I suck at brisket on the BGE

RooCeleste · January 2017

I'm about ready to throw my second attempt at brisket in the trash. We bought the BBQ Guru after being assured that it would make doing a good brisket so easy. Yeah, right. I didn't buy the Egg to simply heat hotdogs and wood fired pizzas but it's looking like that's all it can be used for.

We put a 3 pound brisket on at 225 degrees, with a temperature food probe in and the Guru installed. After almost 4 hours of cooking, the meat temperature had been holding at 155 degrees for over an hour and would NOT go higher. We upped the temp on the Guru to 240 degrees and finally the meat has gone up to 165, but it's been holding there for almost another hour.

How long is it going to take to cook 3 pounds of brisket? We are now looking at 5.5 hours. And we're in Texas where it was 75 degrees today so it's not like the weather caused problems.

Any ideas? Thanks!

dirty_denim86 · January 2017

Smaller pieces are tough to cook I haven't had much experience cooking smaller briskets but last time I did a smaller pork butt the cook times were off and took way longer than expected.

Looks like your piece is in the stall it'll push through it but if your in a rush you can foil it and bump up the temperature a bit.

RooCeleste · January 2017

I'm kind of in a dilemma in that case, then......I don't want to keep wasting money by getting meat that we aren't doing right, but I can't learn to do it right if we don't spend (and risk wasting) the money. I might just end up selling the Egg and sticking to my Lynx for all my grilling needs and just buy brisket whenever I want it.

RedSkip · January 2017

No way man, don't give up! Soon you'll be making brisket better than restaurant quality and you'll laugh at what you used to think was good Q.

There are plenty of folks here willing to help, buy a big brisket (7-14 lbs) and let folks know when and what method you plan to cook. The day before you'll have plenty of posts to push you through.

Dont sell the egg, unless you live near Pittsburgh PA. $450 cash no questions asked!

JRWhitee · January 2017

If you just want it to finish wrap it in foil and pull at 200 IT. If it sucks refrigerate it and tomorrow cut it up into bite size pieces and make chili. I have only made a flat once they are very difficult as there is not much fat. Make your next brisket a full packer.

yljkt · January 2017

So you bought the BBQ guru 2 years ago and are still fighting with brisket?

Hans61 · January 2017

Keep trying

Photo Egg · January 2017

Take some time and read through some of the posts on this forum. You will see amazing foods off all kinds being made. If your food is not coming out the way you like, sorry, but it's not the fault of the Egg. The Egg is only a cooker. You still have to have the skills ang knowledge to use it. Just like buying a fast does not make you a skilled rare car driver.
And if you live in Texas you should know 3 pounds of meat is not a brisket. It's a small roast and very hard to cook because it is probably a small part of the leaner cut known as the "flat".
Take some time and read a little bit about how to cook a brisket. Buying an Egg or any cooker does not make you a pit master. Buying a Guru only helps you hold and tells temps. You still have to undestand cook times for what you are cooking.
Please don't give up before you give yourself time to learn and ENYOY cookin.

RooCeleste · January 2017

yljkt said:

So you bought the BBQ guru 2 years ago and are still fighting with brisket?

We've had the thing for at least two years and my husband never installed it. I got sick of seeing $250 sitting in a closet so I told him he either was going to use it this weekend or I was giving it away. This is only the second brisket we've ever done.....the first one before the Guru, and it sucked, and so we bought the Guru specifically for that purpose.

ColtsFan · January 2017

For the record, I've tried 4-5 briskets. They're mediocre at best, but each one is a bit better than the last. But I've never had bad chili made from my briskets..... Glass half full approach

MaC122 · January 2017

I suck at the flat. The point, however, comes out much better. The flat is always dry no matter what time, temp, or probing. Ill keep on trying, but I am getting better at it. I'm gonna start spraying it with cider vinegar as I heard that helps. Good luck!

Shineristhewiser · January 2017

Took me a long time before I figured brisket out. Get a larger packer brisket and trim it up well. Then make sure you put it on fat side down. I wrap mine in butcher paper when it hits the stall and gets that nice mahogany color to it. Take it off at 195-200, throw it in a cooler for 3 hours. Also, I cook my brisket at 260-275.

RooCeleste · January 2017

ColtsFan said:

For the record, I've tried 4-5 briskets. They're mediocre at best, but each one is a bit better than the last. But I've never had bad chili made from my briskets..... Glass half full approach

I live in Austin so if I can't learn to do it really good, I'll just let Aaron Franklin cook it (or any of the plethora of other places around here) and I'll just buy it from him. At least we can do a good pork loin and pizza on the Egg. :-/ And good idea on the chili.

RedSkip · January 2017

@RooCeleste

Maybe you should ask your hubby to retire from the Pit duties and you take it up as a hobby. Seems you're more interested than he is. 2 years "at least" and never try the controller is baffling to me.

Check out the posts on the main forum about "SRF Brisket", they are up there weekly have tons of great info. Read a bunch, you'll be the best Pit Master soon, best of luck and don't give up!

BTW, sorry for calling you a man in my previous post, I made a poor assumption - my bad.

Shineristhewiser · January 2017

I'm a Texan as well, what part do you live?

bigbadben · January 2017

Ok here is my $0.02.

Cooking meat is more about the cross section thickness than total weight. A 3 lbs flat could be the same thickness as a 10 lbs flat depending on how they are cut. The way energy penetrates the meat, all that matters is thickness, NOT total weight.

