Brisket ruined 4th

clemsontyger97

So I have a 5 pound market trimmed prime brisket from HEB.  I'm now in hour 9.  Is that normal?  This is my first one in years and at this point I'm ready to just not try again.  

Grill locked in at 250 the entire time but it's still probing in the high 170s.  The brisket had what I'm thinking was closer to 1/8 inch fat cap if that.  Is that my problem or could it be that my meat thermometer wasn't far enough into the thickest section and I wrapped in butcher paper at the wrong time?  

What a mess.  

The Cen-Tex Smoker

We can probably help you stick the landing here. There is no way a 5lb brisket cooked at 250 still is 170 after 9 hours. You have a thermo problem. Are you using your dome  thermometer to read the 250? If so, stick your digital meat thermo either between the dome and base or through whichever cap you are using and see if it matches your dome thermo 

alaskanassasin

You haven’t messed it up yet. 

Ozzie_Isaac

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

We can probably help you stick the landing here. There is no way a 5lb brisket cooked at 250 still is 170 after 9 hours. You have a thermo problem. Are you using your dome  thermometer to read the 250? If so, stick your digital meat thermo either between the dome and base or through whichever cap you are using and see if it matches your dome thermo 

As another option, I remove my thermometer and put my meat thermometer right through that hole, assuming you have a thermoses, thermopop, javelin, or something similar. 

You can also stick an oven thermometer right on the grate.

clemsontyger97

I've been using thermo pop after just pulling the thermometer id been using throughout.  I wrapped in foil and cranked the heat.  Throughout the cook my dome read 250ish and surface level was reading 7-10 degrees hotter.  It's an older redi check so maybe that's my issue not sure.  Never really felt like temps were off until this 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Ozzie_Isaac said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

We can probably help you stick the landing here. There is no way a 5lb brisket cooked at 250 still is 170 after 9 hours. You have a thermo problem. Are you using your dome  thermometer to read the 250? If so, stick your digital meat thermo either between the dome and base or through whichever cap you are using and see if it matches your dome thermo 

As another option, I remove my thermometer and put my meat thermometer right through that hole, assuming you have a thermoses, thermopop, javelin, or something similar. 

You can also stick an oven thermometer right on the grate.

I have done that as well. Great minds think alike lol 

kl8ton

Is it still on?  How is it probing?  At 5 lbs......is it a flat, point, or what?

Elijah

5 lb brisket is odd. Do you have pictures? 

clemsontyger97

kl8ton said:

Is it still on?  How is it probing?  At 5 lbs......is it a flat, point, or what?

I finally pulled it.  It wasn't exactly where I wanted it but it was better at least.  Just going to have it tomorrow night and regroup.  Something was way way wrong.

clemsontyger97

Elijah said:

5 lb brisket is odd. Do you have pictures


It's wrapped in the fridge but this is what I started with.  But agree it's a very small one with deckle removed 

Elijah

Only thing I'll add is that I bought a ribeye steak once. I pulled it out of the styrofoam holder and it stayed stiff as a board. It wasn't frozen. I don't know what was wrong with that cow, but it didn't die happy. 

clemsontyger97

Elijah said:

Only thing I'll add is that I bought a ribeye steak once. I pulled it out of the styrofoam holder and it stayed stiff as a board. It wasn't frozen. I don't know what was wrong with that cow, but it didn't die happy. 


Nice.  I do know if I try another one I'm not wasting money on pre trimmed.  That's probably not the main culprit but that super thin fat cap didn't help.  We'll eat it tomorrow.  Took a cut tonight and while dry, the flavor and bark was there m. Then again after 10 hours for 5 lbs it's almost impossible to not have a good bark I suppose 😅

Elijah

There's no such thing as a wasted brisket https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1163323/award-winning-smoked-brisket-chili-served-at-salado-after-party-2014/p1

booksw

I know others have had success with a flat on the egg but my attempts have always gone this way.  Packer briskets are just more forgiving for whatever reason.  Now if I have a flat, I do it braised in the oven. I have a great recipe

zaphod

Elijah said:

Only thing I'll add is that I bought a ribeye steak once. I pulled it out of the styrofoam holder and it stayed stiff as a board. It wasn't frozen. I don't know what was wrong with that cow, but it didn't die happy. 

rigor?

