Finally making some progress on brisket!


 
Mark R (LR)

Mark R (LR)

TVWBB Super Fan
I got my first wsm about 3 years ago and use it often. I've gotten pretty decent with ribs, pulled pork, and chicken wings, but I've ruined more "practice" briskets than I care to admit. Last night/today, I finally smoked one that I would be comfortable serving to friends. I'm not saying that I "nailed it," but it was good enough that I am absolutely STUFFED right now because I just kept having to have "one more bite."

I started with a 12 lb choice packer, trimmed it like Franklin suggests in one of his Youtube videos, rubbed it with Texas BBQ Rub, and let it sit out while I started the charcoal and got the wsm up to temp. I cooked at around 260, fat side down (trying to stay between 250 & 275, so aimed for 260ish). I didn't wrap it or spritz it. When it hit 190, I started probing for tenderness every 15 minutes, and pulled it about 30 minutes later (at 192). I let it sit on the counter with foil loosely draped over it until it hit 170, then I wrapped it, put it in the ice chest, and left it for around another 80 minutes (total rest time of about 2 hours). The thinnest part of the flat crumbled as I cut it, but most of it was moist & tender and stayed together until I gave it a slight tug.

I typically end up with one portion of a brisket that is good and one portion that is overcooked and crumbling. In the past, the part that was good was usually quite small in comparison to the part that was overcooked. Today was by far the highest percentage of good and lowest percentage of overcooked that I've gotten. The thinnest part of this flat was thicker than most I've found, but I still overcooked part of it. This brings me to a question. Is it just something that I have to learn to expect ... that to nail the thicker parts of the flat, I'm gong to end up overcooking some of the thinner portions? Is the goal more just to maximize the good portion and minimize the overcooked portion?
 
Yes. When you have a cut with different thicknesses it's pretty much impossible to have it cook uniformly. Originally burnt ends came from the thin parts that over cooked.
 
Thanks! That's actually what I did with the part that crumbled, cubed it & mixed it with sauce. It was just ok and nothing like the version made from the point. Now to work on minimizing the overcooked portions.
 
Mark... To help minimize the overcooked issue, choose the brisket whose flat is a nice even thickness. It's not unusual for pitmasters to journey into their meet provider's locker in their quest to find that perfect brisket.
 
Mark, I've been living your pain for 4 years. Ribs, butts, chicken even beef roasts (prime rib) turn out great but my brisket is a personal embarrassment. I've ordered the high dollar packers from my butcher and grabbed the cheapies from Costco. They've all been extremely tender but mostly dry. Of the 15 or so that I've done, they've all been almost double the thickness at one end vs. the other. I've folded the thin end under, I've foiled it, I've even cut the brisket in half just shy of the point and cooked the 2 pieces for separate times. I almost wanted to admit defeat but... I've declared this, the Summer of Brisket. I'm going to cook it to the basics, then cook it high heat, then foil it, then grill it. I'm going to oven braise it, call my Jewish friends' mothers, pretty much sample every way of cooking brisket that I can. If none work, I'll still do one a summer and begrudgingly serve it with an Au Jus.
 
James how tender is it? Do the edges crumble when sliced? If so your over cooking. Do you let it cool on the counter before slicing or foiling it to keep warm? I usually cook between 325-350, foil after 2 hours and depending on the size of the brisket start checking for tender after 11/2-2 hours in the foil. Only temp I take is the pit temp.
 
LOL James, we're at a very similar place! I even made a similar declaration after the last big charcoal sale, when I declared that, if nothing else, I was going to learn to cook a brisket before that 400 lbs of charcoal ran out. The charcoal ran out first, darn it ... BUT I think I'm close enough now to be optimistic that I'll get there with the next 400 lbs after the big Memorial Day sales.

Another thing that I've been wanting to do and hope to make happen this spring or summer is to find a brisket guru within driving distance who will let me probe a brisket as it moves from slightly under-cooked to done. Reading the explanations of what you're looking for is helpful, but I have to think that actually feeling it would shorten my learning cycle and save a few practice briskets.
 
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Mark, congrats on the progress. Other than hunting for flatter briskets, I'd try cooking faster and wrapping. I know that 275-300 and butcher paper works really good for me.
 
Bob, it's crumbly on the thin end of the flat and definitely overcooked. Pot roast like without the gravy. My problem, like Mark's, is that one end is tender and the other isn't.

I watch the Food Network and see these guys slicing brisket that's just gushing juice. Maybe they're slicing it early to get the juice running for the camera. Regardless, mine is tasty, tender but dry.
 
No experience (yet) but most postings for juicy brisket suggests hi heat method and if you inject, avoid Worcester sauce or other salty liquids (as salt draws out the moisture).
 
I've only done 1 packer and that was last week, until then it's always been flats but when I did the packer I didn't wait for every place to be probe tender, there was a couple of places where it started real easy then you could feel a slight resistance. I thought I made a mistake by taking it off when I did but there was very little crumble, the meat was nice and moist not dripping but far from dry and felt firm when I sliced it. I did it at about 270 then wrapped tightly with foil when internal was 165 - 168 and started probing at 195 and pulled it at 209. removed the point and let the flat sit for a little while then wrapped again to hold. I didn't get a smoke ring but the results were well worth the sacrifice.
 
I was runnin into the same issues with low n slow brisket. So, I went high heat and never looked back. Though I've only done a cpl HH, they both turned out excellent: moist and juicy in half the time.
 
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