First Time Brisket Cook

Mark_B_Good

DainW said:

Mark_B_Good said:

OK I found it ... it's actually an awesome video if you are a beginner (or want to refine something, or if you forgot something like me) ... so 17 min mark is where they start to wrap ... I got it wrong ... so when they wrap they keep fat side down .... but when they towel wrap and cool ... fat side is UP!  This protects the bark ... prevents it from washing out as steam condenses.

https://youtu.be/azwKFQKAqxs

That’s actually an interesting theory he has about how to orient the brisket in the cooler during the rest. I’ve never had a brisket bark “wash out” on me during the wrap or the rest phase. What I have had happen is my temps get a little too high during the wrap phase and bark sticks to the paper. 

One thing I noticed about the video is that he went directly from grill to cooler with the wrapped brisket and didn’t cool it down first. I think most people here would tell you to let the brisket cool down on a wire rack for 20 min or so before wrapping back up so as to stop the cooking process before going into the rest phase. The brisket shouldn’t be releasing juices during the rest phase, at least not enough to wash out bark. If he’s having this problem it’s because his brisket isn’t resting in the cooler, it’s cooking in the cooler. When the meat cooks it tightens up and releases juices. The idea behind the rest is to allow the meat to relax and absorb some of the juices back. If you take a brisket tightly wrapped in foil off a hot grill and throw it into a Yeti it’s going to gain another 10-15 degrees in carryover cooking. 

All that being said, his end product looked good. At the end of the day, I think it’s about having a plan that you’re confident in and executing it. 

Well I'm glad I posted that, because you taught me something!  I normally go straight into the cooler, right after the grill ... but I take mine off at 195F internal ... so it must be hitting that 205F while in the cooler!!!  I do see a lot of juice in the wrap when I take it out of the cooler.

So what's better ... going to 205F, cool unwrapped, then wrap and throw into the cooler?  Or aim lower like I'm doing at 195F, take the whole wrapped thing and throw it in the cooler ... so it can finish off in there?

slick_rick

Mark_B_Good said:

DainW said:

Mark_B_Good said:

OK I found it ... it's actually an awesome video if you are a beginner (or want to refine something, or if you forgot something like me) ... so 17 min mark is where they start to wrap ... I got it wrong ... so when they wrap they keep fat side down .... but when they towel wrap and cool ... fat side is UP!  This protects the bark ... prevents it from washing out as steam condenses.

https://youtu.be/azwKFQKAqxs

That’s actually an interesting theory he has about how to orient the brisket in the cooler during the rest. I’ve never had a brisket bark “wash out” on me during the wrap or the rest phase. What I have had happen is my temps get a little too high during the wrap phase and bark sticks to the paper. 

One thing I noticed about the video is that he went directly from grill to cooler with the wrapped brisket and didn’t cool it down first. I think most people here would tell you to let the brisket cool down on a wire rack for 20 min or so before wrapping back up so as to stop the cooking process before going into the rest phase. The brisket shouldn’t be releasing juices during the rest phase, at least not enough to wash out bark. If he’s having this problem it’s because his brisket isn’t resting in the cooler, it’s cooking in the cooler. When the meat cooks it tightens up and releases juices. The idea behind the rest is to allow the meat to relax and absorb some of the juices back. If you take a brisket tightly wrapped in foil off a hot grill and throw it into a Yeti it’s going to gain another 10-15 degrees in carryover cooking. 

All that being said, his end product looked good. At the end of the day, I think it’s about having a plan that you’re confident in and executing it. 

Well I'm glad I posted that, because you taught me something!  I normally go straight into the cooler, right after the grill ... but I take mine off at 195F internal ... so it must be hitting that 205F while in the cooler!!!  I do see a lot of juice in the wrap when I take it out of the cooler.

So what's better ... going to 205F, cool unwrapped, then wrap and throw into the cooler?  Or aim lower like I'm doing at 195F, take the whole wrapped thing and throw it in the cooler ... so it can finish off in there?

