Help.......Tough Brisket

[Larry Wolfe]

I have always been skeptical of buying meat from Wal-Mart, I think I can see why now. I picked up a 5lb flat (no full ones in stock) with a nice fat cap on it. Fearing it would dry out I did not trim at all. I had a dome temp of 250 through out the entire cook. Three hours into the cook the internal meat temp was 160. Four hours, still 160. Five hours, still 160. I am worried my thermometer is messed up, so I take it in and calibrate it and it is right on. Slide it back into the meat and it is still 160, this sucker would not rise. I haven't done many briskets before but plenty of butts and have never had a plateau like this. Especially on a fairly small piece of meat like this one. The briskets I have done, maybe I got lucky with because they were done at an hour per pound. I am fed up at this point and spray AJ on, foil it and throw it on the unlit side of the gasser for more indirect cooking for another hour, I slid the thermometer in again and I could immediately feel it was still hard to get the thermometer in and new it wasn't done, 160 still. It is an 8 hour cook by now for a 5lb brisket flat and I gave up. Took it in and sliced it, not too bad but not tender at all. I probably panicked because it was a flat versus a whole brisket that I am used to and was afraid of drying it out. I know it is done when it is done, but is this normal to have a plateau on a brisket flat for 5+ hours? Or could it be the quality of the meat from Wal-Mart?

 

[Kevin Taylor]

Larry....

Not unusual at all. I smoke only flats and a 5 lb. one is normally pretty thick. I always plan on about 2 hrs/lb. when they are that thick. When smoking flats, THICKNESS is the determining factor for cooking times.

I'm sure the flat was a Select cut of meat....that's the standard grade of meat that Wally World sells...but it really shouldn't matter for the cooking process.

Keep in mind, the weight of a cut becomnes less important the smaller it gets. Collagen still needs to be broken down and that requires time and therefore a plateau, so smaller cuts can take every bit as long as larger cuts.

 

[Greg Rempe]

Larry, I did some butts and briskets over the weekend. I thought my butts took for ever...espically madening considering the last time I did butts they onbly took 16 hrs to cook, These took more like 20-21 hrs.

Take it from Stogie...he really knows what he is talking about. Sometomes it just takes longer than others.

 

[Larry Wolfe]

Thanks Stogie. I will need to get a few more flats for practice. You say you only do flats, is there a benefit flat vs. whole? I will definitely figure more time on the next one.