SNF Brisket this weekend

Captpablo · October 2015

Between work travel and other obligations my egg has not been used as much as I would have liked the past few months. In my fridge is a 15.5LB SNF packer ready to hit the egg tomorrow for a party Saturday @ 2pm. Going to keep it simple, 50/50 S&P at 250/275 over Rockwood and Oak. For those that have cooked a SNF brisket, should I allow an hour per LB give or take? I know they are all different. Worst case I'll seal it up in my Yeti. I've read that they may start to be done around 180 degrees. My plan was to wrap it in butcher paper at 180 and finish it off. Would love some feedback.

lousubcap · October 2015

Assuming you are cooking SRF brisket, my recent experience is around 0.75 hrs/lb at a calibrated dome of 260-280*F. The post-trim weights have been in the 10-13 lb range. I plan for an hour/lb and end up with a good long FTC. Of course if I plan for the 0.75 I'll end up getting hosed by the cow

. I have had the SRF's finish anywhere from 187-203*F. Make sure you have a good sized air-gapped drip pan as there is a lot of rendering even with decent trimming of the brisket. Great cook and eats await.

Tinyfish · October 2015

Thats going to be delicious.

msloan · October 2015

no the SNF briskets are not done at 180.....well technically they are safe to eat, but not done from the standpoint of what you expect a brisket to be.

no worries about 180, keep going.

Captpablo · October 2015

Awesome. This helps a ton! I'll take some photos and post them as it goes. Hopefully I won't consume too much of the brown stuff.

lousubcap · October 2015

Don't know the size of your BGE but if other than an XL, drape it over a foiled brick or rib-rack ttil shrinkage enables it to lay flat on the grate. And foil protect (double-layer) any part that may overhang the heat deflector. While on it-cut a notch cross-grain in the flat before you start the cook so you know how to slice once the meteorite is formed. I run point to the back (just to the right of high -noon) as that is the hottest part of the BGE (an air-flow deal). And I'm in the fat cap down club. Enjoy the journey.
Finish-line is when the thickest part of the flat probes "like buttah" independent of temperature in the flat or point or anywhere else on the cow. FWIW-

Captpablo · October 2015

I've got a large...I'm not going to trim it much unless I see a big chuck. It looks like it will just fit. Plan to cover edges with foil.

cazzy · October 2015

msloan said:

no the SNF briskets are not done at 180.....well technically they are safe to eat, but not done from the standpoint of what you expect a brisket to be.

no worries about 180, keep going.

Several people who make SRF briskets pull it off in the 180 range. These are typically done before standard briskets, so you definitely want to start probing for tenderness when it hits 180.

SGH · October 2015

cazzy said:
Several people who make SRF briskets pull it off in the 180 range. These are typically done before standard briskets, so you definitely want to start probing for tenderness when it hits 180.

Cazzy is telling you correct above. I pulled a monster at 187 that was absolutely perfect. It could not have been any better if one of the Brisket Gods had cooked it themselves. I pulled a smaller one at 183 that was perfect as well. Now this doesn't mean that yours will be done at these temps, it could be a little higher or lower. Pull the brisket when it jiggles like J Lows butt, not by temp. Just to repeat what Caz already said above, Wagyu is typically done before select, choice and even prime. Only Akaushi grade cooks as fast as Wagyu. This not sentiment my friend, it's absolute fact.

Thatgrimguy · October 2015

@JohnInCarolina cooked a perfect one at Brisket Camp last weekend. I wonder what temp that one was when he pulled it.

4Runner · October 2015

I have done several and all were pulled below 190.

SGH · October 2015

4Runner said:

I have done several and all were pulled below 190.

This is spot on with my findings thus far as well. They have all been done before 190. As a test, I have intentionally cooked one to 200 degrees just to see if you will. While it was still outstanding, it was a little "tighter" than I like. You could no question tell a difference. There is a huge temp window with Wagyu where there is only a very, very small window with select and choice. However I like to catch that window as soon as possible. Even with Waygu.

GATraveller · October 2015

Everyone is correct with the above statements......start probing it @ 180. As far as wrapping - IMO you are wasting your time putting it in paper. Others opinions may vary.

lousubcap · October 2015

As I noted above, I have had the SRF black (haven't been in the rarified gold atmosphere) finish anywhere from 187-203*F. Higher the grade the wider the finish window as mentioned by @SGH-thus easier to hit the target. I am slumming with a CAB on Sunday-but like @SGH says, "beats no brisket at all" and he is definitely right, by several orders of magnitude.

msloan · October 2015

i've cooked em, i've gotten calls with em, and i've paid to learn about em at a professional cook school.

all of that adds up to me that I wouldnt even think about touching that brisket at 180 degrees. that's not close to where we take it.

and I'm talking about SNF wagyu.

but if you guys like em at 180 thats fabulous. there are no rules.

cazzy · October 2015

msloan said:

i've cooked em, i've gotten calls with em, and i've paid to learn about em at a professional cook school.

all of that adds up to me that I wouldnt even think about touching that brisket at 180 degrees. that's not close to where we take it.

and I'm talking about SNF wagyu.

but if you guys like em at 180 thats fabulous. there are no rules.

We could all be wrong.

Really though, it's an observation a lot of us have made when cooking SRF briskets. I wouldn't think of checking a standard brisket in that range, but pulling SRF in the 180 internal range is fairly common on this forum.

cazzy · October 2015

I've only done about a 100-150 briskets, but @SGH prolly has about 1,000 under his belt.

He's the type of guy that you paid to learn about cooking em. Just saying...food for thought.

msloan · October 2015

cazzy said:

I've only done about a 100-150 briskets, but @SGH prolly has about 1,000 under his belt.

