PeterD
TVWBB Super Fan
Hi all,
I have yet another big cook coming this weekend and I'm turning to the braintrust here for advice. I do maybe 4 or 5 full packers every year on my 18.5 and for the most part they're OK, but a few have kicked my you-know-what, and most are either a little underdone, overdone or just "meh". I occasionally get a perfect brisket but they're the exception not the rule.
My cooks start out great. I trim it down pretty far (most of the hard fat between point and flat, a lot from the bottom except for about 1/4", etc), I score the bottom fat cap, apply canola oil for adhesion and then add a nice rub (salt, pepper, Ancho, Cayenne and a dash of ground coffee -- and no sugar), rub it liberally, then cook low and slow over comp-K and hickory+apple, usually at 225°, occasionally 275°. Once in a while I use the HH process (325° grate, cook to 160 in the flat, foil for 2 hours, probe for tender). I don't mop or spritz, and for important brisket cooks like the one coming up tomorrow night, I inject with Fab-B-lite and use Angus Choice. So basically the prep and first half of the cook goes really well.
The difficulties arise in the last half hour then up to and including slicing. For whatever reason, it's rarely moist even if it's tender enough to pass the pull test and often it's a little crumbly (overdone). The thin part of the flat is always overcooked, sometimes significantly, when the thickest part of the flat is in the mid-190s and probe-tender. But no matter where in the flat I probe, the skewer always meets some resistance. It's only when I probe the point that it goes in "like buttah."
I take the brisket off the grate, wrap it in foil immediately and stick it in the cooler, padded with towels, for about 60-90 minutes. In that time the foil collects at least 12-16oz of juice/fat runoff and the brisket ends up dry. The moisture doesn't stay in the meat and I'm not sure what's wrong here.
I slice according to Aaron Franklin's video (agianst the grain in the flat, turn 90 degrees where they overlap, slice etc) and I pull-test every few slices but I am rarely impressed with the results except near the point/flat junction of the meat. I use a 14" granton edge slicing knife and cut the slices to pencil-width.
So, I guess what I'm asking, given the data I've presented here, am I missing some crucial step to keep the meat moist all the way up 'til slicing time? I get great smoke rings, decent smoky taste but just --dry--, even if it's sufficiently tender. Any help greatly appreciated. I vastly prefer long overnight cooks at 225 or less over hot and fast; my HH cooks have been universally BAD. Thanks in advance.
I have yet another big cook coming this weekend and I'm turning to the braintrust here for advice. I do maybe 4 or 5 full packers every year on my 18.5 and for the most part they're OK, but a few have kicked my you-know-what, and most are either a little underdone, overdone or just "meh". I occasionally get a perfect brisket but they're the exception not the rule.
My cooks start out great. I trim it down pretty far (most of the hard fat between point and flat, a lot from the bottom except for about 1/4", etc), I score the bottom fat cap, apply canola oil for adhesion and then add a nice rub (salt, pepper, Ancho, Cayenne and a dash of ground coffee -- and no sugar), rub it liberally, then cook low and slow over comp-K and hickory+apple, usually at 225°, occasionally 275°. Once in a while I use the HH process (325° grate, cook to 160 in the flat, foil for 2 hours, probe for tender). I don't mop or spritz, and for important brisket cooks like the one coming up tomorrow night, I inject with Fab-B-lite and use Angus Choice. So basically the prep and first half of the cook goes really well.
The difficulties arise in the last half hour then up to and including slicing. For whatever reason, it's rarely moist even if it's tender enough to pass the pull test and often it's a little crumbly (overdone). The thin part of the flat is always overcooked, sometimes significantly, when the thickest part of the flat is in the mid-190s and probe-tender. But no matter where in the flat I probe, the skewer always meets some resistance. It's only when I probe the point that it goes in "like buttah."
I take the brisket off the grate, wrap it in foil immediately and stick it in the cooler, padded with towels, for about 60-90 minutes. In that time the foil collects at least 12-16oz of juice/fat runoff and the brisket ends up dry. The moisture doesn't stay in the meat and I'm not sure what's wrong here.
I slice according to Aaron Franklin's video (agianst the grain in the flat, turn 90 degrees where they overlap, slice etc) and I pull-test every few slices but I am rarely impressed with the results except near the point/flat junction of the meat. I use a 14" granton edge slicing knife and cut the slices to pencil-width.
So, I guess what I'm asking, given the data I've presented here, am I missing some crucial step to keep the meat moist all the way up 'til slicing time? I get great smoke rings, decent smoky taste but just --dry--, even if it's sufficiently tender. Any help greatly appreciated. I vastly prefer long overnight cooks at 225 or less over hot and fast; my HH cooks have been universally BAD. Thanks in advance.
