Top things that can go wrong when you cook a brisket.


 
A

Andre A

TVWBB Member
I've been reading alot about brisket recently. I ve seen a lot comments by folks who said there attempt at brisket was a major fail. I guess I have a hard time understanding how can you fail on a brisket, if you simply follow directions.

Having said this, I am curious as to what are the major things that can and normally go wrong when people cook brisket that causes them not have a good finish product. I going to attempt a whole packer in a few weeks for the first time and I want to make sure that I have everything covered.

Best
 
Andre,

The most common issue seen is not cooking it until tender. Patience is paramount when cooking brisket.
 
The next most common issue seems to be cooking it too long until it's dry. I have made both mistakes -- repeatedly. Cooking to temperature is unreliable. The probe method isn't always consistent. It seems that perfect doneness is a smallish window of temp, probe softness and flexibility of the entire hunk. Every so often, I get it right and it's worth all the near-misses when you get one perfect.

The first one I ever did came out awesome --dumb, beginner's luck. But the best way to get good at it is just to do a lot of briskets and gain experience. Keep good notes.
 
Bob and J make good points. Cook till it's like probing butter. Just make sure that you check the thickest parts of the brisket. If cooking really fast the finished IT might be about 205, but if cooking slow, the IT could be a lot lower. Again, best to just ignore the temp and cook till tender. That's called barbecuing.

A couple more things that come to mind is cooking temp and holding. While cooking slow with water is fine, I wouldn't cook TOO slow. None of my best briskets have been cooked real slow at 225. I like to cook up to around 300, with my biggest concern being just not to scorch the butcher paper.

Holding temp/time is another variable, and I think you just have to use common sense. While it will certainly benefit from resting a couple of hours, you don't want it to continue to cook too much if already very tender. I don't slice it while it's steaming hot, either.

Shame they're so expensive nowadays, cause like anything, it just takes practice.
 
Dave Russell said:
Bob and J make good points. Cook till it's like probing butter. Just make sure that you check the thickest parts of the brisket. If cooking really fast the finished IT might be about 205, but if cooking slow, the IT could be a lot lower. Again, best to just ignore the temp and cook till tender. That's called barbecuing.

A couple more things that come to mind is cooking temp and holding. While cooking slow with water is fine, I wouldn't cook TOO slow. None of my best briskets have been cooked real slow at 225. I like to cook up to around 300, with my biggest concern being just not to scorch the butcher paper.

Holding temp/time is another variable, and I think you just have to use common sense. While it will certainly benefit from resting a couple of hours, you don't want it to continue to cook too much if already very tender. I don't slice it while it's steaming hot, either.

Shame they're so expensive nowadays, cause like anything, it just takes practice.
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Interesting, why do you think you get a better brisket at 300 as opposed to the 225 low and slow. You do raise a good point about if the brisket is going to rest four a few hours, that you don't want to cook it until it is probing like butter, it will only continue to cook while it is holding. I guess my question then would be how would you go about doing burnt ends? I guess you simply serve the flat while the burnt ends are still cooking and have them for dessert.
 
Andre A said:
I guess my question then would be how would you go about doing burnt ends? I guess you simply serve the flat while the burnt ends are still cooking and have them for dessert.
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When the brisket is done you can separate the point from the flat, cube the point up, dust with more rub, place in a disposable aluminum tub, and smoke some more for 1-2 hours. The point is extremely well marbled and very forgiving regarding cooking so it can take the extra time just fine. I think its the absolute best part of the brisket, an absolute joy to eat, and simple to make.

-- Mache
 
Andre A said:
Interesting, why do you think you get a better brisket at 300 as opposed to the 225 low and slow. You do raise a good point about if the brisket is going to rest four a few hours, that you don't want to cook it until it is probing like butter, it will only continue to cook while it is holding. I guess my question then would be how would you go about doing burnt ends? I guess you simply serve the flat while the burnt ends are still cooking and have them for dessert.
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I'm not sure why, but it just seems like they can start to dry out before they get tender if I cook too slow. I only smoke supermarket briskets, though, not prime or wagnu.

When I say not to continue to cook it too much, I mean you want to let it sit out for several minutes before wrapping to hold. How long depends on the size, and you can stick a therm in it and not wrap to hold until the IT drops low enough to suit you...170* if you're Harry Soo. If you let it cool off that much though, you need a really good method of holding hot like a food warmer or well insulated and preheated cooler. As a contrast, Myron Mixon says to just cook at 350 til it's 205 and then immediately wrap it in a blanket for four hours. At least that's what he wrote in his book. I just don't think that's a very foolproof plan. Anyhow, you can rest the flat while you finish the point for burnt ends.
 
