Brisket times???


 
D

David Collier

TVWBB Fan
OKAY, I have done several now, and every time the cooking time changes. I realize it is more about the cut of meat than the temps and/or weight. My question is, What has been everone's experience as to the best temp when to pull the brisket off? AND, wrap in foil after removal, if so.....how long?
Thanks for the advise!!!!!
 
I have concluded there is no best temp. When I cook brisket by temp I am always disappointed. It is either still tough or too dry.

I kept reading here on the forums to use the fork test or whatever. I kept cooking by temp and was still being disappointed. Finally I started checking the brisket around 10 hours. When the internal reaches 185 I stop using the thermometer, at least for reading temps. I will use it or a fork and when it slides into the brisket like a hot knife into room temp butter, I pull it. I have found the results much more to my liking. I really haven't had a dry brisket since using this technique.
 
Amen! Pork and poultry work well when cooked to a specific temp, but brisket is another animal (no pun intended)! Temperature is useful as a guide to start checking the meat, but is by no means a reliable indicator of doneness. An undercooked brisket is tough and an overcooked brisket is dry. The window in between is small and needs to be determined by feel, not by temp.
 
Jeff, have you tried the hot and fast method for brisket? Have done three of them so far this way and each one was juicy and fork tender within 4-5 1/2 hours. Not much of a bark but the flavor and moistness make up for that.
 
No I haven't tried it fast. I normally cook everything at 250-275 anyhow. The only thing I cook at 225 is ribs that I can think of at the moment.
 
I judge brisket doneness by fork tender........ actually probe tender ( I get a better feel with the probe). I just use the probe for finding that doneness window.

Exact temperature pulls have often left me with unsatisfactory briskets in the past.

I've been using the high heat method as well, and seems to work better for me.

As for the loss of bark, I've been using a simple paste on the brisket to add some texture.

(Chiphotle seasoning, granulated garlic, salt , pepper, a touch of cayenne, dried basil, and worstechire sauce and balsamic vinegar).
 
For standard supermarket packer briskets cooked low/slow, ~186-188; cooked high/fast (~335) and with foil, at about the 4-hour mark. Temps on high/fast cooks might shoot up sooner than that and might read on the high side but this doesn't necessarily mean done. Enough rendering time has to elapse.
 
Craig, what do you think of putting the brisket back on the smoker after it reaches the probe tender stage and cooking for another half hour to add more smoke and giving it some bark?
 
Haven't tried that, I'd think you'd have to leave the heat cranked up in order to do so.

Thought about it though, but I'm happy with the paste.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top