Yes I'm interested here as well. So when I wrapped around 180 and then let it cook until 203. I unwrapped to let it cool after taking it off and there was a ton of juice in the BP wrap. I let it cool for 20 minutes and left it in that same BP with all the juice and then did FTC. I wonder if i would have been better off taking it off earlier. Any idea where there was a pool of juice within the BP?

DainW

Mark_B_Good said:

DainW said:

Mark_B_Good said:

OK I found it ... it's actually an awesome video if you are a beginner (or want to refine something, or if you forgot something like me) ... so 17 min mark is where they start to wrap ... I got it wrong ... so when they wrap they keep fat side down .... but when they towel wrap and cool ... fat side is UP!  This protects the bark ... prevents it from washing out as steam condenses.

https://youtu.be/azwKFQKAqxs

That’s actually an interesting theory he has about how to orient the brisket in the cooler during the rest. I’ve never had a brisket bark “wash out” on me during the wrap or the rest phase. What I have had happen is my temps get a little too high during the wrap phase and bark sticks to the paper. 

One thing I noticed about the video is that he went directly from grill to cooler with the wrapped brisket and didn’t cool it down first. I think most people here would tell you to let the brisket cool down on a wire rack for 20 min or so before wrapping back up so as to stop the cooking process before going into the rest phase. The brisket shouldn’t be releasing juices during the rest phase, at least not enough to wash out bark. If he’s having this problem it’s because his brisket isn’t resting in the cooler, it’s cooking in the cooler. When the meat cooks it tightens up and releases juices. The idea behind the rest is to allow the meat to relax and absorb some of the juices back. If you take a brisket tightly wrapped in foil off a hot grill and throw it into a Yeti it’s going to gain another 10-15 degrees in carryover cooking. 

All that being said, his end product looked good. At the end of the day, I think it’s about having a plan that you’re confident in and executing it. 

Well I'm glad I posted that, because you taught me something!  I normally go straight into the cooler, right after the grill ... but I take mine off at 195F internal ... so it must be hitting that 205F while in the cooler!!!  I do see a lot of juice in the wrap when I take it out of the cooler.

So what's better ... going to 205F, cool unwrapped, then wrap and throw into the cooler?  Or aim lower like I'm doing at 195F, take the whole wrapped thing and throw it in the cooler ... so it can finish off in there?

Well man I wouldn’t necessarily cook to a temp so much as a feel. When it probes like butter in the thickest part of the flat ideally is when you want to take it off the cooker. I keep a thermometer in the brisket so I know where I’m at in the cook and when to start checking it. I’ve had a brisket finish off as low as 185 and as high as 205. Just depends on the particular brisket that you end up getting. I’ll usually start checking around the 185 mark and then based on how that feels, check every 45 min to an hour. 

I think pulling right around 195 will always get you a good product because that’s pretty close to where the brisket will “release” and get tender and if you’re doing directly into the cooler then you’re probably carrying over to at least 205. The only concern there is that there’s a small window of time where the brisket slices up and you get that perfect hang and pull test from the flat pieces. Once the window closes it’s falling apart and you get chopped beef (which is still pretty tasty). Once you take it off the grill and throw it in the cooler, who knows where the temp ends up. I didn’t start letting the brisket cool down before going into the cooler until the last couple cooks and it’s been a game changer. 

ThrasherIII

Please elaborate on the last part, letting the brisket cool down before going into the cooler.
Details sir Details inquiring minds got to know.

DainW

ThrasherIII said:

Please elaborate on the last part, letting the brisket cool down before going into the cooler.
Details sir Details inquiring minds got to know.

Once you pull the brisket off the cooker, take it out the wrap if it’s wrapped, and cool it on a wire rack for about 20-30 minutes so you stop the cooking process. Then wrap it in foil, then some old towels, and into the cooler

ThrasherIII

DainW said:

ThrasherIII said:

Please elaborate on the last part, letting the brisket cool down before going into the cooler.
Details sir Details inquiring minds got to know.

Once you pull the brisket off the cooker, take it out the wrap if it’s wrapped, and cool it on a wire rack for about 20-30 minutes so you stop the cooking process. Then wrap it in foil, then some old