Pray to the Brisket gods for me

TheShaytoon

Like an idiot I've invited 20 people to the house tonight for a little BBQ party.  And i decided to make a brisket. A 17lb'er Angus Choice from RD.  

I've never made a killer brisket, they just don't have the right texture...I need a miracle!

Salt, Pepper, Paprika, Ancho, and a little roasted garlic powder...Humming at 250 via the CyberQ.  But damn if it doesn't look good!

Monaarts

I've not made a brisket yet either...  I plan on doing one in the next couple of weeks though.  

How long has it been on for?

lousubcap

You've got this-just go by feel and don't slice (against the grain) til ready to eat.  Looks great so far.

TheShaytoon

@monaarts it's probably been 6 months. But it was not up to my standards. 

This one looks like it is coming along really well. 

johnkitchens

Let us know how it turns out. I am betting it will be great. 

TheShaytoon

How much money you got? For the right price, I'll screw it up on purpose. 

johnmitchell

That looks awesome..I am sure you will nail it...If not bring out the Tequila and rock on..Enjoy the party..

flyer_egger

Are you going to PAPER it for the last few hours?

TheShaytoon

I paper'd it.  FTCed it.  It was still CRAP.  I am a better egg'r than this.  I am PISSED!

Eggcelsior

Why was it crap? Cut shots?

johnmitchell

Sorry to hear...So did you bring out the tequila..

SGH

I have prayed to brisket gods many times. Sometimes they answer, sometimes they do not. Sometimes they are kind, sometimes they are cruel. They seem to bless and endow only a chosen few with their grace. They have yet to harken unto my call so I feel your pain. That said, what was wrong with your brisket?

TheShaytoon

It's dry/not pliable.  I was so disgusted that I didn't take cut pics.  Actually, I still have half the point, so I can take a picture of that!

The only thing that I can think of, is that maybe it is under-cooked...Kinda like if you cook ribs for 4 hours instead of 5.  They are a bit tough...

SGH

@TheShaytoon- I skimmed your notes above and didn't see any noted internal temps. For the most part I don't concern myself with them when cooking brisket, however if you know the pull temp in various places it may shed some light on what went amiss. That said, here are a few things I have noticed before. Tough and dry but not falling apart usually means that it was undercooked. Dry and falling apart is a tell tale sign of over cooking. For the record, you may have just got a poor quality brisket. There are some briskets out there of such poor quality that even the gods them self can't hit a home run with without injecting or boating somewhere in the cook with a liquid. This is not sentiment but absolute fact no matter which brisket God try's to refute it. Even their abilities have limits. A few questions. Did the brisket have good marbling? It's hard to tell with out a raw pic. How did the raw brisket feel? This is usually a good indicator of what you will end up with. Stiff and overly firm usually gives away the lack of marbling. Loose and floppy is a good sign of good marbling throughout. At any rate, sorry that is was not to your liking. Wish you better luck in the future. Maybe now the gods will have mercy harken unto you. 

TheShaytoon

@SGH I think it was under-cooked.  Last time I over cooked it, so this time I didn't let it go as long. 

I had the thermometer in it, and once it hit 175, I wrapped it in paper and let it cook another 2 hours.  I figured we would be at the ready stage at that point to FTC.  So I pulled, FTC'd for about 1 1/2 hours.  But it's hard to know where to stick the probe when it is all wrapped in paper.

I HATE using the old quality of meat as an excuse.  I know not all meat is the same, yet I don't like using it.  So I will try again.  And I am going to cook it longer...I've never had one that was dry and falling apart.  Maybe that's my big problem...they are always so dry, I always just thought I over cooked them....

SGH

TheShaytoon said:

I've never had one that was dry and falling apart. 

It's the falling apart or "crumbly" that screams overlooked except for only a few very rare circumstances. 99 percent of the time over cooking is the culprit when it will not stay together. The other 1 percent is a secret of the gods. Or so they think. Not sure where you are from, but if you are close to Biloxi, MS you are welcome to come by and watch me cook a Waygu Gold. I'm certainly not one of the gods, but I get luck every now and again. 

