Brisket Flat what happened?


 
R

R Rochester

New member
I smoked my first brisket flat and while acceptable, I could not get it to the perfection I saw on several you tube videos. I feel the brisket was too dry, but not bad, but was also not succulent. I am wondering what I did and/or can change for the next challenge.

I used large WSM, full water pan, 250 target temp using thermapen "smoke" remote temp/meat gauge. Flat was 8.5 Lbs, purchased at my favorite butcher {Prime cut}.
Hot and Humid day in Chicago, low to mid 90's. I was expecting approx, 1 hr per Lb cooking time, but relied on temp for the process. I used Franklin's guide from his Manifesto book, used Oak wood Chunks and charcoal chunks. Rubbed with salt and pepper. The cook went fast and what I thought would be a 9 hr cook with an hour or two of rest in a cooler wrapped with a towel, was finished in 6 hours. I was unsure about leaving it in the cooler past two hours so I cut it and it sat for an hour before guests arrived and we then ate.

Looking for ideas on what happened and what I can do better next time.
RR
 
The flat has almost no fat and can easily dry out. What were your meat temps through the cook? And did you wrap at at 160-165°F internal temp? Need more data to offer up some hints.
 
I've never cooked just a flat ( always packers ) but have a flat in the freezer from a moo we recently purchased.
I'll be following this thread with interest...
 
If I am to understand you correctly and your target temp was 250 you in all probably over cooked your brisket. Throw all those so called target temps and time out the window. Cook to tenderness. Each and every brisket cooks differently. Your brisket should probe tender. I will probe for tenderness using the probe of my thermopen. You can also use a tooth pick. Should probe nice and easy, like poking into room temp peanut butter. The flat is harder to right than the point, because as was stated before, there is hardly any inter muscle fat on a flat.
 
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Brisket flats are not easy. Sounds you did everything right assuming your target 250 degree temp was the smoker temp, not the brisket final temp.

Brisket flats get dry because they shrink and spit out all their fat and juices. So, I've found that flats need to be wrapped early, I usually do so at the 3 ~ 4 hour mark - way before the stall which in my 22" WSM is about 6 ~7 hours, and use more wood chunks and heat up front to get a good bark and smoke ring. Good bark and it's wrap time, the lower internal temp that happens, the better. Then I use an aluminum pan with about 3 tablespoons of beef broth on the bottom and sealed tight until I get to 200 internal.

Think about grandma cooking one in the oven.... Injecting it doesn't help. Been there. The flat just spits all of it out. Wrap before the shrink. Tricky as that is....
 
If you were going for 250 for final temp, you went way too hot. Most of the time, 203 or so is about the target, though this is just a ballpark. Probe tender is what you're looking for, and that probably happened 50 degrees or so before you were done. Need more info on your cook though, as in if and when you wrapped, what was the temp, etc. Flat has much less fat and can come out dry, but should be very moist, juicy, and tender if you do everything right.

Edit- I just reread your post, and I'm not sure if the target temp of the grill or the meat was 250. I initially thought that was the internal meat temp. Sorry if I misunderstood.

Charlie
 
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Last week I found a brisket flat in the "used meat" section of the meat case, where for whatever reason they've been discounted heavily. In the past I've always had good luck with whatever I've brought home.
Sat in the fridge for a day, then apples a 50/50 fresh ground tellicherry / sea salt rub, wrapped in saran, back in fridge for a day.
Next day remembered that it was in there (busy week....), fired up the Little Joe Kamado, went out for some apple chunks while it came to temp.
Everything ready, put the flat on the Little Joe. Running at a steady 205 degrees. Checked on the temp a few hours later, still at 205. Left it alone.
Then I proceeded to forget about it (again, busy week, lots happening).
Remembered at 9AM next morning, it had been in the smoker for close to 20 hours.
Pulled it, figured I'd wrap it again, let it sit. It prodded nicely, certainly wasn't dried out.
Brisket sandwiches for lunch. As good as any other.
Then brisket hash the next day.
 
Did you cut the flat when you took it off. Brisket, especially the flat, will dry out once sliced if you do not let it cool to about 165 or so.
 
Jose Suro said:
Brisket flats are not easy. Sounds you did everything right assuming your target 250 degree temp was the smoker temp, not the brisket final temp.

Brisket flats get dry because they shrink and spit out all their fat and juices. So, I've found that flats need to be wrapped early, I usually do so at the 3 ~ 4 hour mark - way before the stall which in my 22" WSM is about 6 ~7 hours, and use more wood chunks and heat up front to get a good bark and smoke ring. Good bark and it's wrap time, the lower internal temp that happens, the better. Then I use an aluminum pan with about 3 tablespoons of beef broth on the bottom and sealed tight until I get to 200 internal.

Think about grandma cooking one in the oven.... Injecting it doesn't help. Been there. The flat just spits all of it out. Wrap before the shrink. Tricky as that is....
Click to expand...
Good advice here, I'm not a believer in injection either.
 
Wow....

Fat = Flavor
Connective Tissue / Collagen once denatured into Gelatin = Juiciness / Moistness

A dry brisket can be either Undercooked or Overcooked.
An undercooked brisket will not yet have it's connective tissue / collagen denatured into Gelatin.
An overcooked brisket will have most of it's connective tissue /collagen denatured into Gelatin, but said Gelatin has left the brisket.
If it is Dry and Hard to Chew, it's Undercooked.
If it is Dry and meat fiber break apart when sliced, it's Overcooked.
 
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