Brisket: Pull now or wait?


 
C

Christine Hall

TVWBB Member
So I checked the brisket temp in the flat and it says 205 on my Thermapen. The point temp is lower. In the flat area the probe doesn't go in as smooth as the point. Should I just leave it on the smoker or go ahead and let it rest and foil?? I did cut a piece off of the flat to try and the fat melts in your mouth but the meat seems dry. TIA.
 
Don't pull by temp. One side of the grate might have simply been cooking faster than the other side. Final meat temp when tender depends on how fast you're cooking and if foiling or not, and maybe one brisket is different than another. Anyhow, a dry flat doesn't necessarily mean it's overcooked. It can mean undercooked if not probe tender yet. It will be dry and brittle if overcooked, and even if sliced with a very sharp knife, the slices will fall apart.
 
Remember, if you wrap it when you pulled it off it will continue to cook. Good Luck with it and we look forward to the end result.
 
Thank you for all the advice.

Well after pulling it for about 15 mins I had a change of heart and put it back on the smoker for about 1 hour. It still didn't feel very tender. I figured I really messed it up and it was going to go in the trash. I decided to let it rest a little and then I foiled it for 4 hours before eating and it was actually pretty good!! Not the best brisket that I ever ate but pretty tasty coming from someone who has absolutely no idea what she's doing :p Even my family members were impressed. We sliced the point end and ate that first and it was pretty juicy and not over cooked at all. I'm not sure how the flat end taste but I was pretty pleased. I'm just so glad that I didn't waste all my time and money!
 
Congratulations, Christine ! Given the meat grade and your first time, you did Great ! :wsm:
Now the question is... when are you going to do another one... Hopefully soon.

Bob
 
Bob - planning on doing another brisket this weekend :wsm: I think my brisket got done a lot earlier because it was too big for my 18.5 so I draped it over a rib rack and the ends were not in the indirect heat area. I think next time I may cut it in half (I know some people say not to) and put the thicker half on the bottom rack and the flat on the top rack.

Oh I forgot to mention that my hubby was responsible for putting up the leftovers in the fridge and instead he left it in an empty cooler on the counter. I discovered it 8 hours later and put it in the trash!!!!! He almost became my ex-husband!!!!
 
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Oooppps.
You need to find something for him to do in exchange for what happened... Like cleaning & prepping the wsm and just generally getting things ready to go so THE Pitmaster can do her thing... :wsm:

Bob
 
Bob - ain't that the truth!! He had the nerve to tell me that we can go to Costco tomorrow to buy another brisket for me to smoke for HIM! :p
 
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