TheShaytoon

Thanks for the invite.  About 8 hours away...I'll try again and try to intentionally over cook it, maybe that will get me on track.  It's like that Hi-Lo game...

lousubcap

Just wonder if you used the "feel" to make the final call.  Granted it will definitely cook while wrapped in paper and an immediate FTC but at the end of the day -how did it probe in the thickest part of the flat?  That to me is the best finish-line indicator hands-down.  FWIW-

Chowman

I am no where as experienced as most everyone here , yet I feel the need to make some suggestions, since I have had pretty good luck. Either that or I'm just easier to please than you!  I wrap in foil and add a few ounces  of liquid of your choice.  Don't pull it until about 200 -205 IT (correct me here guys if you can please) AND it should be noticeably soft or it's too early.   I think you are right that it was too early this time.

TheShaytoon

Well, the brisket didn't come out great, but damn this pizza using the left over brisket was kill'ah, boyyyyyyyy!

cazzy

That's looks incredible.  Great crust and love the use of fresh mozz...oh and that brisket yo.  

EggPerfection

I stopped killing my briskets when I started treating it more like 3-2-1 ribs.  Instead it's 3-3. 3 smoke and 3/4 in cheap foil pan lifted out with a plate of the beer you pour in the bottom.  Cover or tent (all ends tucked) to recapture moisture and keep it low until 195 degrees or so.  There's room for error in the meat temp as long as you keep it covered.

TheShaytoon

Hey, the egg gives you a lemon, use the lemon to garnish a stiff drink; that's what my grandma used to say at least!

TheShaytoon

@EggPerfection
I can see your point, but if I didn't let the meat come up to temp, no matter how much liquid is under it, it still is undercooked.  I am going to try again, and cook the piss out of the next one...IT of at least 202.

Hotch

@TheShaytoon I have had my share of dry and tough briskets. I did figure a way to save them.

The last time I took it and put it in a disposable roasting pan. Opened the fridge to see what brews I had. Took out and poured 5 Fireman 4 in the pan. Heated the oven to 350 and let it go for a couple of hours.

SIL took it to the Firehouse to serve up for dinner. All said it was one of the best briskets they have had. That said you do loose the bark. But it will get tender and moist.

This is how most "Non BBQ Restaurants" make their Q. And smother with Q sauce.

It is one way to save the protein.

mtp

I pour a few cups of coffee in the foil when I wrap it and it always come out killer.  Low and slow with a pan of beer and no peaking let it cook

dstearn

My recommendation would be to let the brisket cook without wrapping it. Just set it and forget it until the internal temperature hits 200 and then use a thermapen to probe the flat for tenderness. Once the flat is probing like butter it should be ready. I could not tell by your pic if you had an internal meat probe or if it was a grid temp probe.
i have only cooked 4 briskets, the first was a disaster, the 2nd and 3rd were little better, The 4th was my first prime brisket and it was by far my best. 

TheShaytoon

I have a CyberQ, so I have a temp probe in the flat and point...

After I wrapped it, I didn't stick the probes in, and I think I took it off too soon. 

Funny thing, first thing I cooked L&S on the egg was a brisket.  It was freaking awesome...I looked at the wifey and said, "Brisket is so easy, we need to try something more complicated."  She still laughs at me everytime I try to cook a brisket.  

dstearn

No need to probe the point. Go by the internal temp at the thickest part of the flat. Need to cook to tenderness of the flat, Do you have a Thermapen? If not it is a great investment.

TheShaytoon

What's a thermapen? Just kidding...

So maybe this is part of the problem, by the time the thickest part of the flat is at 200, the end (thinner section) is a burnt piece of meat... I try to get  pretty consistent thickness, but seriously they are all a little thinner at the end...

andres1987

TheShaytoon said:

What's a thermapen? Just kidding...

So maybe this is part of the problem, by the time the thickest part of the flat is at 200, the end (thinner section) is a burnt piece of meat... I try to get  pretty consistent thickness, but seriously they are all a little thinner at the end...

don't worry about the thinnest part. chop it up and make sandwiches out of it. your problem is you're undercooking the brisket. the brisket has lots of connecting tissues and fat that need to render. they only render once you've cooked it long enough to hit an internal temp of at least 195. i've wrapped before but i haven't done it the last few times as i find my bark comes out a lot better. you're from Texas, so don't you even dare putting beer or coffee or anything else with the brisket. all you need is coarse salt and coarsely ground pepper, post oak smoke, your egg at 250*, and time. once you're getting close to 195*, check the brisket throughout with your thermometer and check for 1) internal temp and most importantly 2) how easy the probe goes into the meat. if it goes in like butter, you're done. wrap it up, put it in a cooler, and let it rest for a couple of hours at least. it will still be piping hot and juicy when you slice it a few hours later.