First Brisket- made great pot roast

Hank_Stamper

I got my egg three months ago and have been using it several times a week ever since.  I tried my first brisket recently, and on the plus side, it developed a delicious bark and smoke flavor.  The only catch was that it was overdone and tasted more like pot roast than brisket.  In fact, I used some of the leftovers for exactly that, and though it was delicious, that's not what I set out to do. 

I would appreciate some pointers about what I can do next time to avoid a similar fate. Here’s what I did:

(1) Seasoned the brisket the night before with Montreal steak rub. 

(2) Put it on the egg at 7:00 am at 230, controlled by the Flame Boss 100.  I did not put a drip pan underneath, instead just putting foil over the plate setter.

(3) Stuck two probes in the meat:  one at the thickest part; one on the thin side.

(4) At 6:45 pm, the temperature reading from the thick side was 185, while the temperature from the thin side was about 196.  The troops were growing restive, so I turned up the heat to 250 and then 270. 

(5) I pulled the egg at 7:45 pm when the thick part read 195 and the thin part read 205.

(6) I wrapped it in foil and a towel and put it in the cooler for 45 minutes.

(7) At 8:30, we enjoyed meat that tasted like pot roast with a gorgeous bark.

I did not foil it towards the end of the cook as many people suggest. 

Possible corrections for next time: 

(1)    Use a drip pan to keep it moist;

(2)    Use a Texas crutch and baste the meat after it comes out of the stall;

(3)    Focus on the temperature reading from the thin side, meaning I would have pulled it around 7:00, as opposed to 7:45 (with the last hour spent in a hotter egg).

Thanks for your help. 

Boileregger

I think the problem is that you went off the temp in the point.  You only need one probe in the flat (you call thin part) and that's what you should go by.  The point has a lot more fat so you don't need to worry about temp.

Start checking the flat for doneness around 195 by probing...it should be soft with little resistance.

lousubcap

^^^ this-the key to a brisket finish-line is the feel in the thickest part of the flat (I'm guessing what you consider the thin side).  When you get the "probes like buttah" feel in the thickest part you are there.  And again, pay no attention to the point (Thick part) as the high fat content means it can handle all the cook time it takes to get the flat to release.  Once there- give the brisket around 20-30 minutes rest on a cooling rack to stop the carry-over cooking and then FTC until ready to slice on demand and eat.  Give the Aaron Franklin youtube brisket video series a look for great tutorials on brisket.  Definitely demystifies the whole thing.

BTW-welcome aboard and enjoy the BGE journey.  Brisket cook-the most fun cook on a BGE.  FWIW-

Hank_Stamper

Thank you for the feedback.  To summarize:  flat = thin side; point = thick side.  Monitor the temperature only on the flat.  Had I done this, I would have pulled it around 7:00 pm, and the brisket probably would have been great.  But I focused on the temperature reading from the point and thus overcooked the brisket.  

I'll nail the next one.  Thanks.

lousubcap

Here's a pic that visualizes what you are working with:  This should help-and you've got this.  And the end-game is the feel-temp is only a guide to when to start checking for the "probes like buttah" texture.  FWIW-

EggNorth

Maybe the 'Montreal Steak Spice', which I really like, made it taste more like a roast or steak.   Anyway it looks good and noting wrong with a  pot roast.

Welcome to the forum.

thetrim

EggNorth said:

Maybe the 'Montreal Steak Spice', which I really like, made it taste more like a roast or steak.   Anyway it looks good and noting wrong with a  pot roast.

Welcome to the forum.

Maybe.  50/50 S&P is the way to go!