Brisket on the WSM -- For REAL This Time


 
E

Eugene A

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Hello, Everyone:

For Smoke Day I'm planning on doing a brisket. This will be my second try.

The first time I did brisket on my kettle using Myron Mixon's recipe, or a variation thereof. It came out dry, although it was tasty.

This time I want to do the brisket low 'n slow.

I read through a few threads, and here's what I came away with: apply rub, overnight in the fridge; cooker temp at around 250, water in the pan; wrap at internal temp of 160; remove from cooker at internal temp of 190; let rest for at least thirty minutes.

Here's my question -- when the meat is wrapped, how do you check internal temp? Do you poke through the foil? Do you unwrap to check temp? Do you leave the meat probe (Maverick) in the meat and wrap around it?

And is wrapping necessary, or is it just a variation on a technique?

There's only two of us; so, I'm figuring on a 5-6 pound brisket, and some veges on the side. In one thread the cook suggested around an hour and fifteen per pound as an estimate of cooking time. Is that reasonable?

Thanks, as always, for the guidance. And if this question has already been asked and answered, I apologize.
 
Bob's right! Forget internal temp. Around 198 start poking it. If it's tight, check every 1/2hr or so. Once it gets the jiggle and your probe falls through it. Yank it and rest for an hr. I saw a waygu go to 218 and I thought it was broken for sure. Nope! Amazing.
 
The general rule is:

Dry, tough brisket = under cooked
Dry, fall apart brisket = over cooked

I would start probing around 190 and go by feel. Tender to the probe, tender to the tooth...
 
Ok! Let's probe! BUT WHERE????? In the thickest part of the flat only???
have I to avoid to check the point?
For sure, when the thickest part of the flat is ok, the thinnest is though. What to do???
 
I put the maverick probe through the foil if I'm going to use foil into the thickest part of the point and pull the brisket off the smoker at 203. Last few briskets I haven't foiled. I wound up with a slightly dry flat but an unbelievable point. I'm probably going to go with doing the poke test next time.

Wrapping not necessary but it gives you a reduced cook time and super moist meat. The drawback is not as good of a bark and some loss of flavor.

At 5 to 6 pounds you'd probably have to cook a flat only. As far as cook times that depends on wrapping vs. not wrapping and the brisket itself. Every brisket I've cooked has had wildly different cook times.

All I can get around here it either select briskets or choice briskets from Sam's. I always go for the choice.
 
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What everybody else said. Probe the flat from the side, not from the top. Forget about temperature. Probe at 190 then every 45 min thereafter (my rule, at least).

It's difficult not to have a somewhat not-dry flat; there's very little fat. Don't beat yourself up. I leave flat for sandwich slices when inevitably get doctored with some sort of condiment, e.g., sauce.
 
Monty House said:
What everybody else said. Probe the flat from the side, not from the top. Forget about temperature. Probe at 190 then every 45 min thereafter (my rule, at least).

It's difficult not to have a somewhat not-dry flat; there's very little fat. Don't beat yourself up. I leave flat for sandwich slices when inevitably get doctored with some sort of condiment, e.g., sauce.
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You have been very useful. I have never read about poking from the side! I haven't done that. I've always been wrong!
Thanks
 
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