Using the Eggfest 2000 Brisket recipe

Hustling Hare · April 2005

I'm not terribly new to my egg, having owned it for 2 years. New to the forum, however. I've never had great luck doing brisket on the egg but have a picnic tomorrow for which I wanted to cook one. I chose Nature Boy's recipe from the web site and have followed it pretty well. He reports about 2.5 hr/lb. cooking at about 250 deg. For my 10 lb brisket that would be over 25 hrs but here I am with a brisket registering 194 deg at 5 hours into the cook. He says if the fork turns it's done...it doesn't. I just checked and my thermometer is about 10 degrees low so I am cooking at 260-265. Also, I used the plate setter to hold the drip pan and elevate the grill. I recall reading on the forum about a temperature plateau but it never happened. [p]My question, how do I get that sucker tender? Have I violated something? For now, I am reducing temperature a bunch and hoping it cooks even slower for the night.

Citizen Q · April 2005

Hustling Hare,
Is your meat thermometer calibrated? Make sure that it is right in the middle of the brisket, you could be reading from too close to the outside of the meat. [p]Cheers,
C~Q

Hustling Hare · April 2005

Citizen Q,
While I was waiting for a response from another night owl, I went outside and adjusted the sensor. I was apparently in the fat layer in the middle of the thickest portion. When I moved the sensor down into the middle of the thinner but lean end the temperature reduced to 189 from 200 in the other area. I haven't calibrated the meat thermometer but with chickens, etc. it appears to be right on in terms or indicating doneness.

Hustling Hare · April 2005

Citizen Q,
I'm still concerned about the disconnect between my being almost done at 6 hours when the recipe predicted some 25 hrs of cooking. I did research the other recipes and they all cook for about what I am experiencing in terms of temperature but they don't say anything about the fork tender state that was predicted in the recipe.

Unknown · April 2005

Hustling Hare,
That still don't sound right. I'd check it against boiling water. If you are positive that your dome was under 265, there's no reason a 10 pound brisket should be that hot 5 hours in. [p]Cheers,
C~Q

Hustling Hare · April 2005

C~Q, I did just pull it out and check it. It red a hair over 200 in sea level boiling water so it would be about 10 deg low. I monitored temp regularly and I never read over 260 and usually held 250-255 so for most of the time I think 265 is accurate.

Unknown · April 2005

Hustling Hare,
That's the dome thermometer, right? How about the meat themometer, did you check that too?[p]If the meat is reading accurate, one suggestion might be to wrap that brisket up tight in saran wrap, then wrap it tight in foil and try holding it overnight in the Egg at 200-210 to give that thing some time to tenderize. I'm sure you'll get a few more suggestions by morning. [p]Good Luck,
C~Q

Hustling Hare · April 2005

C~Q,
Right, I checked the dome thermometer. Haven't checked the meat thermometer in boiling water yet. After this is over, I'll do that.

Nature Boy · April 2005

Mornin' Hustling Hare,
Sounds like you are hustling along indeed. 265 is purty hot, and while I do things a little differently 5 years after I submitted that recipe, the principal is the same. The goal being to cook at the temp that holds the brisket in the 150-170 range as long as possible until it gives up and gits tender. The fact that you reached 194 last night is not a great sign....but how did the rest of the night go? [p]If I were writing the recipe today, the main difference would be to cook at 215-220 at the cooking level. What your dome reads is really not that important. For me I need to cook at higher than 250 dome for the first few hours in order to maintain 215 where the meat is. Then when the meat heats up the dome/cooking temps equal out and I usually end up around 225 dome for the rest of the cook. Each setup is different, each fire is different, so I have found the most predictable results can be had by strictly going by cooking level temps.[p]If you are cooking in the 215-220 range your brisket will hang in the 150-170 range for hours on end...which is when the tenderizin is goin on. Just cuz a brisket gets to 200 doesn't mean it will be fork tender. If your cooking temps are too hot, you will reach 200 before the collagen has had time to break down. No I know this is kinda long-winded...especially this early in the mornin, but sounds like you are in need of some info.[p]What is going on with the brisket right now at the Hare household?
Hope you were able to salvage!
Cheers
Chris

ranger ray · April 2005

Hustling Hare,
a red hair...aka rch... haven't heard that in a looong time...you must have an engineering background! lol...keep the faith ... your brisket will b great no matter what, after cooking it that long...

