success!


 
D

DavidSF

TVWBB Member
Hi,
My first smoke was successful. Well, the brisket was a little dry, but still very smoky and tasty. I started smoking my 3.75 lbs. brisket at 10:30am. Kept the smoker temp between 225- 250 until the brisket reached 160 at 2:30pm. This actually took longer than it should've because I worried about not smoking long enough, so I turned down the heat so it could smoke longer. Perhaps this was the reason why the brisket turned out a little dry. At 2:30pm and 160 I put a 1/4 cup of water on the brisket and wrapped it in aluminum foil and put it back in the smoker. At 4pm the brisket reached 180 but it wasn't fork tender. I added another 1/4 cup of water and let it smoke until 184. Still wasn't fork tender so I did it again until it reached 188. Finally it was almost fork tender so I took it out and let it cool for an hour. Sliced it up and me and my wife had an excellent dinner. Below are some pics.

Question: what can I do next time so the meat is more tender? I would love my next smoke to result in "fall of the fork" tender meat.

thanks,
David

after 7 hours of smoking:
http://i19.tinypic.com/6cr8q6b.jpg


after 7 hours of smoking:
http://i19.tinypic.com/6cr8q6b.jpg

trimmed fat off
http://i5.tinypic.com/5xnc304.jpg

sliced
http://i17.tinypic.com/4um33vr.jpg

finished slicing
http://i16.tinypic.com/6g0pwfr.jpg
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave/G:
David,

Just curious. Did you start with the fat side up or down?

Dave </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Fat side up was up during the entire smoke.

-David
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by DavidSF:
Hi,
My first smoke was successful. ... Perhaps this was the reason why the brisket turned out a little dry. At 2:30pm and 160 I put a 1/4 cup of water ...
Question: what can I do next time so the meat is more tender? I would love my next smoke to result in "fall of the fork" tender meat.
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Looks good David.

I think your assessment s correct: slowing the cook might be the problem=--though sometmes it's simply the meat itself. If you're worried about too little time in the smoke, add a bit more smokewood upfront.

Rather than a water, try beef stock to which a little melted unsalted butter has been added (about 1 T butter to 1/2 c stock). If you don't have homemade stock, mix 1 part canned beef broth with 1 part canned low sodium chicken, add the butter, then use that as your foil addition. (Excess can be portioned and frozen for future cooks. I'd suggest a bit over 1/2 c for a flat that size, added all at once when foiling.)

Congrats on a successful first smoke!
 
Okay, my turn for a question. I thought I had read to cook brisket fat side down. Was that wrong? When I did my high-heat brisket this weekend, I did fat side down and it helped protect the meat from the heat.

bob
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave/G:
The consensus is fat side down for the very reason you mention </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I thought that the fat side should be up so the fatty juices "seep down" the meat to keep it moist?

David
 
So did I, but the consensus from what I read here is that the meat's structure doesn't allow for that. The fat just drips off the side of the meat, but doesn't get into it. The benefits of protecting the meat with the fat side down evidently outweigh any good to be done with fat side up. That's what I get from checking threads here anyway.
 
'Fatty juices' are in the meat. During cooking, rendering (the process of gelatinizing connective tissue) occurs. Rendering also helps trap some internal moisture (water). It is rendering that gives the types of meats we usually barbecue their tender texture (if cooked correctly!) when finished.

A layer of fat or frequent basting/mopping--especially with a fatty baste/mop--can slow the evaporation of moisture (and also speed cooking a bit) but will not add anything to the interior of the meat. This is why basting a lean piece of meat--say a hunk of bottom round or a pork tenderloin--will not make it end up like chuck or butt.

Placing the brisket in the cooker fat side down shields the meat from the heat emanating from below, especially important, imo, if not using water in the pan, using sand or ceramic, or doing a high heat cook.
 
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