In the middle of first brisket smoke on WSM 18

[Wayne E.]

And I have a question.

I'm trying to follow these instructions.
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/brisket4.html

Summary

Buy a whole, untrimmed 10-12 pound USDA Select or ungraded packer brisket.
Trim fat at the seam between the point and flat sections. Trim the fat side to about 1/4" thick.
Apply your favorite rub and refrigerate overnight.
Cook the brisket fat-side down at 325-375°F for 2 to 2-1/2 hours to an internal temperature of 170°F.
Wrap in foil fat-side up and cook another 2 to 2-1/2 hours until fork tender.
Rest in foil for 30 minutes before slicing.

I didn't weigh the brisket but it's from one of our grass fed animals. I suspect it may weigh less than 10-12lbs as it came up to 170 (using maverick therm in meat and on grate) in about an hour and a half with the lid temp pretty much controlled to the requirements. The way the butcher cut the brisket it seemed thinner than some of the pictures of brisket I see on the forum.

When it hit 170 (confirmed Maverick with thermapen) I put it in foil as instructed, and the instructions say to cook it another 2-2.5 hours. It looked more than plenty done on the outside but I understand that may not mean anything.

My question is, if the meat is already at 170, what exactly is happening to the meat over the next 2.5 hours inside the foil? Does it actually stop increasing in temperature? What should the temp of the meat be once it's removed from the cooker and starts its 30 minute rest period?

I know I'm probably getting to hung up on temperature but I was a little alarmed at how fast the meat came up from refrigerator temp to 170.

Thanks

 

[Bob Sample]

Probably a little late to help but the reason behind cooking the brisket beyond 170 is so that the fat renders down and the cologen attached to the muscle fibres breaks done, otherwise you end up with tough dry brisket.

Cook it till it is probe tender, probe should go into the meat like it was going through room temperature butter. Somewhere in the 190-205 range usually.

I don't foil unless doing high heat because it can cause the bark to turn mushy

When resting make sure you you take it out of the foil so the cooking process stops