brisket problem (first one in 5 years)

Babyray

6# flat that I did indirect at 240 on grid under two 8# butts after 14 hrs I took it off at 190... BUT when we started slicing (after resting for an hr. wrapped in foil) the meat was crumbly. Looked to be overcooked, but real tasty, but wife worried (rightfully so) about the presentation. Any ideas what was wrong? Could thosed butts dripping on it have caused some trouble?..[p]Thanks,
Ray Price

Nature Boy

Howdy Ray
I am guessing your barrier got too hot and torched the bottom. I don't think it was the drippings. I have always had unpredictable results when I stack stuff. Sometimes the meat on the bottom barely cooks and the stuff on top is done, and sometimes the bottom gets torched and the top seems to plod along. [p]When doing two layers, I think it is important to check the progress. Just thinkin here, but if you would have checked at 8 hours you might have seen the brisket was gettin a litle dark, and move it to the top. When you are cooking for 14 hours, it usually won't hurt to pull all the meat out and check the progress.[p]Hope it helps. Happy TDay.
Chris

fishlessman

Babyray,
you really need to watch temps at the lowest level and maybe in more than one place with all that meat mass. the last big cook i did like that was 2 butts over 2 briskets, 3 total layers. the dome temp was much lower than the grid temp, and the fire to maintain 225 at the grid was very hot. as the cook went on the temps had huge fluctuations and about half way the temps inverted with the dome now being hotter. i kept the brisket pretty much in stable temps of about 225, but the pork cooking temps were all over the place. half way thru the cook i moved the lower brisket up one rack and the upper brisket down one rack.cooked with the fat caps down and these were the best briskets ive done so far. i think nature boy said it right with the heat from the barrier maybe being the problem, the fire needed to get all that meat mass up to temps is big and your thermal barrier would be hotter than usual.

Unknown

Nature Boy,[p]I am soooo happy you wrote this because I see all sorts of stacking methods that look so easy but in reality you have to be very careful of what meat is getting what amnount of heat. Probably okay with butts as that is the most forgiving meat having so much fat but ribs and brisket, expecially brisket, tends to be a little more demanding. Also, it's nice to cook ribs at multiple levels but what happens the last hour when they need to lay flat over direct heat? Tends to be more difficult. Gets real messy