Elijah

I have no idea and only experienced it that one time. Came from a good meat department that goes through steaks daily. It was stiff as board and cooking didn't help 

clemsontyger97

booksw said:

I know others have had success with a flat on the egg but my attempts have always gone this way.  Packer briskets are just more forgiving for whatever reason.  Now if I have a flat, I do it braised in the oven. I have a great recipe

Yeah this was sold as a trimmed brisket, not flat, but in reality probably closer to a flat.  If I do another one I'm just going whole or not at all.  

Mark_B_Good

So, what happened? How did it turn out ... and yes 7 hours, 5 lbs, only 170F ... doesn't sound right at all. Even without foil, it shouldn't have taken that long ... that would be like cooking a beef rib plate ... and those take 6 hours to reach 200F to 205F, unwrapped.

Did you cook fat down, or up?

clemsontyger97

Mark_B_Good said:

So, what happened? How did it turn out ... and yes 7 hours, 5 lbs, only 170F ... doesn't sound right at all. Even without foil, it shouldn't have taken that long ... that would be like cooking a beef rib plate ... and those take 6 hours to reach 200F to 205F, unwrapped.

Did you cook fat down, or up?

Cranked it to 325, finished it but obviously dry as hell.  Chopping it up for lunch today.  Calibrating every thermometer, and never again buying a pre trimmed brisket.  It was fat side up... what little fat there was

clemsontyger97

Well...it wasn't what I wanted but it was better than your average lunch sandwich.  

clemsontyger97

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

We can probably help you stick the landing here. There is no way a 5lb brisket cooked at 250 still is 170 after 9 hours. You have a thermo problem. Are you using your dome  thermometer to read the 250? If so, stick your digital meat thermo either between the dome and base or through whichever cap you are using and see if it matches your dome thermo 

Update: Thermo pop was spot on, surface level probe only off by a degree or so, but my meat probe was measuring 5-6 degrees hotter. Dome temp was off a little 10 degrees hotter) as well. Not as concerned there but calibrated anyway. But that meat probe is no good. Time for a new one.  That wasn't the only issue but it was definitely one of them.  Lesson:  don't trust a pre trimmed brisket again, and get a new meat probe.

OhioEgger

At five pounds I think I'd call that a briskette.

MaskedMarvel

clemsontyger97 said:

Mark_B_Good said:

So, what happened? How did it turn out ... and yes 7 hours, 5 lbs, only 170F ... doesn't sound right at all. Even without foil, it shouldn't have taken that long ... that would be like cooking a beef rib plate ... and those take 6 hours to reach 200F to 205F, unwrapped.

Did you cook fat down, or up?

Cranked it to 325, finished it but obviously dry as hell.  Chopping it up for lunch today.  Calibrating every thermometer, and never again buying a pre trimmed brisket.  It was fat side up... what little fat there was

Is this one of the Kroger pretrimmed briskets?

they just had them on clearance for $2/lbs.. 

clemsontyger97

MaskedMarvel said:

clemsontyger97 said:

Mark_B_Good said:

So, what happened? How did it turn out ... and yes 7 hours, 5 lbs, only 170F ... doesn't sound right at all. Even without foil, it shouldn't have taken that long ... that would be like cooking a beef rib plate ... and those take 6 hours to reach 200F to 205F, unwrapped.

Did you cook fat down, or up?

Cranked it to 325, finished it but obviously dry as hell.  Chopping it up for lunch today.  Calibrating every thermometer, and never again buying a pre trimmed brisket.  It was fat side up... what little fat there was

Is this one of the Kroger pretrimmed briskets?

they just had them on clearance for $2/lbs.. 

HEB, but probably pretty similar I'd imagine.  Never again