Inspired to try another brisket...

Hoov

Haven't posted in a while, but was inspired to get back to barbecue. Recently had the opportunity to stop at Franklin Barbecue on the way back from a family vacation. We arrived at 9:45 am on a Sunday and were told we would eat at 1:10pm (this was spot on, by the way). I tried pretty much everything on the menu and was in barbecue heaven! 

The brisket was definitely worth the three hour wait and my son enjoyed it too! The flat was incredibly moist and the point was almost spreadable it was so rich and fatty! 

We also made a stop at the ceramic grill store in Denton and picked up the R&B adjustable rig combo. So naturally when I got home I wanted to try ribs and brisket!

Started with an 18 lb choice packer from Sam's and tried to trim it according to Franklin's videos. 


Rubbed it with salt and pepper and put it on the egg at 250 dome at around 5:00 pm. The egg was holding temp well, and the brisket was at 130 before I went to bed. Woke up early the next morning and the fire had nearly gone out and the dome temp was 170(meat at 155). I refilled the egg with lump and wrapped the brisket in butcher paper for the rest of the cook. 

Here it is with some spare ribs:


Pulled the brisket around noon and it was at 203 internal and probed nicely. I put the wrapped brisket in a cooler with towels until about 4 pm. Even though the egg went out I was pumped because this brisket felt like butter! I decided to take it and the ribs to work to get the approval of some coworkers. 



The ribs came out great and were gone in minutes! Unfortunately the brisket was quite dry and wouldn't slice (turned to shreds as I tried to slice).



Overall, I'm thankful to have coworkers that appreciated my mediocre brisket, but I was pretty disappointed with the results. The ribs turned out great! I will continue to try briskets to try and get better results. It seems like it was a perfect storm with the egg going out on me...

If you made it through this long post I'd appreciate any insight on future brisket cooks and how to not over cook brisket!

Thanks!

TheRainMan

Hoov - great post. I know that we are usually the harshest critics of our own food - I'm sure that your peeps really enjoyed it!

Ladeback69

Looks good from here.  That's some good bark for only getting to 155, but it could have gotten a little higher before you caught it.  A couple questions; did you open it up and let it rest at least 10 minutes or so before slicing?  That seems to help when I am cutting one even if it has Sat in a cooler for 4 hours.  What size is your egg?  Fill it up to just under the plate setter and you shouldn't run out of lump if it is a large and differently an XL.  Don't give up, keep working at it and it will get better.  I bet your your coworkers loved it.

buzd504

If it was probing perfectly when you pulled it, it may have overcooked in the cooler.  Either pull it a little earlier when FTCing, or let it cool a bit before putting in the cooler.

bhedges1987

buzd504 said:

If it was probing perfectly when you pulled it, it may have overcooked in the cooler.  Either pull it a little earlier when FTCing, or let it cool a bit before putting in the cooler.

+1 ... But I'm not great with brisket.

lousubcap

Sounds like a good plan-but you may have been the victim of overcook as mentioned above.  Did you slice against the grain for both flat and point...can't tell from the pic.  Anyhow-back on the horse and go again.  FWIW-

1move

Sounds to me like it was wrapped a little too early and then finished off, just know that when you wrap it, it climbs to temperature much quicker and cooks faster. The bark tends to loosen up and let the juices out when wrapped, from what I have heard Franklins doesn't wrap at all. 

I wrap mine when I can feel that it's tender and the way the meat reacts when I push on it. I wrap in butcher paper and I get an in between foil and no wrap. 

I would highly recommend layering your wood and charcoal and going pretty much to the top of the fire box, or bottom of plate setter as someone said. This allows for better control of temperature. More charcoal = less air = steadier fire

Once mine is on I don't check on it or open the egg until it hits 180° no matter what! That is the hardest thing to do but just set it and forget it!

johnmitchell

Great post..Love the pic of your son.. Cool looking dude.. Good luck with your future brisky cooks..

Wolfpack

Surprised you ran out of lump- sorry it didn't turn out well. Franklins is pretty amazing and has given me, what I fear, is an impossible quest. 

Hoov

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I'm going to try another brisket this weekend and will try not to overcook. I was under the impression that FTC was a necessary step, but it may have resulted in an overcook for me because I let it sit in the cooler 4 hours after it finished on the egg. I will also look into leave in thermometer options to combat dome temp fluctuations and understand the progress of the meat. 

jjmills

I agree with the above.  Your brisket must have continued cooking in the cooler.  I would with out a doubt leave a thermometer in for the entire cook.

minniemoh

@Hoov - bummer about it being a little overdone. From your slicing picture, it doesn't look too dry to me. Maybe Franklin's was so good that your bar was based on that. I've never had the privilege of a stop there. Your little guy looks like he's in heaven like daddy.

When I've overcooked, I tried to salvage by chopping it up and add a little sauce for sandwiches. I wasn't especially pleased but our guests still enjoyed it. I realize you were at work and likely didn't have buns or whatever.

Regardless, it was a nice effort. Now get back on the horse and have fun cooking another one.