My First Brisket This Weekend (Pics)

BU_BBQ

So this weekend I smoked my first brisket. It was a 7lb brisket that was trimmed, but it still had a good amount of fat on it. I cooked it at 225 with cherry wood and it took about 14-15 hours. I removed the flat, re-seasoned and then put it back on the smoker to make burnt ends. I enjoyed the flavor of the brisket, but overall it came out kind of dry. I assume that I over cooked it. Anyone have other suggestions or is that my problem?
Now my burnt ends came out absolutely fantastic. I was happy that I decided to do them because I was a little bummed about the brisket. Sorry I didn't get any pics of them.

gerhardk

I wouldn't assume that it was over cooked.  You should bring the briskets internal temperature to 195º to 205º, when you reach 195 take a  fork and give it a gentle twist and if that feels tender you are ready to pull it if not give it another 20 minutes and repeat.  My first brisket I pulled off the smoker when it reached 170º it had great taste but was very dry.  In my experience 10 or 11 hours seems to cook that size of brisket.

Gerhard

P.S. 250º dome temp would not be too high

BU_BBQ

I believe you are right on your times. Thinking back now it took about 12 hours instead of the 14-15. When I pulled the brisket at 195 the Maverick probe didn't slide out at easily as I would have thought. I stuck it in another spot and it was similar. So, maybe it wasn't done yet then?

Eggcelsior

BU_BBQ said:

I believe you are right on your times. Thinking back now it took about 12 hours instead of the 14-15. When I pulled the brisket at 195 the Maverick probe didn't slide out at easily as I would have thought. I stuck it in another spot and it was similar. So, maybe it wasn't done yet then?

This could be the case. The probe should encounter no resistance. You can also do the fork test. Meat is done when it's done, unfortunately, not when we want it to be.

BU_BBQ

Yea, I probably should have waited but for some reason the lack of tenderness scared me so it was pulled.

So if my brisket possibly wasn't overcooked, what would an overcooked brisket taste/look like? Does the brisket go from undercooked/dry/tough to cooked right/moist/tender back to overcooked/dry/tough?

Eggcelsior

Overcooked brisket tends to turn into pulled beef. It moves past the desired texture. Similar to ribs being overcooked. "fall apart" ribs are actually overcooked.It can start to dry out at a certain point getting sandy or gritty.

rustypotts

BU_BBQ said:

Yea, I probably should have waited but for some reason the lack of tenderness scared me so it was pulled.

So if my brisket possibly wasn't overcooked, what would an overcooked brisket taste/look like? Does the brisket go from undercooked/dry/tough to cooked right/moist/tender back to overcooked/dry/tough?

That's a great question.  I had a similar experience as you this weekend.  I started checking at about 190 and finally pulled at 201.  The flat was better than I thought but still maybe a little dry.  The point was perfect.  It was my first also so I'm looking forward to the answers to your question.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

No. It goes from dry/tough undercooked to perfect for about 15 minutes then goes to dry/pot roast falling apart when over cooked. When you overdo them, they completely fall apart. If you are going to make a mistake, It's actually better to over cook. Then you can at least chop it, sauce it and its still really tasty. Undercooked is tough no matter what.

rustypotts

Well I guess mine was still slightly undercooked.  Next time I'll over cook it and see what happens.