First Brisket Attempt

xiphoid007

Well, tried the first attempt at brisket. I've had good success with turbo butt, so I was hoping to try a turbo brisket as well. My plan was to run at about 300 degrees until done. I went with just a simple Montreal steak seasoning rub with mustard, hickory wood. I got the grill stabilized at 300, kept it there pretty well. Maybe 20 deg in either direction. I was planning on foiling, but I wasn't happy with my bark at 150-160, so I just kept going without the crutch. I didn't have the probe in the best part, because when I probed it was still tough and other areas were still in the low 190's. After 3 temps up to 203, the last one yielded soft passage of the probe and around 200 everywhere.

Bark was awesome, but it was almost crunchy on the bottom and overall was dry. Smoke ring was ok. I only have a done whole pick, not a sliced pic, as the fam was over to help me eat the 12lbs of cow!

The point was awesome, but the flat was just dry. I'm looking for some pointers. I'm thinking hit the thickest part of the flat better next time, so less grill opening. Probably foil earlier and sacrifice some bark.

Is 300 just too hot? It took just under 9 hrs for 9lbs.

Still tasted awesome. A little sauce and its all good. The flat under the point was a little better overall. Does shape of the brisket matter?

I appreciate the help!

Chris_Wang

I think your cook temp and time is fine... Brisket is expensive already, but there's a lot to be said about getting a certified angus beef brisket. I think wrapping yours would have helped it retain the moisture. Based on the first picture, it looks like it is lacking a good solid fat cap. Based off the second picture, it already looks a bit dry on the grid.  Thermometers calibrated?  I'm sure it still tasted good, even though it was a bit dry. We are our own toughest critics...

xiphoid007

Thermos are good. Meat was high quality from a local butcher. I agree they may have trimmed excessively the fat. (The local butcher is good people, doesn't want people paying for fat.) Now that I know a little better I'll ask for a little more customization.

lousubcap

Don't know the ingredients of the Montreal steak rub you used but if it had a good amount of sugar that would add to the caramelized bark.  Beyond that, I have become a firm believer that the quality of the brisket after cook is directly proportional to the quality of the brisket going in. Sounds like that was not a factor here.

 I am not out trying to find a turbo brisket cook technique.  If for no other reason than each hunk of beef behaves so independently it would be too hard to make any meaningful cook conclusions based on how one behaved.  But that's just my story (opinion) and we all know what those are worth!

Regardless, enjoy the eats.

xiphoid007

No sugar. Just salt, pepper, and some other assorted spices. Mainly salt and pepper which was why I used it.

QDude

I have had great luck wrapping the brisket in butcher paper about half way thru the cook.  The one I did last weekend was unbelievably juicy with the drippings being captured in the paper.

cortguitarman

Mine last weekend was dry. It had the biggest point I've ever seen. I'll take pictures of it. I was going to chop it up, and still will, but I ended up with a fever and stomach issues by the time the brisket finished up. I felt so bad that I didn't really care about taking care of the point. It's in a bag in the fridge.

SaltySam

I'm 1 for 4 on briskets. The one I was happy with was a prime brisket, whereas the others were choice. I cooked all of them around 275-ish, and used cherry on two and hickory on the other. It wasn't the smoke, or the temp that made the difference. Overall, I think that the marbling on the prime cut made it more flavorful and tender. The other three I've done tasted good, but were dry. It's made me gun shy about doing another anytime soon. I've yet to try with butcher paper, but it sounds like that's the way to go.