Prime brisket flat question


 
Mark R (LR)

Mark R (LR)

TVWBB Super Fan
Sam's had a few prime brisket flats & only select packers, so I tried a prime flat. It was 8 lbs & well marbled, so I opted for low & slow despite my initial preference for trying a high heat cook. I coated with reduced sodium teriyaki (I don't like Worcester) & coated with a commercial rub (Woody's). I cooked at 200F, it stalled at about 149F, & I put in foil crimped tightly over a foil pan w/ some apple juice at about 12 hours at 156F. I started probing for tenderness at 187F, checking about every 20 minutes, & pulled it at 194F at almost 16 hours. Several probe spots felt like butter, but the thicker spots still had some resistance. I put it in 2 layers of foil w/about 1.5 cups of recovered juices & rested, foiled & toweled, in a microwave for 1.5 hours. The first 4 servings (about 25% of it) were moist, tender, had very good flavor, & were by FAR the best brisket I've ever done, but the rest of it was fairly tough. I've only done 3 or 4 briskets so am still very much in the trial & error stage. Did I pull it too soon? I was tempted to leave it on longer but was afraid of screwing up the parts that were already tender. Thanks!
 
Welcome to the wonderful world of guessing when the flat is properly done. It very much sounds like you pulled it just a hair too soon. It's a juggling act for sure.

Couple of things to maybe think about.

First, cut back a little on the added liquids. It will cool off the meat and extend your cooking time. They also may not be needed since once you foil, the internal liquids cannot escape.

Second, cooking at such a low temperature (200) will make for a longer cook. As the internal temp of the meat gets closer to the cooker temperature, it will get slower since the differential is less and less.

Last, don't be afraid to take a flat over 200. I've had flats go as high as 205 before that butter feel shows up. That said, the instant I get that feel, the meat must come off to cool and rest. The line between undercooked and overcooked is very thin.

Russ
 
Thanks for the insight. When probing for that butter feel, are you trying to get the butter feel pretty much everywhere?
 
Yeah, pretty much. Of course the problem is that the thinner areas will be done sooner than the thicker areas. So that begs the question of do I wait for the thicker spots to be done and risk overcooking the thin areas, or vice-versa. Definately a trade-off.

If I'm on a comp then I wait for the thicker areas to finish. That way I can use the thicker slices in the box. The thinner (slightly overdone) stuff I'll take home and use in a stew or something.

Russ
 
i think the main problem was the temp was too low. 250 would have been a much better range and would have shaved off a few hours of your cook.
i wish the sam's clubs near me had prime briskets. never seen them carry prime cuts of anything. i always check their meat section when i go in to buy other supplies i need but i never find anything good. i prefer the meat from costco.
 
Thanks David!

We don't have a Costco in my area, but I feel pretty lucky that the nearby Sam's sometimes has a few prime flats and a few prime tenderloins. Hopefully this summer I'll get up the nerve to try grilling one of those tenderloins.

I had stumbled across a few recommendations for the brisket rub at Texas BBQ Rub http://www.texasbbqrub.com/ . The folks at that site recommended keeping temps below 215F, so I decided to give that a shot.

On my next attempt, I plan on trying a higher temperature, waiting for more of the flat to pass the probe test, and putting less liquid in with the brisket while it's resting. Hopefully in another brisket or two, I'll have a better feel for when to pull a brisket off the smoker and will be tinkering with fewer variables.
 
I'm high heat all the way - except for the occasions where I cook Prime. I think your cooktemp choice was fine.

One thing I don't cook is flats. Were I to cook a Prime one like yours, however, I would cook the same way (foiling at the same point) except:

I would use foil - not a foil pan - leaving a half inch of space around the flat and an inch or two head space, crimped tightly. While I would never add liquid to a packer or any grade, I'd consider it for a flat. Not much; some.

Don't be concerned about meat temp once foiled. It is immaterial (whether foiled or not). It utterly does not matter what the internal temp is so probe with your probe turned off - so you're less likely to focus on temp.

I am not one to stick a probe in all over the place. I probe center of flat - period. The disparity in thickness should not be so much that one needs to probe hither and yon.
 
Thank you VERY much for the input! I like the idea of having one less variable on my next attempt. That also makes sense to probe in the middle instead of turning it into a pin cushion like I did.
 
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