I think the OP is on the right track. Let it ride. I would wrap it in foil with beer and honey. Check for probe tender starting at 200 F. You have hit the stall. Read up about the stall on amazingribs.com.

blind99 · January 2017

3 lbs is a flat. flats suck. by suck, i mean that they cause us all horrible failure.

buy a whole packer. much easier beast to deal with. if @lousubcap can walk an idiot like me through it, you'll be turning out killer q in no time.

danv23 · January 2017

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1152191/my-brisket-story-i-feel-like-a-pro

bgebrent · January 2017

blind99 said:

3 lbs is a flat. flats suck. by suck, i mean that they cause us all horrible failure.

buy a whole packer. much easier beast to deal with. if @lousubcap can walk an idiot like me through it, you'll be turning out killer q in no time.

Troof. Flat's are best made for curing and making corned beef.

RooCeleste · January 2017

Photo Egg said:

Take some time and read through some of the posts on this forum. You will see amazing foods off all kinds being made. If your food is not coming out the way you like, sorry, but it's not the fault of the Egg. The Egg is only a cooker. You still have to have the skills ang knowledge to use it. Just like buying a fast does not make you a skilled rare car driver.
And if you live in Texas you should know 3 pounds of meat is not a brisket. It's a small roast and very hard to cook because it is probably a small part of the leaner cut known as the "flat".
Take some time and read a little bit about how to cook a brisket. Buying an Egg or any cooker does not make you a pit master. Buying a Guru only helps you hold and tells temps. You still have to undestand cook times for what you are cooking.
Please don't give up before you give yourself time to learn and ENYOY cookin.

As I replied to someone, we have done good pork loins and pizza on the Egg but brisket has been a PIA. I wasted $40 the first time on an unedible piece of meat and I don't want to keep doing that, so I got a smaller one this time. And we initially bought the Guru because the Egg temp would skyrocket regardless of how we had it set, so we thought the Guru would keep it low and let us cook slow.

And I DO read these posts ad nauseum, for years, and I even got step-by-step instructions on how to do this today from a guy who uses the Egg regularly and who wins BBQ cookoffs here in Austin. I have cooked for decades and I understand cook times/heat and the differences in different meats. I followed instructions to a tee .....and still, after over 2 hours per pound, the thing wasn't anywhere near 190*.

We just pulled it off, wrapped it in butcher paper, and will see what it's like in a bit. I'm sure my dog will enjoy it, fully cooked or not!

RooCeleste · January 2017

Shineristhewiser said:

I'm a Texan as well, what part do you live?

NW suburb of Austin, Cedar Park. You?

ColtsFan · January 2017

Here's my go to brisket chili. There's a thread on here referencing it too
http://itsmyrub.com/award-winning-smoked-brisket-chili/

RooCeleste · January 2017

MaC122 said:

I suck at the flat. The point, however, comes out much better. The flat is always dry no matter what time, temp, or probing. Ill keep on trying, but I am getting better at it. I'm gonna start spraying it with cider vinegar as I heard that helps. Good luck!

This was a point from HEB. I thought about the flat but it was thicker and I thought it might take longer, so I went with the small point.

Biggreenpharmacist · January 2017

I bet it turns out fine.

bigalsworth · January 2017

so the problem is that it is taking longer than you think it should? how does that equate to it being ruined? be patient, it will get there eventually and should taste fine. Everything I cook takes longer than what most people post about, I have just cooked enough with my egg to know this and start earlier. The best part about starting early is that if something does happen and you finish early you just FTC and you are good to go. I don't think you are doing anything wrong, only being impatient.

travisstrick · January 2017

Never buy a brisket under 10lbs. You are wasting your time otherwise.

Go go to H-E-B and get a fat packer. Cook it between 200 and 400 until its soft. It's really that easy.

nolaegghead · January 2017

I would give up. Seems like brisket cooks = unhappiness. Ain't nobody got time for that.

RooCeleste · January 2017

travisstrick said:

Never buy a brisket under 10lbs. You are wasting your time otherwise.

Go go to H-E-B and get a fat packer. Cook it between 200 and 400 until its soft. It's really that easy.

I guess I'm gonna have to do that, even though we'll be eating meat for weeks and weeks. haha

bigalsworth said:

so the problem is that it is taking longer than you think it should? how does that equate to it being ruined? be patient, it will get there eventually and should taste fine. Everything I cook takes longer than what most people post about, I have just cooked enough with my egg to know this and start earlier. The best part about starting early is that if something does happen and you finish early you just FTC and you are good to go. I don't think you are doing anything wrong, only being impatient.

And yes, I had planned to have it for dinner tonight with our black-eyed peas and cabbage, and ALL the posts I read (here and other articles) said to estimate an hour and 15 minutes per pound, so I did. When it got to more than 2 hours per pound, I said "screw it" and pulled it off. It's past dinner time and is now gym and dog-walk time, so it's just gotta be what it is. We will eat cabbage and peas and some smoked sausage from a local smokehouse.

nolaegghead · January 2017

Life is too short.

DMW · January 2017

nolaegghead said:

I would give up. Seems like brisket cooks = unhappiness. Ain't nobody got time for that.

Agree, and events where folks gather to cook brisket bring unending unhappiness. And occasionally, cracked ribs.

Wolfie51sb · January 2017

My opinion is if your goal is to put something on the BGE knowing it will be done in exactly x hours, then you're correct, you should not cook brisket. It sounds by the tone of your posts that you've already resigned yourself to believing this latest effort isn't going to be good. Why put yourself through the angst?

I suck at brisket on the BGE

Comments

Cumming, GA

Eggs - XL, L, Small

Gasser - Weber Summit 6 Burner

Categories