He's the type of guy that you paid to learn about cooking em. Just saying...food for thought.

that's a fair statement and I appreciate the thought behind it......so let me use your exact same logic. the guy I learned from has been cooking briskets for over 40 years, has cooked several thousand of them, uses SRF briskets exclusively and has won over a million dollars cooking briskets and Q in general. His advice was to cook them well beyond 180. I ate what he cooked, it was jaw dropping.....I came home used his plan and have now gotten two calls in brisket since incorporating his advice into our strategy. for me that's pretty good food for thought as well.

but like I said earlier, if 180 is where it makes somebody else happy, that is great! no problem.....more than one thing can be true, especially in the crazy ass world of cooking BBQ. I'm just trying to participate in the conversation.

lousubcap · October 2015

@msloan - I'm confident those who cook briskets on a fairly regular basis are looking for the "feel" to declare victory. And with the higher end cuts at times it has been achieved at a temperature where you wouldn't expect it. As you note-the cow always wins.
Congrats on your successes.

cazzy · October 2015

msloan said:

cazzy said:

I've only done about a 100-150 briskets, but @SGH prolly has about 1,000 under his belt.

He's the type of guy that you paid to learn about cooking em. Just saying...food for thought.

that's a fair statement and I appreciate the thought behind it......so let me use your exact same logic. the guy I learned from has been cooking briskets for over 40 years, has cooked several thousand of them, uses SRF briskets exclusively and has won over a million dollars cooking briskets and Q in general. His advice was to cook them well beyond 180. I ate what he cooked, it was jaw dropping.....I came home used his plan and have now gotten two calls in brisket since incorporating his advice into our strategy. for me that's pretty good food for thought as well.

but like I said earlier, if 180 is where it makes somebody else happy, that is great! no problem.....more than one thing can be true, especially in the crazy ass world of cooking BBQ. I'm just trying to participate in the conversation.

Congrats on the calls!! Sounds like you've come a long way since making your first brisket last May. Big props to you for that!

I don't think anyone in the non millionaire camp is suggesting to pull at 180. We start checking at 180. The finished temp could be 188 or 195, but ultimately it is done when it's done. For non wagyu, I recommend to start checking for tenderness at 195.

Personally, I don't probe my briskets anymore. It's all done by feel these days....

Good discission either way, thanks for participating. Always good to see different viewpoints on BBQ.

GATraveller · October 2015

From my understanding no one said it would be done at 180......they just stated that the OP would be wise to start probing around 180. If it probes like it should in that ball park why would you keep cooking? Did you learn a secret from brisket yoda that you're not sharing?

msloan · October 2015

i dont think I learned any secrets.....just more of a peak behind the curtain..

msloan · October 2015

a good portion of these conversations are helpful and then a good portion of them are a waste of time because there are multiple ways to cook a brisket or any food that makes it great to eat.

but whether its discussions on cooking, fishing, playing music, buying music or what's the latest greatest TV, it's real hard to judge online opinions.

especially when it comes to food.....how do any of you guys have any real way to judge my abilities, thus lending credence to my opinion? conversely, the same can be said when I consider your opinions....honestly, unless you have eaten my food or I have eaten yours, who knows what they are talking about.

I suppose you could place a bit of value if one were operating a successful restaurant or tearing up the KCBS circuit, but outside of that or tasting food, for all I know we may all be full of ****.

GATraveller · October 2015

True. I would never come to this site searching for a cook then go with the first method/thread I see. I research. After a while you get to know (by seeing their results) who knows what their doing and who may not. Yes - there are a million ways to reach good Q but only one finish line.

bo31210 · October 2015

This one time....at brisket camp....

wait wrong thread

4Runner · October 2015

What if we stop taking the internal temp and go by feel? Then we all are right.

lousubcap · October 2015

@4Runner - Great point but I have accumulated too many laps of the sun to trust what were my youthful feel skills anymore...And we will leave it at that

Captpablo · October 2015

Brisket is like pizza. Everyone has something they like. Neither is wrong. I think most folks are looking for some courage and tips from the gurus. BTW I put my brisket on about 7est. Hovering around 255 dome. I wish I could bottle the smell.......thanks for the guidance.

SGH · October 2015

GATraveller said:

From my understanding no one said it would be done at 180......they just stated that the OP would be wise to start probing around 180.

You are correct sir. No one suggested that it would be done at 180 degrees. It was mentioned that most of us has seen gold grade done in the 180's, not at 180. This is part of what starts heated arguments at times. Folks taking what others have said out of context when they are only offering honest opinions based on personal experience. From your response above, you obviously took the time to actually read what was written. Someone mentioned that they cook their Wagyu to a much higher temp, this is perfectly fine as Wagyu has a very large window. I mentioned above that I purposely cooked one to 200 as simply a test. The results were still spectacular. Again due to Wagyus large window. The biggest difference being the final texture. I prefer the ones caught and pulled when the brisket first turns loose. Again, this is usually somewhere in the 180's from what myself and others have seen. At the end of the day, everyone should cook it how they like it. Those of us offering advice do so with the intent to help and point out things than can and will help someone who is attempting it for the first time.

SGH · October 2015

cazzy said:

Personally, I don't probe my briskets anymore. It's all done by feel these days....

Agree 100%^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^. After i pull them i take a internal temp for info only.

nolaegghead · October 2015

By "probing", you mean stabbing with a stick? I do that. I stop checking the temp after 185F. I'm not cool enough just to jiggle it and tell if it's done.

SNF Brisket this weekend

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