Hot and fast brisket failure


 
fred nevill

fred nevill

TVWBB Member
Hi all, being from Texas originally I have done many briskets before and they were Okay. I had always done them the same way, low and slow and never trimmed any fat.

Today I decided to try the hot and fast method and things did not turn out very good. I read the procedures on hot brisket and trimmed the one I had, full packer, to what I thought was suggested when it said trim the fat on the brisket.

Today, I started my 18 WSM with 3 chunks of apple wood. I did not use water or anything in the pan just foiled it. I also had a full load of charcoal. I was having trouble getting the temp to 300* according to the WSM gauge, so I propped the door open and hit 350* within a short time and held there. I cooked the brisket fat side down on top grate for about 2 and a half hours to an internal temp of 172*.

At that point I put the brisket in a foil pan and covered with foil fat side up, I put a small amount of beef broth in the bottom. My grill temp kept dropping even with door propped and all vents wide open, so I stirred the coals and the temp kept dropping was about 250* so I started another chimney of lump and after it was ready I added it to my WSM. That did the job and my temps were back to the 350* range fairly quickly. After another 2 1/2 hours I probed the brisket and the prob slid in so I also checked the internal and the internal temp was 202* so I pulled it off and let it sit for 1/2 hour. When I had opened the foil to take the brisket out, part of it was stuck to the bottom of the pan and was immediately noticeable as very dark and dry. I attempted to slice it but got very few slices as it was WAY overcooked.

Even though I was disappointed the meat did not go to waste, I chopped i and added BBQ sauce so at least we have sandwiches.

My question is what is it I did wrong? There seems to be many people that really like this method so I would sure like to do it but I definitely struck out on my first attempt.
 
Hmm. I don't trim most of the time. Occasionally, if there is a large knob of fat on the side between the point and flat I will take some of that, but only then. Still, shouldn't matter much.

I always Minion the start, loading the meat immediately, and I would suggest that (I use around 24 lit). Prop the door open when the temps get toward the upper 200s. I mark 2.5 hours from loading the meat and then I foil (highly unlikely it is anywhere near 170 as it takes a bit of time for the heat to rise).

I prefer foil over pans but suggest fat side down the entire time. I never add liquid of any kind. That shouldn't matter but I don't feel it is needed with a packer. However, if the heat is potent at the underside of the pan, the lean will stick if the moisture evaporates off. Make sure your pan or foil is sealed well.

After foiling I check the brisket about 75 min later, the first time, to gauge it. It is usually done in 10-20 min after that. At the temps you achieved, your brisket was done well before you checked it. It is important to pull the brisket at the point it becomes tender - and that means checking it sooner.
 
I did a brisket on Monday and had a small section at the open flat end that stuck to the foil and was slightly "brittle" in texture.

Like Kevin I prefer to wrap in foil instead of using pans. For the cook on Monday it was finished in a 350 oven that was then turned down to 170 to hold for about 6 hours before service. So tender taking out of the oven that it almost broke apart.

Most of the time the issue with the dried out parts happens in the area were the brisket hangs over the water bowl (or plate setter on the BGE) and is in a more direct line of hot air coming from the coals.
 
fred, the wsm runs hotter on the top side of what ever you are cooking, the wsm works like a convection oven, more heat comes in than goes out so the heat hits the top of the lid and bounces back on top of whatever you are cooking, for this reason i always cook my briskets fat side up to protect from the hotter heat. As for the sticking in the pan, a pan made of metal or aluminum will get a lot hotter than just foil, so sticking or a burnt crust will occur. When wrapping in foil, wrap tight but not to tight so the juices can travel all over the brisket. Good luck on your next brisket.
 
fred, the wsm runs hotter on the top side of what ever you are cooking, the wsm works like a convection oven, more heat comes in than goes out so the heat hits the top of the lid and bounces back on top of whatever you are cooking, for this reason i always cook my briskets fat side up to protect from the hotter heat. As for the sticking in the pan, a pan made of metal or aluminum will get a lot hotter than just foil
Click to expand...
Um, no. And this is especially untrue if cooking at higher heat. The WSM is not a convection oven. Though surfaces reflect heat, neither this nor the draft that the WSM actually runs on will cause the top of the brisket to be hotter. The heat that emanates up from the burning fuel below can cook the bottom side of the brisket quicker, again, especially at higher heat, and it is well worth cooking fat side down for this reason.

A foil pan will not 'get a lot hotter' than just foil. Either transfers heat well. Sticking or crusting on the bottom will occur if the moisture from the meat is insufficient and not till that point - just like cooking meat in a pan on the stove.
 
When I have done the high heat briskets in a pan, I have had failure. I tried the pan because I find it unwieldy and easy to tear the foil when I move the brisket or try to check it for doneness.

Even though i've used multiple layers of foil, I some how always have a leak when using the pan. For me its often hard to find a pan that will fit the brisket and also still fit on the grate. Thus, the pan ends up being bent slightly and probably leads to the leakage.

Kruger, you have any tips on how you seal the brisket up in the foil such that you can undo it and check for doneness without tearing the foil to bits?
 
Phillip, If you prefer using the foil pan (of course wrapping the top tightly with foil) there shouldn't be any issues. From a handling standpoint the pan is much easier to deal with. Kevin, why the preference for just foil?
 
Marc, foil works better than a foil pan, using a pan leaves 3/4 of the brisket out of the juice, so it starts drying out a little. Wrapped in foil there is not much room for the juice to go, so the juice covers the whole brisket.
 
I did a hot and fast brisket last weekend and it came out great. I did mine in a UDS, with a clay saucer wrapped in foil and filled with water on the second rack. I foiled at 165, using a double layer of heay duty foil. No leaks, was easy to unwrap, move, pick up etc. I don't think I added any extra fluid when i foiled.
 
Originally posted by Noe:
Marc, foil works better than a foil pan, using a pan leaves 3/4 of the brisket out of the juice, so it starts drying out a little. Wrapped in foil there is not much room for the juice to go, so the juice covers the whole brisket.
Click to expand...
Precisely. And that's the main reason I prefer it. I use a single sheet of HD foil on bottom, one on top, crimping together around the sides but keeping the crimp above the meat.

The other reason is that I'm not much of a fan of disposibles, and really have no need for fil pans for anything. Foil I always need.
 
Fred, I've used the pan mainly cause I didn't want to lose any of the juices. I'd put the meat fat side down in the pan and wrap tight. I check every 30-45 minutes after foiling cause it'll get done real quick. I trimmed the fat off last time I did it in the pan with no problem. Just make sure you leave enough fat on the bottom.
 
When using a pan for foiling, I discovered that the lid thermometer is not accurate and does show a temp drop. I suspect it is because of the size of the pan is blocking some of the heat from reaching the thermometer. Next time just foil in pan, stir up the coals,dont worry about temp gauge and check for tenderness once after the first hour after foiling and every 30 min after that.
 
Originally posted by R. Paquin:
When using a pan for foiling, I discovered that the lid thermometer is not accurate and does show a temp drop. I suspect it is because of the size of the pan is blocking some of the heat from reaching the thermometer. Next time just foil in pan, stir up the coals,dont worry about temp gauge and check for tenderness once after the first hour after foiling and every 30 min after that.
Click to expand...

I crimped the edges of my foil pan in ,away from the edges. Didn't see any significant temp drop at the lid.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top