Dry Brisket

clemsontyger97 · July 2016

Cooked 2nd brisket the other day, and while the flavor was good, it was dry like the first one. Both times I went unwrapped from start to finish. I was in the 230-240 range on an 11lb whole brisket for roughly 12 hours. Bumped it to 275-280 for maybe the last hour because the clock was ticking on dinner.

* Both were Choice cuts (1st was 9.5 lbs, 2nd was a little over 11)
* Planned to wrap this one in butcher but as noted a few days ago I clearly had the wrong butcher paper so went unwrapped again. Will correct that paper for next time. May not be the culprit, but I'm wanting to try one in paper just to see what, if any, changes I get and how it compares.

Here's where I think I might be running into an issue, aside from the wrong butcher paper I tried with this one:

I have inserted meat probe into what I believe to be the thickest portion of the flat. What I noticed with this last one though is that when I started probing with my Thermoworks RTC600, my temps are lower by several degrees throughout the flat. Am I possibly undercooking it and causing it to be too dry? Some pics from Saturday...

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/go/1schmk8mz2ak.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/f9/z2a6jwcpv6ls.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/jq/kbduat3acuiz.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/65/z9l60kzu05e7.jpg

shucker · July 2016

looks undercooked to me. If its dry and not falling to pieces, its undercooked. If its dry and falling apart, its overcooked. In the pictures it sure looks like you were very close. If youre having trouble getting it right, try wrapping your next one in foil with a half cup of liquid like beef stock or beef comsumme. The "purists" will shun you, but you'll have a moist brisket.

shucker · July 2016

also, resting is a big key to moisture. looks like you may have sliced this one right off the egg. Next time plan your cook so you can get a couple hours at least rest time in some foil.

dldawes1 · July 2016

Do you know what temp it was when you sliced it? Did you FTC after pulling it off the egg?

Did it pass the "probe like butta" test before you pulled it off the egg?

May just be me, but I don't see much fat cap in your pics.

Scampy · July 2016

I cooked my first brisket this weekend and I sliced it more on the diagonal across the grain and it look horribly dry. I then sliced across to opposite diagonal and the meat was like butter easily pulling apart. I cooked it to 195 foiled it and put it in a cooler for several hours and then brought it back up to 175 before slicing and serving. It was fantastic.

clemsontyger97 · July 2016

dldawes1 said:

Do you know what temp it was when you sliced it? Did you FTC after pulling it off the egg?

Did it pass the "probe like butta" test before you pulled it off the egg?

May just be me, but I don't see much fat cap in your pics.

I've got it upside down in the pic...fat is actually on bottom the way I had resting.

I don't really think it ever probed quite like that in my opinion. I believe final temp was around 195-197.

@shucker FTC was exactly an hour. Would have liked for longer but was pushed for time. I had put the meat on later in morning assuming on the wrap speeding it along.

dldawes1 · July 2016

I have learned to go by "probe like butta" above target IT. I try to start checking at about 195 IT. Some briskets must go a bit higher to come out perfect (205-210).

Miked125 · July 2016

Ok I have been hit or miss with brisket, my flat is usually not prob tender but where the point and flat meet, the meat is prob tender? Do I keep cooking until the flat just before the point is probe tender?

Arkysmokin · July 2016

Everyone has their own preference when it comes to wrapping. I never wrap my briskets and they haven't came out dry yet. I start probing at 185 but I also always buy Prime.

smokeyw · July 2016

I find that most times, the brisket is not probe tender until 205+. I most often cook Wagyu.

msloan · July 2016

I think it's a combination of the brisket being a choice and not wrapping. go to costco and step up to a prime and then wrap after you get the color you want and your end result will improve.

johnnyp · July 2016

While every brisket is different, I've found that most of mine are 200+ before they go buttah

clemsontyger97 · July 2016

msloan said:

I think it's a combination of the brisket being a choice and not wrapping. go to costco and step up to a prime and then wrap after you get the color you want and your end result will improve.

About all I've been able to find around here so far is choice. Costco only sells flats in my area unfortunately.

nolaegghead · July 2016

Probe all over the flat. When it is like butter, everywhere, it's done. Take off immediately and let it cool on a cooling rack.

Don't worry about the point, it's going to be done, don't even bother checking it.

clemsontyger97 · July 2016

nolaegghead said:

Probe all over the flat. When it is like butter, everywhere, it's done. Take off immediately and let it cool on a cooling rack.

Don't worry about the point, it's going to be done, don't even bother checking it.

That's generally been one of my points of confusion as well is the cooling...whether to take it off, wrap it and go straight to cooler or let it cool for 20 minutes or so and then go to wrap and cooler. Definitely have been probing flat for sure. The thinnest portion of it was probing well, just not the thicker part of the flat.

buzd504 · July 2016

clemsontyger97 said:

nolaegghead said:

Probe all over the flat. When it is like butter, everywhere, it's done. Take off immediately and let it cool on a cooling rack.

Don't worry about the point, it's going to be done, don't even bother checking it.

That's generally been one of my points of confusion as well is the cooling...whether to take it off, wrap it and go straight to cooler or let it cool for 20 minutes or so and then go to wrap and cooler. Definitely have been probing flat for sure. The thinnest portion of it was probing well, just not the thicker part of the flat.

If you go straight to cooler, you will overcook it with carryover. IMO, the amount of cooling you want is dependent on how long you want to keep it in the cooler. If only an hour or two, then cool to 160-170. Longer than that, let it cool about 10 min or so on a rack.

I think brisket does best with about 2-3 hours in the cooler. I like to pull it a tad early and FTC right away and let the carryover finish it off.

smokeyw · July 2016

I always foil my briskets at about 165 internal temp. I cook to desired tenderness and then vent for 10 minutes or so. Then I rewrap and put it in the Cambro for at least 2 hours.

nolaegghead · July 2016

If it's done, you don't want it to keep cooking. To stop the cooking, it must cool. Also, cutting up 200F meat, besides it being to hot to eat, results in dryer meat.

Ideally, you want your brisket below 140F when you cut it, and cut it as you serve it. Pro-tip - spritz with some water or apple juice if it's too hot when you cut. It will help cool it down without getting that desiccated - dried out look.

The thicker part of the flat is usually the last hold out.

Now in your case, if you would have wrapped it in foil immediately after cooking and thrown in a cooler - it would have kept cooking and maybe that extra cooking would have finished making it tender. Who knows. There's a lot of guesswork involved when you count on it finishing in an FTC.

My recommendation is to take it off when done and let it stop cooking.

bhedges1987 · July 2016

Undercooked. I've don't think I've ever had a brisket finish in 1 hour per pound. Always at least 1.5 -2 for me. You said it was temping at 195-197. Though I agree with everyone saying don't go by temp. Mine never finish until most parts are at least 205. Some parts even read 210. I never even start probing until 200.

clemsontyger97 · July 2016

Thanks all. Definitely think temp is the primary culprit more than anything else. Next time I am not trusting what the meat probe reads and just going with the RTC600 readings throughout, and definitely giving myself more time to allow it to keep doing its thing.

One last question, if I may. If I do opt to wrap in butcher on the next one, and bring it off to let it cool before going to cooler...do I leave it wrapped in butcher or unwrap it, let it cool, then re-wrap and into towels and cooler?

Dry Brisket

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