<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I've heard that sometimes you'll catch them when they're starting to get tender, but before they've had a major conversion of collagen and fat - so they're dry. They're done, but they're undercooked so to speak because they've not been basted with juices. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Not exactly. If they are 'starting to get tender' they have already had a 'major conversion of collagen and fat'. If underdone, i.e., not yet in the beginning of the tenderness window, the meat will read as dry in the mouth (and chewy/tough) because sufficient rendering has not yet occurred. Much moisture has been squeezed out of the contracting muscle fibers, which contract as they get past specific temps, yet enough conversion has not taken place to lubricate the fibers so that they part easily, hence the toughness/chewiness.
When sufficient rendering has occurred the window opens, so to speak. For a period of time (which varies depending on cut quality (read: grade), thickness and cooktemp), the meat will become more moist and tenderness will increase then stabilize - then go downhill as trapped moisture and rendering drip away. The meat will become drier. The texture will become tender-ish (chewable) but stringy and the mouthfeel will become drier.
Clint- If the point is too fatty you can just cook it longer. You can do this in th cooker or in the oven. I am not a big fan of burnt ends so I usually save the point and use it for other things. Though already cooked, it braises very well, rendering out additional fat (which can be removed; I like it), and is excellent chopped and used for
chili.
James-- See below.
I exclusively smoke packers. I like the point too much (for other things, as noted above), but packers are easier to cook anyway: their mass (thickness) makes them better cook-wise, primarily.
I cook briskets at high heat (as shown
here and
here, among others) because I find the cooks consistent from cook-to-cook and, more important, end-to-end of the brisket itself.
Flats can work quite well at HH.
Low/slow is fine for brisket (I used to do them that way myself) but because of the vagaries of butchering and grades, are usually not as consistent, especially end-to-end. For Select grade I think high heat is clearly a better route to go. For regular Choice I still prefer high heat but low/slow can be just fine. For Top of Choice, CAB and the like, either way. For Prime and Wagyu I prefer low/slow, usually at temps lower than typically used.
For best results, especially if new to smoking briskets:
Cook packers. Many say they don't need that much meat. I often cook for just two myself. No matter. The cooked meat will freeze well; it's good is many things - chili, as noted, enchiladas, fillings for pepper or omelets (makes great stuffed cabbage), etc. It's easier to learn how to cook brisket to your liking if you cook packers.
If you can, get Choice or CAB or Top of Choice. Jut makes it easier. If Select is all that is available I would suggest a high heat approach - at least for you first few.
If flats are all that's available (note: at many places you must ask for whole briskets - they do not put them out in the case) then select wisely. Many people get discouraged in the smoking-brisket pursuit because they select, frankly, crummy meat. 2- and 3- and 4- - even, often 5-pound pieces of brisket flats are not worth bothering with. They might be fine for braising (usually they are) but are usually not very good for smoking. It's not the weight, most often, but the thickness that is the problem. Many retailers sell very trimmed, thin pieces of flats. These are not good candidates.
Despite what one reads all over the place, internal temperature
will not tell you when your brisket is tender. It can't. It has
nothing to do with it. Cook time relative to cooktemp relative to the cut being cooked is the issue. A particular temp might correlate with tender (in one case or another) but it does
not cause it. I think this is one of the hardest things for many cooks to grasp.
I do not temp
at all during high heat brisket cooks. (It's fine if you wish to before the foiling stage; I don't.) After foiling a high heat brisket internal temp is useless. For low/slow cooks internal temps can be used to tell you when to check for tenderness but in all honesty this only works if the brisket you start out with is of sufficient quality and thickness for the temp to possibly have any meaning.
(I am often asked when to check for tenderness. I the case of high heat briskets it's easy, about 3:45-55 into the cook. For low/slow it is utterly dependent on quality. If the brisket is a thin, overtrimmed piece of a flat I really can't help. The cooking dynamics of a cut like that are so not predictable. If cooking a packer, however, or a nicely marbled thick flat, the dynamics (the how's and why's of the process) are more predictable. In that case I suggest starting to check for doneness in the mid- to upper 180s. This gives you a benchmark. If your probe goes in with effort give it a good 45-60 minutes before checking again. (If cooking high heat and your probe goes in with effort give it only 20-30 min, tops.) When you check again, if th probe goes in effortlessly: done. If it goes in with some resistance, check in 15 or so (for high heat, less). Don't overthink it. Just probe quickly - once or twice, no need to poke all over - in the middle of the flat (whether cooking just a flat
or a packer) and get the feel of it.)
Many here have posted of their initial resistance or trepidation regarding checking for tender. On boards and in books too much emphasis has been placed on internal temps. This is unfortunate. Imo, it is the
most important thing one can learn. If you're not used to it, it can take a little time, but most of the issue is getting over the whole temp thing. Several here have posted their 'miracle moment' when they got the feel down for the first time. When you can tell the doneness of barbecue by feel - be it brisket, butt or ribs - you can cook all of these meats, at a variety of temps, on all sorts of cookers, in all sorts of conditions, anywhere you go.
