How do you make Brisket "Fall apart" texture?

[Michael C.]

I have had some success with Brisket on the WSM, moist and tender, but not "fall apart" texture, you know, that you can pull the meat apart with your hands. The reason that I ask this, is that the last couple of trips to Texas, namely, Rudy's BBQ www.Rudys.com, Colter's BBQ, Pappa's BBQ, etc, the meat is very tender, it falls apart. It seems that this is the texture that my friends at work prefer, when I bring in my brisket for them to sample. They love the smokey flavor and taste of my brisket, but wish it was sort of "Pot Roast" like.

How do you make Brisket very tender and falling apart?

This is how I do my brisket.

1) 12 hrs overnight midnight MM method
2) spray with Apple juice,
3) foil at 165F, baste with more apple juice,
4) remove from smoker when temp reaches around 200F
5) rest in foil 2-3 hrs before slicing

This works for me, moist and tender, flavorful brisket, but not falling apart, like my friend have requested.

How can I get Texas type brisket on the WSM?

 

[Tom Hinkle]

At 200º, that brisket should be about as tender as you want. You could try taking it to 205 and see if that helps.

 

[Paul K]

Cooking it longer and foiling will cause it to get to that state. Make sure you foil, because you don't want to dry out the meat due to the extended cook time. IMO that's cooking it too long; I like to be able to slice the flat, but that's just me.

 

[Kevin Thomas]

I like my brisket the same way. I don't foil it during the smoke. Instead I just smoke it until it has an internal temp of 200-205, then foil and rest it in a cooler for a few hours. After resting it's not exactly falling apart, but it is easily chopped with a knfe. I also add some extra rub after the meat is chopped for some additional flavor.

 

[Jeff Bittel]

AFter cooking numerous briskets with some degree of success, I finally figured out the foil thing for the last couple of hours of cooking. That brisket came out almost perfect, the flat was sliceable and the point fell apart. The combination of both made pretty much everyone happy to a large degree.

 

[Cliff H.]

I have more issues with the bark being to moist. Foil at 165. Pull the probe out at 195. Start sticking the probe in the flat every thirty min until it goes in with no resistance. rest for three hours.

 

[Michael C.]

Thank you for the great tips. I will try this on my next brisket. Thanks again for your help...