HELP. I wanted to have brisket for supper not lunch.

fairchase · November 2012

I put a 13lb packer on this mourning at 1:30 @ 260 deg. grid via my auber.

This was my first at the higher temp . Usually my briskets were done around 1.5 hrs / lb.

My thinking was 1hr / lb. + 4 hrs ftc = 17 hrs. Eat at 6:30 pm put on at 1:30 am.

Well at 8:00 am I turned on my maverick ( probe was already in meat) , and wow 188 deg.. I started ramping down the egg temp , and am at 240 grid now at 9:00 am , but brisket is already at 193.

I could move chow time up to 5 , but how do I get to there. I don't think I can ftc this long. Can I foil it and hold it in the egg at 170 , or shuld I just plan on a reheat ( ugh I hate those ) ?

The Cen-Tex Smoker · November 2012

First- are you measuring in the flat? The point will come up to temp faster than the flat so you can get false readings if you measure in the point

If you are sure you are in the flat, just bump the dome down to 200 ish and it should take a few more hours for the brisket to come up to 200. If you can stall it out for another few hours, you should be fine FTC for 6 hours or even a little more. Lots of towels to keep it warm. I like mine after a several hour cooler hold so I think you are ok.

fairchase · December 2012

Sorry I forgot to reply back , but that usually means everything turned out ok ; which was the case here.

When the maverick hit 195 I opened the dome and checked in the middle of the flat with my thermopen. I could tell by the resistance it wasn't any where done. Only 175 ; I also moved my maverick probe and it started reading 175.

I upped the grid temp back to 250 and let it roll. At 1:35 it was fork tender , and 198. I ftc it in a preheated cooler full of towels until 7:00. It was still 165 when I sliced it.

Turned out great!

This is not the first time the maverick ( probes are correct) has said the food was ready before it actually was. My thinking here is that the heat transfer through the metal probe is cooking the meat inside , and giving higher temps than the rest of the meat.

Anyone else had trouble with this , or have any explainations ?

The Cen-Tex Smoker · December 2012

sounds to me like your maverick was in the point and your Thermapen was in the flat. the higher fat content in the point cooks way faster than the lean muscle of the flat so they can be 15-20 degrees off before the flat finally gives up and comes up to temp. I think it's the most common mistake brisket newbs make. They measure in the thickest part of the brisket, which is all fat and is actually done faster than the thinner parts (all muscle). it goes against everything we've ever learned about measuring temp in meat (always measure in the thickest part to ensure that all the other parts are done). Once you realize that you are dealing with 2 separate muscle groups in a whole brisket and one of them is completely different than the other, it starts to make a little more sense

newegg13 · December 2012

Good call CT. Fairchase, was the probe initially in the flat or the point?

fairchase · December 2012

The probe was in the flat. I have cooked many briskets , but this was my first at the higher temps. I definatly know the difference between the point and the flat.

As I said I have gotten these accelerated temperature readings before , not only with briskets but also with sausage and butts.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · December 2012

got it. mav thermos are not great. when in doubt, trust your thermapen

HELP. I wanted to have brisket for supper not lunch.

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