Tender Brisket Cook Time

Unknown

I have done two briskets that had a lot of flavor but not the tenderness I am seeking...I guess all my pork butts have me spoiled...[p]I have cooked them both to around 200 degrees but both times the cook took longer than 2hrs/lb.[p]I am educated about burning fat, achieving plateaus, and collagen breakdown...[p]Am I cooking too long? How can I get an extremely tender brisket?

Citizen Q

Dr. No,[p]What size brisket's are you doing? Are they whole packer trim's with a good fat cap or are they trimmed clean at the market?[p]C~Q

Unknown

Citizen Q,[p]They are packer with fat cap...they have been between 6-8 lbs.[p]THanks...Dr. No

Unknown

Dr. No,[p]
Some people foil their brisket just a bit towards the end of the cook to make them more tender. If you leave it in the foil too long, it will be more like a pot roast but if you do it just right then your not too tough and not too pot roast like. I tend to put mine in foil for maybe an hour at the end of the cook. That seems to be just the right tenderness for me of course it all depends on the temp and the size of the brisket. It's just a thought, but you might experiment with that method.[p]DF

ChrisC

Dr. No,[p]Not sure if this helps but I just finished cooking an 8# brisket - went 12 hours at 225-240 grid temp, indirect to an internal of 185. Pulled, wrapped in foil back on for another hours. Pulled, rested in a cooler and sliced after one hour rest - very tender and juicy.[p]That being said - everything I have read says it might come out totally different next time.[p]Good luck and keep trying, [p]Chris

Citizen Q

Dr. No,
6 to 8 lbs, I suspect that they are flat cuts and I see from down below that you cook between 225 and 250. That is a little smaller and hotter than the ones I do, but let's see if we can't figure this one out. Brisket is far less forgiving than pork shoulder, the fat isn't as evenly distributed. I only do whole brisket with the fat cap and point attached. Usually no smaller than 12 lbs, but prefer bigger, I love my Food Saver. Cooked indirect in a v-rack over firebricks and a drip pan, 200 degree dome temp. I find that hrs/lb is completely irrelevant at this temp, a 12 pounder might finish off as quickly as 18 hours or over 20 and an 18 pounder might take as long as 23 hours or as quick as 20, so I try to best guess within a 3 hour range between 18 and 23 hours. The longest cook I ever did was two 11 lb shoulders and an 18 lb brisket for 24 1/2 hours, all came out together, perfect.[p]With shoulders I might bump the temp up to 250 or even 275 after coming out of the plateau if time is getting short and everything comes out fine, but I've done this with brisket and found the meat to be much tougher, like rump roast even after coming all the way up to 200 internal. I usually get a second plateau at about 180-185, at this point I'll bump the dome to no higher than 220, but have pulled the meat at 190 int with very good results. Best results are if I can get it all the way up to 200 at a dome temp of 200 and hold there for a half hour. Still, I find that sliced brisket always leaves some pieces wanting for moisture, so I prefer to shred it like pulled pork, that way the fat from the point gets evenly distributed with the drier flat. I hope this helps.[p]Cheers,
C~Q

Smokin Bob

Dr. No,[p]Don't go to 200. Pull around 185 and you'll notice a BIG difference in moisture/tenderness![p]B o B

RabbleRouser

Citizen Q,
I never heard of a second plateau until I read your responce. I believe I witness the same effect. My brisket (5lbs) was at 188% 11 hours into the cook and then dropped to 179% and stayed there for about an hour. I slowly pushed the dome up to 240% to speed things along and the brisket reached 194% at 13 and 1/2 hours. It had a pot roast type of texture and taste. It didn't seem friendly to pulling, so it was sliced thin. I keep wondering if that was a second plateau. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I think this was on the small size for that many hours.

Unknown

RabbleRouser,
If I wait out the second plateau, it's all good even if I pull it at 190 int, but everytime I rush it by bumping the dome, I get that chewy pot roast. It's still good and smokey, just not tender and it sticks in my teeth. I got a theory about brisket drying rapidly at temps above 212 (boiling point) so I try to avoid it as much as possible.[p]Cheers,
C~Q