Resting Brisket and minimizing liquid loss

[adam clyde]

OK, couple of questions.

How much juice leftover do you get from each brisket (flat) after resting? I foil my brisket at 170 and pull it at 190. Then let it rest in the same foil for a few hours before slicing. After it has rested for a few hours, I drain the juice (reserve it of course) and slice. I sometimes get 2 full cups of juice from each flat. This isn't juice coming out after I slice - this is what I drain from the foil pouch before I cut it. Very little of it is fat, by the way. I'm really happy with my brisket - it is tender, flavorful and relatively juicy, but...

here is my question, while I love having that smokey broth that I split up between the sauce and redistributing over the slices, it seems there should be a way to cook it so I don't lose that much liquid out of the brisket. Any ideas?

For what it is worth, I cook fat side down, foil at 170, cook fat side up and rest fat side up. Smoker stays between 235 and 240. Despite resting, my guess is that once the juice is outside the meat, it doesn't get soaked back into the meat - despite resting - so the key would be to cook in such a way that it doesn't lose that much liquid. Is that a pipe dream? I know it will always lose some liquid... but is there a way to cook that would minimize it? The resting just seems to prevents further juice from seeping when sliced.

 

[Bryan S]

2 Cups is alot of liquid to have in the foil after resting.

I usually only have a trace amount left. Maybe a tablespoon or 2 up to a 1/4 cup max.

 

[K Kruger]

Ditto. In fact I need to add stock to the foil to blend with the meat for a bit if I want adequate juices for sauces (though recently I've just been smoking rubbed, meaty bones alongside the brisket for that).

If you were taking your internal higher or cooking at a much lower temp I'd suspect that. You could try pulling at 188. I'm not sure 2 degrees would make a difference but it might be worth a shot. You're not marinating, right?

 

[adam clyde]

Kevin -

No, I never marinate. Just a good old rub.

I think the difference, this time, was that I pulled it off at 190, but I had let the smoker get hotter after I threw it in foil... so after it reached 170, I wrapped in foil, I let the smoker temp drift on up to 275. When I pulled it off, since it was cooking at a higher temp, the brisket temp raised up a few more degrees... so final high-end temp was around 193-195. Even after it reached that high of a temp, I was pleasantly surprised that after resting, it wasn't too tender (i.e., pot-roast-y). Sliced well, like usual.

But even when I don't let the smoker temp go up after I foil, I still get quite a bit of liquid...

odd.

 

[Jim Minion]

I don't get that much liquid but I don't foil at 170º, got to believe that is the reason for it.
Jim

 

[adam clyde]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jim Minion:
I don't get that much liquid but I don't foil at 170º, got to believe that is the reason for it.
Jim </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yeah, I can't imagine what else it would be. Since I can't get packers out here, I am doing flats. And since I'm doing flats, I always foil because I don't want to dry them out, not having the protection of a point above it.

Do you foil at all? you probably never do flats, but if you did, would you foil? Or do you find you can keep it from drying out without foil, even though you don't have a point? Wait, that last sentence sounds funny... of course YOU have a point... your brisket doesn't.

 

[Jim Minion]

Don't normally buy them but I have cooked them. Smoking a flat for about 3 to 4 hours then in foil for the rest of the cook but I have been cooking them at higher pit temps 325. Still pull off the cooker at 185 to 190. Wrap with a second layer of foil and they go into a dry cooler.
I still cook fat side down.
The whole cook of a 6 to 8 pounder would last from 7 to 10 hours.
It shortens the cook, raises the chances of problems but it works.

Jim

 

[adam clyde]

Interesting that you do it that high (325). You still finding you get the tenderness you want?

I did mine 240, but after it went it foil (when meat got to 170) it went up to 280 or so. The whole cook took less than 4.5 hours. Really fast for me. Great smoke ring, good flavor, and not that bad on the juiciness end either...

Just can't figure out where all that darn liquid came from. I put it to good use, though... mixed half into my sauce and the other half I redistributed over the sliced.

Anyhow, thanks for the comments.

- Adam