Select packer - how to improve?


 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Due to the cooking environment that it is in. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Exactly. Once in foil the cooking dynamics change rather dramatically. Because of increased moisture around the meat, and because evaporative cooling is thwarted, temps in the foil (and subsequently in the meat) can rise rather quickly. The moist environment makes heat transfer more efficient and more rapid. (95? and 80% humidity in Miami feels much hotter than 95? and 5% humidity in Las Vegas. Heat is held and transferred better in the more moist environment.)

Rising internal meat temps do not cause tenderness. Removing the meat when it hits, say, 195 or 200 when still in the foil will virtually never work. The meat needs to reach tender - irrespective of its internal temp.
 
OK, final diagnosis. This was quite unsuccessful and unsatisfying. The point was borderline liquified, the flat kinda dry in parts, moist in others, but exactly none of the bark survived; it just sloughed off. This was closer to beef stew than brisket. Back to Low and Slow for me, I think. If this is typical of HH, color me unimpressed.
 
Pics would be good.

No, not typical.

Bark can be re-firmed by returning the meat to the cooker for several minutes after it is out of the foil.
 
Did I read this right that you foiled after 4 hours and then cooked for about 1:45 more? If that's the case, that brisket was way overcooked. It should have taken you around 4-4:15 total cook time going HH. 2:30 unfoiled and then about 1:30 in foil.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jerry P.:
Did I read this right that you foiled after 4 hours and then cooked for about 1:45 more? If that's the case, that brisket was way overcooked. It should have taken you around 4-4:15 total cook time going HH. 2:30 unfoiled and then about 1:30 in foil. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yeah, based on some of the above comments it may have indeed been overcooked. It went on at 9am but didn't come anywhere near 160 until about 1-ish. I double-foiled and put it back on for 90 minutes, pulled it off and opened up the foil to check probe-tenderness. The skewer went in like a hot knife through butter so I closed the foil back up and let it rest for about 90 minutes in the cooler while my guests were milling about and pre-eating.

Here's a pic taken as soon as I started slicing.

CIMG2571.jpg


You can see that what little "bark" there is is more like a thin slimy skin. The slices from the flat were of a good consistency and people enjoyed the meat but it was ultra bland; no pop to it at all, not even black pepper. I then tried to remove the point but this is where I always fail badly. I can never find the seam after it's cooked, and because this was so juicy and gelatinous it was even harder. I don't think I've ever seen a thorough instructional video showing the correct way to do this. The fat from the point was downright gross in parts but thankfully not too bad. The best briskies I've done have been about this weight but Choice grade and cooked low and slow. Nice zingy bark is a personal favourite of both me and the wife. She took a couple of other pics but they didn't turn out.
 
On my HH packers, I now only use the Chas. Louis Henley Lawry's Salt-based rub. This was after using a coffee paste which slid right off after removing from the foil. I didn't bother trying to firm up on the grill; it was a lost cause.

With a simple rub like the one above, there's not much to come off.
 
here is a compilation of information about hh brisket:

http://tvwbb.com/eve/forums/a/...80069052/m/896100293

I've had good luck with the high heat approach but it's tough to find a packer here so I typically go to BJ's for a flat and add some liquid to the foil. As kevin says, it's best to firm up the bark for a bit.There are some very successful bbq competitors cooking high heat and a lot of people here have reported success. Also, I could be wrong, but I think Kreutz Market, one of classic places Hill Country is modeled upon, is cooked much closer to hh than low and slow.
 
Yes, Kreuz - and others in the area.

I've never had a paste slide off. If this occurs, the paste is too loose. It must be rather tight. When I use pastes I usually top with a dry rub.
 
I didn't use a paste. This was an injection first then heavily sprinkled with dry rub twice (once before I let it set overnight and once more before going on the smoker, right out of the fridge.
 
I've never used an injection, and quite frankly, don't really think any meat needs it. Your odd texture on the packer side could very well be due to that injection. With all of that extra liquid in there, your brisket probably basically boiled in it's own liquid. I've only ever done HH briskets, all the way from a monster 18.9 pounder, down to a small 4 pound flat, and have very consistent results each and every time, with none of them going over 4 hours and 15 minutes.

I've also never checked the temperature of the meat. I loosely monitor my WSM temps, just to make sure it's hot enough. I seldom dip below about 335, and once the brisket is foiled, 375 is where I dwell. With the foil, the meat is protected, so no reason to dilly dally at lower temps.

As for bark, I occasionally slap it back on the fire for a few minutes, but I usually just don't even bother with it. Sorry for your disappointing results on this cook, but don't throw the technique out the window just yet!
 
Peter, back to your initial issue of finding boot packers. I've been getting mine from livotis in Aberdeen. The head butcher, billy always has packers in the fridge. Especially if you go early in the am
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Scott B (nj):
Peter, back to your initial issue of finding boot packers. I've been getting mine from livotis in Aberdeen. The head butcher, billy always has packers in the fridge. Especially if you go early in the am </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's quite a haul from me; at least an hour south with no traffic (About $40 in gas plus tolls). Not worth the extra expense, to be honest. Normally I go to Sussex Meat Packers in Wharton and on average days I can pick one of about 3 or 4 on-hand. That weekend (Smoke Day), they'd sold out and couldn't get more until the following Wednesday so I had to go into the city.

Frankly, if I could find someone with a Restaurant Depot membership would could take me along that'd be ideal. There's one less than 5 minutes from my front door and according to the local BBQ restaurant, it's a case of "how many do you want."

I'll try one more HH packer this summer as an experiment for a few friends, but for our big Meat-a-palooza in September (3 butts, the briskie and a deep-fried turkey) I'm most probably going back to the ol' tried-and-true L&S method. There's just something special about biting into a slice with a zingy/spicy crust and the beef's natural juice to make it perfect. Not to mention the burnt ends are to die for!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top