower temp and a bigger cut.

Next time I think I'll run the Stoker and go L&S on a full overnighter starting at 2am and for a small one like that, risk a HH plus an hour back in smoke to firm out the bark. I've just not had tremendous luck with HH, and all my overnighters L&S have turned out stunning.
 
Grist for the mill.......

1. 11 hours more than enough--likely too much--at that temp.
2. Probe the flat, not the point.
3. I cooked a brisket here using butcher paper method, and I wrapped when the color was good, ignoring the temps. At those temps, my guess is you'd want to wrap around the 5 hour mark, give or take an hour. (I'm shooting for a caramelly rich brown color--not black.) Wrap in butcher paper (or foil) for 1.5-2 hours, then probe for tenderness.
 
1) I don't think 11 was enough, since the deckle was still not rendered as well as I'd thought it should have been...but the point meat was perfect and probed with little resistance.
2) Flat was never tender at any point (I peeked a couple of times, for a few seconds, around the 8 and 10 hour marks). ET-73 probe was in the thickest part of the flat. Where the flat/point overlapped the flat meat wasn't awful but still edible. The thinner front portion was shoe-leather, unfortunately.
Haven't used the butcher paper method, despite Aaron Franklin's video series. I generally use HD foil when I wrap, and yeah, the 5 hour mark probably would have been best in retrospect, with a couple of hours of time. I love a thick, black bark on a perfect brisket. One of the true joys of life for both me and the better half...she positively adores it!

What I didn't check was the grade of beef...I may have gotten a select rather than Angus (Restaurant Depot is usually Angus around here). On the plus side, I got a gorgeous smoke ring and perfect crusty peppery bark and at least 3 decent meals out of it.

Of note, the weight after trimming was 9.75# but the weight after removing from the cooler was 5#10oz. Almost a 50% reduction, which I found a little unusual. My normal loss is about 25-35% give or take.
 
What does butcher paper do that foil doesn't? Also, with the WSM, wouldn't there be a risk of fire due to the heat coming straight up from around the water pan's sides and combusting the grease-soaked paper? It's not like Franklin's offset where the hottest part (above the fire) is off to the side.
 
Your temp was perfect. You overcooked the flat- it cooks faster than the point. Next time cook the flat to around 200f or until it probes, then remove the point and cook that until it's done.
 
Undercooked brisket can be very dry and leathery. Did the slices hold together when tugged or break apart easily? The former is a sign of undercooked while the latter is a sign of overcooked.
 
Held together. Very leathery. When I reheated I was never able to get a sweet spot. Went from that to crumble with no hint of "buttah" tenderness.
 
I would have pulled it and put it in a bath of cool beef broth to rest for an hour or so. While resting, bring the smoker temps down to 250,
foil and put it back on until it was tender. It was not ready yet, but low and slow for brisket , it just works.
 
Monty House said:
Grist for the mill.......

1. 11 hours more than enough--likely too much--at that temp.
2. Probe the flat, not the point.
3. I cooked a brisket here using butcher paper method, and I wrapped when the color was good, ignoring the temps. At those temps, my guess is you'd want to wrap around the 5 hour mark, give or take an hour. (I'm shooting for a caramelly rich brown color--not black.) Wrap in butcher paper (or foil) for 1.5-2 hours, then probe for tenderness.
Click to expand...

Agreed. If those temps are accurate the cook went too long. Probing the point gives you no worthwhile information so don't bother. Test the flat for tenderness.

There is no such thing as a deckle between the flat and point (nor is the point properly called the deckle, though one sees that sometimes). The deckle is a piece of fatty lean that s originally part of the brisket when first butchered. It runs along the underside - the side opposite the fatty side. It is removed from the brisket before packing.
 
PeterD said:
What does butcher paper do that foil doesn't? Also, with the WSM, wouldn't there be a risk of fire due to the heat coming straight up from around the water pan's sides and combusting the grease-soaked paper? It's not like Franklin's offset where the hottest part (above the fire) is off to the side.
Click to expand...

Butcher paper holds moisture, but it breathes and doesn't steam the meat, more importantly, the bark. I'm not worried about a grease fire, but it's probably not the best idea to use BP for a HH brisket, especially on the bottom rack of the 18.5". ;)
 
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