Disapointing First brisket

hugewineo · September 2013

OK Pitmasters, I'm a bit depressed on my first brisket. It essentially turned out chewy and on the dry side and I honestly have no idea what I did wrong:

Process:

8 lb Brisket

Rub night before (typical brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt, chili powder, paprika mix)

Inject before putting it on grill. (Worcestershire, beef broth, onion powder, garlic powder)

Egg at 250ish with two chunks of pecan, two chunks of cherry

fat cap down

took from about 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM to get to 195

Took off wrapped and blanket for an hour

sliced and got the results in the pic.

Is this thing overcooked, undercooked, or what could I have done to make this think moist and looking better. This looks dark throughout, not evidence of a smoke ring and blah and dry...

Thanks for any insight...

nolaegghead · September 2013

I'm gonna say, if you just pulled it off at 195 without checking if it was tender, it's probably undercooked. Overcooked and it'll be falling apart like pulled pork. Also, you could have a "bad" chunk of brisket - bad usually means lean.

Tjcoley · September 2013

+1 with Nola. One of my extended family's favorite brisket's I cooked was overdone, and just fell apart. I wasn't happy with it at all, but they loved it and still talk about it a year later. Did the probe go in 'like butta' before you took it off at 195?

biznork · September 2013

Chewy is probably undercooked. Cooking brisket is bad for the ego.

hugewineo · September 2013

It went it fairly easily, maybe not butter, but close. Also, is undercooked brisket dry? Cause this stuff was pretty dry. And why was it so dark, where is the nice pink smoke rink with the lighter color meat?

SickEyeDiaz · September 2013

also agree with nola. If you did everything exactly as described, then I can't pinpoint exactly what you may have done wrong. My guess would be to blame it on a bad brisket.

Next time, maybe try the "Travis Method" (or whatever they call it) and see how that turns out. It should keep it moist no matter what.

Here's the link: http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1138233/brisket-how-i-do-it/p1

Terrebandit · September 2013

My first one was just like that. It was dry. I am going to foil my next one to hold the moisture better or do it using the Travis method. You are not alone!

Spaightlabs · September 2013

Where did ya get it and what was the grading?

SickEyeDiaz · September 2013

...also, I like to baste a brisket like a Thanksgiving turkey while it cooks. I don't know how much it helps or if it helps at all, but it makes me feel better!

FearlessTheEggNoob · September 2013

Mine came out similar to that today. Tasted okay, but not great. It was an HEB pre-marinated flat and trimmed out pretty lean like yours appears to be. I'm going to try it again with the same cut, but this time I plan to foil wrap when I get in the 170's and cut down on the salt and pepper. I probably should go with a full packer, but for $15 total cost I can afford to experiment.

SickEyeDiaz · September 2013

Experimenting is the only way to form a hypothesis. Go for it.

Don't forget to post results so we can learn too.

krames · September 2013

I have had issue with drier brisket in the past. I wrapped the last one in foil along with a splash of low sodium beef broth when it hit 155. It made all the difference!

jlsm · September 2013

Brisket is a crap shoot for me. I've had great ones and dry ones cooked exactly the same way. I think I'll try foiling the next time.

I've also found the best rub to be 2 parts kosher salt, 1 part pepper and 1 part sugar.

Black_Badger · September 2013

Pretty tough to diagnose from a pic, but one thing you might want to try next time is slicing a bit thinner. This is doubly important if you're on the slightly tough side.

What did you do with this brisket? Even a 'bad' one can be chopped, sauced, and turned into excellent sandwiches.

Good luck on the next one.

Cheers

B_B

Terrebandit · September 2013

When they are dry they are generally hard to slice thin as you suggest. This is because they want to crumble when cut.

nolaegghead · September 2013

All brisket are dry....the fat and gelatin make it seem moist. If you don't get that collagen and connective tissue broken down (into gelatin), they seem tough and dry.

Dfishel · September 2013

You should always cook your brisket with the fat cap up, not down. This allows the fat to drip through and helps keep it moist.

s_austin_egger · September 2013

My guess is undercooked. Mine took several hours to go from 190 to 200+ and that was the time when it got tender and moist.

gerhardk · September 2013

I cooked an 8 pounder today as well, it went 11 hours. Ten hours into the cook it showed 195ºF but the fork needed a hard push to penetrate an hour later it felt right with the internal temperature of 201ºF. I think if I had pulled it at 195 my experience would have been similar to yours. We packed it in a cooler and took it with us to my wife's sisters place and fed 12 folks, it was the hit of the meal. No injections, basting just Worcestershire sauce and Dizzy Pig rub. Cherie thought it was the best brisket yet, probably make one every 6 to 8 weeks.

Gerhard

KennyLee · September 2013

Dfishel said:

You should always cook your brisket with the fat cap up, not down. This allows the fat to drip through and helps keep it moist.

+1. Putting the fat cap down puts you at a disadvantage from the beginning.

Disapointing First brisket

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