Brisket SOS

Cat

I put this 13.5 lb. monster on at 6 PM last night - by midnight, dome temp was steady at 225 and internal temp was 162. I refilled the water pan and went to bed.[p]Woke up at 3:30 to find dome temp at 265 and internal at 180! I took the brisket off, wrapped it in foil, and let it cool off for several hours - then put it back on. (I did reposition the Polder probe to make sure I was getting an accurate reading.)[p]It's now at 167 internal, dome temp 210. I don't know whether a brisket will hit that plateau again after going past it. If not, I'm afraid I'll end up with a dry, tough piece of meat.[p]What do you all think? Should I pick up some ribs for dinner and save this disaster for chili, or can it be saved?[p]Thanks for any advice...Cathy

RhumAndJerk

Cat,
At this point, let it finish. What do you have to loose?
I would switch from water to beer in the drip pan. There is some magical quality to beer steam that keeps things moist and tender. Add one beer to the chef as well. It will help.[p]A 13.5-pound brisket would be a terrible thing to waste. I know that brisket is less forgiving than pork, but continue on anyway.[p]Keep the faith,
RhumAndJerk

Cat

RhumAndJerk,[p]Thanks, Michael! I'll go pour some beer into the pan...and into the cook.[p]Cathy

JJ

Cat,
Kick up the done temp to 250* and sit back and relax. The beer in the drip pan wont help or hurt the dryness of the brisket. The beerf in you will help though. I believe that your brisket will be done in about 4 hrs or so.

Cat

JJ,[p]Thanks, Bro! Do you think I should foil it & stash in a cooler to keep warm until dinner?[p]Bailing me out again...;-}[p]Love -[p]Sis

JJ

Cat,
That's the way to go to hold it. Pull the brisket off the EGG at about 195* as it will continue to cook while wrapped in foil and enclosed in the cooler.

Cat

JJ,[p]Thanks again. I may run out & buy some hot dogs just in case![p]Cat

Tractor

Cat,
Yeah...we're ALL pullin' for ya. Good Luck & God speed. You may be surprised at how well it turns out...

Cat

Tractor,[p]Thanks for the good wishes. The Egg always surprises me on the upside! [p]Cathy

Char-Woody

Cat, somewhere in there, give it a fork twist, it might surprise ya!
Good luck..C~W[p]

Cat

Char-Woody,[p]I took the Forum's sage advice and had a beer...I feel MUCH better. ;-}[p]I've tried the fork twist a few times - it still feels a little too chewy. I figure even if it comes out a little dry, the foil/cooler will help make it juicier.[p]Thanks -[p]Cathy[p]

Unknown

Cat, yer doin great..have another beer..:-)

JohnL

Cat,
If you start feeling a relapse, have another brewskie. It helped me tremendously on my cook. I'm sure everything will turn out fine. I'm watching you very closely as I just ordered a brisket for this weekend. Getting it tomorrow, and hopefully put it on tomorrow night about 6 or 7. Please don't forget to post your results, but I'm sure it'll be fine. Oh, and did I mention have another beer??[p]John

Cat

JohnL,[p]Don't watch me...watch JJ or Nature Boy or someone else who knows their way around a brisket. I'm shooting from the hip here. [p]Maybe I should have another beer. ;-}[p]Cathy

JJ

Cat,
What is the dome temp and internal temp for the brisket.

Unknown

Cat, I am hurt, hurt, hurt, hurt, in pain, anquish, next to severe withdrawal now!.....Yikes!!.....In the dumps..Never to return to normal. Destroyed...Ambushed...Lost in the woods with Elder Ward. What can I say! I go have another beer with ya! I am going to buy me another brisket...a huge one..maybe with the rest of the cow hanging off of it...Ever see a cow smudged into a ball, horns and all to fit the BGE? Hey bartender...set up another round...!!
C~W[p]

Cat

JJ,[p]Dome temp is 230 (I'm hesitant to kick it up more, since I had to reload & restart the fire & it wants to be BIG), brisket internal 173.[p]Still a little resistant to the fork, but it doesn't look dried out. Fingers crossed![p]Cathy

Cat

C~W,[p]When I first saw this brisket I thought they'd given me the whole steer by mistake. [p]Cathy

JJ

Cat,
Kick it up to 250* It wont hurt it and will more than likely help. I have done the re-load process many times with out a problem.

Char-Woody

Cat, gonna get me one with a inch of fatcap and four legs..:-)
They can keep the nose ring, horns and tail"part's"..:-)
Kidding of course...You want your brisket to be sliceable, yet tender. It's gonna vary a bit from the flat to the point so cut it across the grain for best serving.
JJ got it down pat...not sure about that other guy..Cheers...C~W[p]

Cat

JJ,[p]Okay. If you see a mushroom cloud down there...wave.[p]Thanks, pal.[p]Cathy

Cat

Char-Woody,[p]Yep, I prefer sliced to shredded too. [p]Do you separate the flat & point before you slice it up? Assuming it's edible, I want to let my guests sample both.[p]Cathy

JJ

Cat,
The flat will be done before the point. Check out the flat when the point temp gets to 180*. If it is where you like it slice along the fat layer between the flat and the point and put the point back on the EGG to finish.

Cat

JJ,[p]Great idea! The flat still seems a little chewy, but the dome temp is at 255. We're getting there.[p]Cathy