Memorial Day Brisket Disaster.

lowandslow · May 2014

I smoked a small 7.5lb whole packer brisket on Memorial Day. Yes, it was a packer. I figured worse case scenario, the brisket would take a little over 11 hours at 1.5 hours per pound. I put the brisket on at 3am the night before and figured it would be finished no later than 2pm the next day, probably sooner.

I was using a Maverick probe and yes, I did test it in boiling water the day before to make sure it was accurate. The smoker temp was 250-275 for the entire cook. The next morning I woke up and the brisket was at 127 degrees. It crept up to 145, then down to 141 and stayed there for at least 4-5 hours. I then wrapped it in foil to get it through the stall but only got to 151. As 4pm came and went, the brisket was still holding in the 150's. Being that people were getting ready to leave in the next hour, I have to do the unthinkable. I threw it on the gas grill and heated it in the foil until it got to 195 degrees. It was OK at best and I was very disappointed.

What happened? How could a 7.5lb brisket be on the smoker for 13 hours and not be done? (I did not open the smoker much either)

ChokeOnSmoke · May 2014

You said you checked your thermometer, but it being inaccurate/malfunction is the only thing that makes sense based on that amount of time and the size of the brisket.

Do you retest the maverick after the cook?

SoCalTim · May 2014

I don't have an answer for you. All I can say is with friends & family there that sure sucks.I think we've all been in your shoes in one way or another. Sorry brother.

SGH · May 2014

@lowandslow‌
Sir you do have a mystery that has stumped me and has me curious. I would like if I may to ask you a few questions that may help shine some light on the problem at hand and help us reach the correct answer as to why it took so long to cook.
First. Are you absolutely sure you was cooking at 250-275 from the onset until you finally pulled it.
Second. Are you more than confident that the printed weight was correct and not a typo. It does happen from time to time. Not often but again it does happen.
Third. Was the meat frozen or semi frozen?
Fourth. Are you certain that you had a brisket? I can't help but to wonder if you had a beef clod that had been mislabled. Again mistakes can and do happen on the packing end. If you are not certain google a image of a beef clod and see if the cut of meat looks more like what you had.
There is a answer to your problem and if I can't help you figure it out I know a few people that I can ask who I am sure can give us the correct answers. If you will answer the questions above I will find the answer to your problem. It may be late tonight before I can respond as I really have my hands full today but I will get back to you when time allows and help you figure this out my friend.

saluki2007 · May 2014

Where you using the Maverick probe for the meat or to check the dome temp? If meat, when was the last time you check your dome thermo?

Biggreenpharmacist · May 2014

I was wondering if maybe your maverick wires were exposed and possible fried during the cook and you didn't realize? Like the above poster asked, did you re-check your maverick temp after the cook with boiling water?

westernbbq · May 2014

Brisket scared me until I got a BGE and a BBQ Guru with the DigiQ. Guru is spensive but well worth the money as it maintains a steady temperature for, well, forever. From what you've described, I can only think that the dome gauge was off. I would double check the dome thermometer accuracy. If it's off by as little as 10%, that can make a huge difference in cooking.

I cook whole packer trimmed briskets until they break down- BGE oven temp of 210 degrees for at least 1.5 hours per lb. I've got a butcher that sources briskets of at least 15 lbs and most of the time they are 17 lbs plus. That means I usually cook at 210 for 26 hrs and thanks to the efficiency of the BGE, adding fuel during the cook is never a problem. With about 4 hrs left, I do the Texas crutch, even though I live in AZ, and then pour some dark beer over it, some of the pan drippings and a little more dry rub, and seal it up tight and leave it on the BGE. Then, I take it out and let it sit for at least an hour. The longer it sits out, the better. It'll stay hot for a long time too.

Mine usually have a char crust on the outside, which carmelizes further with the crutch, and most of the fat renders out, I do trim quite a bit off and save the fat scraps for homemade hamburger, and the brisket has nice chew, moisture and flavor. I won't win any bbq contests with it because it's probably too tender but I am not into the contestant type standards. I just want to enjoy my food.

grege345 · May 2014

Alright I'm just going to ask. This may sound crazy but any chance that maverick was in Celsius? I've made that mistake before since the sync button is the same button as the F&C

NPHuskerFL · May 2014

grege345 said:
Alright I'm just going to ask. This may sound crazy but any chance that maverick was in Celsius? I've made that mistake before since the sync button is the same button as the F&C

8-} I guess it's possible but, a brisky at 151℉ would be somewhat flexible. At 303 not so much. Even with a brand new Stoker I double check with my Thermapen. Lesson learned. It happens to us ALL.

grege345 · May 2014

@NPHuskerFL‌ your right and I was thinking the same thing. However he said when he woke up it was 127 degrees. That would be around 260 degrees. He also said he put it on at 3am. Lets assume he woke up at 8 am (slacker) that would be 5 hours. Even a big brisket can get up to stall temp in 5 hours ( 140 range). I'm just thinking out of the box here. I like mysteries

NPHuskerFL · May 2014

@grege345 ya I get that. I had an Epic fail on a brisky. I had overslept and woke up to the flat temping at 212℉. Lesson learned. Like I said it happens to everybody. Doesn't make it any less painful especially with the cost of the brisky, the time spent preparing it and smoking it and then having a disappointing end result (couple that with if you have guests»»»it sucks). You just have to learn from it and move on. FWIW.

Memorial Day Brisket Disaster.

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