First Brisket Complete - Advice Needed


 
D

Dalton

New member
Greetings from Dallas. Just started smoking with my new WSM a few weeks ago. First attempt I did the BRITU process with fantastic results. This weekend I did a 10.5 lb brisket with the HH method.

Things went well, smoker held at 350 on average, temped after 2 hours with the flat reading 177ish. Foiled and returned for another two hours.

When I did the probe test at 2 hours the probe went through vertically with only slight resistance so I figured it was done.

I suspected something was up when I only had about 1/4 cup of liquid. I wrapped and toweled for about 1:15 then sliced.

The top section was amazing, everything I hoped it would be but the flat was dry, somewhat pot roasty. It was still edible and I was happy overall, just trying to figure out where I went wrong and how to improve. Thanks for any advice.
 
If it tasted like pot roast, it was likely overdone. Next time, start checking for tender a little sooner. Probably somewhere around 3:45 total cooktime if going HH.

Also, depending on how you rested the brisket, it may have overcooked during the rest. Cover loosely foiled for about 20 minutes prior to wrapping in foil to rest. That'll allow a lot of the heat to dissipate.
 
I did my 3rd HH brisket cook for the super bowl. One thing I did different this time that resulted in fantastic results was foiling in a disposable aluminum pan at 160 F and adding beef broth to the bottom of the pan, just enough to touch the bottom of the brisket. My cook temp was 350 and I pulled off at 197 F and sliced after 30 min rest. My feeling going forward is I would lean toward foiling as soon as the bark is formed. In this case the first time I looked at the brisket was at 160 and the bark was already formed, however if the bark forms at 155 I would think getting it wrapped and into that braising period would render the juiciest most tender meat.
 
Foil sooner.

I don't temp at all - I just foil at ~ the 2.5-hour mark - but I always Minion the start. It takes some time to get to target cooktemp (usually 40-50 min to get to >300) so there is less cooking prior to foiling. At 177? you've lost one of the key benefits of foiling.

If you are going to temp, foil at 2.5 hours (if you've Minioned, sooner if not) or at ~160-162?, whichever comes first.
 
Thanks for input fellas. I will heed all the advice. I think I foiled 2 hours after my WSM was up to target temp instead of total cook time.

I kept a cooking log so I'll double check that for my own education when I get home from work.
 
I've been foiling at 165 with great results........I believe 177 is too high.

And I probe length wise into the thickest part of the flat I can get to..........I use a metal skewer, should go in and out without a lot of effort.
 
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