andre. don't be intimidated we were all beginners at some point and I will definitely admit im still learning. id imagine most of these good guys and even experts out here would concur. this ramble is more about the versatility and capability of webers than it is about my brisket turning out good. I started small and short - half hour cooks such as steaks, chops, thin chicken breasts, fish, ... when I got good then notched up to 1-2 hour cooks like half birds, whole birds, beef chuck roasts, pork loins... then notched up again to the ribs, boston butts, and others that are 3-4-5 hour cooks. I thought well hell, if these webers can do this wide variety of cooks then why cant I try a brisket? so I did. first time I only cooked half a brisket, but I knew that cut of meat needs to cook at least 8 hours for the necessary chemical changes in the meat and juices to take place. so I added more coal (knowing that the vents control the burn rate not the amount of coal) and gave it a try. I also knew that I had to open my lid once to add coal, so I opened at 4 hours, wrapped the brisket in foil, added more coal and smoke wood chunks and then cooked another 4 hours. wow, other than adjusting some minor elements of my technique I still use the same process, but I do cut my briskets in half to bbq. it turned out real real good - not because I knew, but because I gave it a try. my wife and my buddies hear me say all the time "you gotta burn ribs to learn ribs" meaning no amount of advice can substitute for getting a chunk of meat and going for it.

I don't give technical advice such as exact times, temps, techniques those are all different among us, and youll find what works for you. but only after trying 3-4 or half dozen of them.

so to answer your questions specifically - not much can go wrong. underdone? add coal and put back on for longer. overdone? trim the burnt crust and eat the middle. keep it simple bro and fire that baby up.

don't lift the lid...
 
The #1 hardest thing is knowing when the brisket is done. It's not done at a certain temp, and it's not done at a certain time. You have to test by feel, and that takes practice. It really is about poking in a thermometer and when there's pretty much no resistance, it's done. The big problem is, it's tough when it's undercooked AND it's tough when it's overcooked. So you need to make sure you don't miss that "done" window. I typically set my Maverick to beep at me when the thickest part of the flat is 190F, then start poking it with my Thermapen every 20-30 minutes until it's done.

The #2 hardest thing is pit temp control. It doesn't seem to matter what temp you cook at, but it does matter if the temp goes way up and way down. You want to keep it within about a 25-30F range if possible. So if you're targeting 250F, you really want your pit to stay between 235F and 265F.

Final tip, you absolutely positively 100% MUST rest the brisket after it's done. Don't pull it off the pit and slice it. Wrap it up and rest it a while, or at least tent it and rest it. You want the internal temp to drop to around 165F (if you're the measuring type) before you cut into that baby. It's a night and day difference in moisture when you eat it. You know how people show you videos of slicing meat and juices are just oozing out? That's BAD. You want those juices to go into your mouth, not onto the cutting board. Let it cool down and firm up a little.
 
Andre,

It has already been noted that there is a small window where the meat is truly tender. When cooking at higher temperatures, that window is even smaller. The same goes when foiling. If you were to combine both high temperature and foiling, that window is now but a peephole.
 
Try cooking it to 160-170F then foil it until 200F. Remove and vent the foil at the top and let it sit to around 170F so it can re-absorb some liquid. I agree with the probe test on the way up but it only indicates under done-ness. You'll get the same resistance from done to overdone unless it's jerky overdone.

You can remove the point for burnt ends and leave the flat as above. It will sit easily for 2 hours while you finish the point.

I'm doing a packer tomorrow. My biggest issue is the lack of marbling these days. Nothing I can do about that though.
 
James Harvey said:
Try cooking it to 160-170F then foil it until 200F. Remove and vent the foil at the top and let it sit to around 170F so it can re-absorb some liquid. I agree with the probe test on the way up but it only indicates under done-ness. You'll get the same resistance from done to overdone unless it's jerky overdone.
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that is a good point. I'm going to try to remember that.
 
After reading these posts, I wonder if I’m doing something wrong. I usually do a couple briskets at a time, 13 to 16lbs each at 210-220, no water using a Guru. I Seal a Meal the left overs. The thermometer goes in the meaty thick part. I cook them to 190-195, sometimes one of the briskets, usually the lower shelf will get up to 200. It usually takes them 22 to 26 hours, Then I wrap and cover with a towel for an hour. They always come out great.
CraigW
 
I've tried 2 briskets, both just the flats and I have over cooked both. I was very careful to keep an eye on the donness by probing. But as others have said, it's a very small window, especially when wrapping. Unfortunately, briskets are too expensive to keep trying so I've decided to just get mine at BBQ places. Cheaper that way lol
 
Dave and Bob nailed it! What is comes down to is...We can tell you all day what the issues are. It seems you are well prepared for that. Just get out and start throwing down some brisket. You just half to learn it. Each one you do you will learn something new. Every brisket cooks different. Don't worry about wrecking one. It's part of it. I've been doing briskets for 15yrs and I still break one every now and then. Yes, it's a hard kick to the *%^$ when you do. The only thing I can add is learning how to pick out a good brisket vs bad.
 
Jon in SF said:
I've tried 2 briskets, both just the flats and I have over cooked both. I was very careful to keep an eye on the donness by probing. But as others have said, it's a very small window, especially when wrapping. Unfortunately, briskets are too expensive to keep trying so I've decided to just get mine at BBQ places. Cheaper that way lol
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If I had to guess you are under cooking the brisket... You probably think I am crazy but dry and tough typically means collagen has not had enough time to break down. I always get nervous I am over cooking briskets but the best briskets are the ones I think I over cooked the most!
 
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