Costco Prime Brisket Question


 
G

Grant H

New member
Hey Everyone!

Figured I would get on here an ask some experts to speed up my trial and error process on brisket! So as I have cooked a few briskets on my 22" WSM I have gotten some great meat out of the points. However, the flat seems to be on the tough side most of the time. I've been cooking at 250 with my probe through the side of the brisket in what I figure to be the thickest part of the flat. I've pulled it off anywhere from 200-203 and I have tried probing for tenderness but I'm just not quite sure what great feels like when it comes to the flat. I'm buying prime briskets from Costco and I am also curious if people notice those are ready at higher or lower temps usually. Do you all think I'm just pulling them off too soon and that's causing me to have a tough flat? Any help would be great as I am starting another cook tonight.


Thanks again! :wsm22::wsm22::wsm22:
 
I'm no expert for sure, just one flat to my credit. I did do a lot of research on here and others sources. The two things it boiled down to was keep it low and slow (I ran at 225) and when it got around 190 probe and when the probe goes in like its going into warm butter/jello/etc. it's done, don't worry about the temperature.
That's what I did and it came out fantastic. Remember this "it's done when it's done"
I see this is your first post, hope to see many more from you, as you know by now we don't bite.;)
 
Quick rule of thumb is if flat is dry and tough, it's under cooked. If dry and stringy, it's over cooked. There's a sweet spot where the connective tissues break down, render and make the brisket moist and juicy. Costco Prime briskets tend to finish quicker and have a lower finished internal temp. But, don't go by temp! Go by feel. Stick probe in at a couple of spots at the thickest part of the flat. Probe should go in and out like a knife through room temp butter, or like going in and out of a bowl of jelly/jello. Little to no resistance either in or out. Start probing atround 180 degrees.
 
Can't add much to what Rich and Dave said but I did want to say, welcome to the site. It is a great place to learn and to share. I did a Costco Prime whole brisket last weekend and it was the best brisket I have ever done. Mine seemed to take longer than the ones I had previously gotten from Smart and Final but those were not prime grade. They were either select or choice. What Rich said is on point, BBQ is done when it is done". You might have two pieces of meat that look identical and weigh the same, but there is a good chance that one will take longer to cook that the other. Just go with it and probe for tender. Enjoy that brisket.
 
I have been doing prime briskets exclusively for about a year. The above advice is good. Primes seem to get tender at a lower temp -- I've even had them probe like buttah in the high 180s. The other nice thing about prime is that it's almost impossible to overcook the point. Cook it until the flat probes very tender and you'll be good to go. The fat in the point seems to render out nicer in a prime as well.

Of equal importance to the cook, is the rest. If you let the brisket rest unwrapped on the kitchen counter until it's in the 170s, then foil wrap it tightly and put it into the cooler with towels or a blanket, it will stay plenty hot for 4-5 hours. I use 4 hours as my minimum. When you cut into it, you almost get a squirt of juice in your eye.

Prime is the way to go.

Jeff
 
I agree with J. Primes tend to probe tender sooner than choice or selects. I'm cooking a prime (not from costco) next weekend, along with my Texas style bbq sausage recipe. I know I have a tendency to slightly undercook my flats. So I'm trying to overcome it this time. They are still usually pull apart tender, I'm just trying to go for more doneness
 
I have cooked maybe 4-5 Costco Prime briskets all using the high heat method with pretty good results. I made the mistake of trimming to much fat off once and it turned out dry but other then that some nice pieces of meat. I cook until around 170 in the flat then pull them off and finish in a foil covered roasting dish in the oven. I'll set a timer to 2 hours then do the probe test when it goes off. If the probe does not poke in easy enough I put it back in for 30 min. Repeat until tender. My WSM struggles a bit to get over 325 if I have a couple loosely wrapped brisket blocking air flow that's why I finish in the oven.
 
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J Hasselberger said:
I have been doing prime briskets exclusively for about a year...
Of equal importance to the cook, is the rest. If you let the brisket rest unwrapped on the kitchen counter until it's in the 170s, then foil wrap it tightly and put it into the cooler with towels or a blanket, it will stay plenty hot for 4-5 hours. I use 4 hours as my minimum. When you cut into it, you almost get a squirt of juice in your eye.

Prime is the way to go.

Jeff
Click to expand...
Jeff, why do you leave it "unwrapped on the kitchen counter until it's in the 170s"?
Why not "foil wrap it tightly and put it into the cooler with towels or a blanket" right after removing it from the smoker?
 
Jim,
At 170-ish, it will stop cooking (carry-over heat will keep it cooking even after you take it out of the smoker). Once it stops cooking and you wrap it, it simply reabsorbs and distributes moisture. If you wrap and cooler it right away, it can continue to cook until it is overdone. Resting it until 170 eliminates that risk.

If you take it off the cooker and place it fat side up on the foil you are going to wrap it in, you will capture any juices that may flow out of it. Once it cools down a bit and you wrap it tightly, those juices will get sucked right back into the meat.

Jeff
 
Ok Jeff, i'll try that approach with my next prime brisket.... which should be by the end of August, the latest.

THANK YOU!
 
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