Hustling Hare · April 2005

Nature Boy,[p]I moved the meat temp sensor to a leaner part of the brisket and found the temp was about 10 deg cooler. I reduced the heat a little (that's hard) and kept cooking at about 7 1/2 hours even that had gone to 200 deg so, not wanting it to dry out I took it off, wrapped it in foil, put it in the referigerator, and went to bed. I plan to heat it up for the picnic this morning. [p]I did slice of a little of the edge and it is ok but not that twist-fork tender I was hoping for.[p]Relative to C-Q's query I tested the meat thermometer and it is dead on at 212 in boiling water.[p]It definitely sounds like you have evolved from the cook-at-a-minimum-of-250 I read in the recipe. Next time I'll try the lower cooking temp.

Hustling Hare · April 2005

ranger ray,[p]Definitely an engineering background but the name is my old CB handle dusted of after 30 years. Coming by that handle didn' have anything to do with engineering and is a bit long to bother with this late in life.

Nature Boy · April 2005

Hustling Hare,
Yeah, I have definitely changed up a bit, but even still....250 dome or more for the first several hours is almost always needed to keep the cooking level in the 215-220 range. There is a big difference between 250 and 265 though. You really need just enough heat to keep the brisket in the plateau without "pushing" it through before the tough stuff gets time to break down. BTW, this breakdown of connective tissue is what provides most of the moisture you end up with. I personally don't believe foil really does as much for mositure in the final product as cooking at the optimum temp.[p]Sounds like you are doing what many folks (including me) have done. You have learned a lot just by doing your first one![p]Sorry it did not work out as expected.
Chris

Charles in SC · April 2005

Hustling Hare,
I have read these posts so far and some things that seem to have been missed is that the cooking time for meat is generally determined by the thickness not the weight. I have cooked brisket from 190-450 with sucess ( I have two on now at 275) The internal temp you need will vary as to cooking temp and techinuqe from 194-210. It takes some experimentation do develop a style that works for you.
What you read on someone elses recipe should be used as a guide not as if it was set in stone because there are to many variables.[p]You must become one with your meat Grasshopper.

Nature Boy · April 2005

Charles in SC,
Only thing I have found is the cooking time is determined by the meat itself. Definitely more thickness than weight, but even more so is how much connective tissue does it have? How much internal fat? Prime cooks much faster than select. A lazy beast cooks faster than a hyperactive beast.[p]Good point about developing a style that works for you. BBQ is not about rules. I guess it is actually the opposite of "do-it-this-way". That's what makes it fun.[p]Off to become one with my meat! Beers to you.
Chris

JeffHughes · April 2005

Chop the flat and the point together and serve with a couple of sauces on the side.[p]Folks will think you are a BBQ genius.[p]Chris is correct(and has the awards to prove it) about each cook being a little different. Briskets are the hardest of the traditional BBQ cuts to master. Be sure you are starting with a quality grade like a choice CAB or better yet a prime grade brisket. [p]My family and friends enjoyed many chopped briskets before I produced one worthy of slicing...[p]Regards--Jeff

Hustling Hare · April 2005

Hustling Hare,[p]Just a follow up for all of you who helped or read this thread. I heated the brisket, sealed in foil, for about 2 hrs @ 250 deg in the oven this morning. Then carved it and went picnicing. Turned out to be very tender and reasonably moist. Flavor from the marinade and smoke was good. Its completely gone so I assume my fellow picnicers were happy with it. If I get a chance I will post before and after pictures.[p]Thanks to all on the forum for the support and suggestions.

Using the Eggfest 2000 Brisket recipe

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