Brisket

Unknown

Tried to cook brisket at about 250 for three hours internal temp. got up to 180°. the meet was still pretty tough. Not very good. Any one have other suggestions on how to cook brisket. Have read several varying recipes.
Thanks in advance.

nikkig

Kevin,
We cook ours for about 2 hours per pound at 250 degrees, and pull off when internal is 200. Our first brisket was also very tough, because we only cooked it 3 hours. Give it another try, and cook it longer this time.[p]~nikki

Earl

Kevin,
You failed to say how many pounds it was. I would say even without knowing the weight, it was not cooked long enough. I would get it to at least 195F-200F internal. Don't be surprizes if you cook for 8 hours plus at 250F to get that high, so don't be in a hurry. I will cook my brisket for 16 to 18 hours for a 10-12lb hunk.
Give another shot.[p]Earl

mike

Kevin,
The cut of meat matters a lot, too. You need a piece with the original fat cap intact. The already trimmed flats that are often sold at the supermarket will dry out well before the internal temp reaches about 200. Ask the market for an untrimmed, whole brisket, some of them call in "brisket in a bag", it looks big and ugly but it will cook up much better, guaranteed.

BBQfan1

Earl writes:
"I will cook my brisket for 16 to 18 hours for a 10-12lb hunk".
--Wonderin', just how long is that in mini-Bud time, Earl?
Thanks,
Qfan[p]

Unknown

Kevin,
I just cooked a 7 lb flat that I got from Sams for about 13 hours at 195 to 200 degrees. For the last hour of cooking I bump up the temp to about 250 to make sure the meat has a nice crust. I trim off most of the fat, cover with Dizzy Pig's Cow Lick rub and brown sugar (as suggested by Nature Boy) and put the meat on a raised grid with the fat cap down. I've never found an improvement in the quality of the meat by putting the fat cap up as some have suggested. The meat came out sliceable but melt in your mouth tender. Each slice of brisket would easily pull apart into little pieces. It was delicious!![p]Regards,
Chuck Lane

Nature Boy

Chuck Lane,
Nice work! Nothing quite like a brisket. Wish I had some now for a breakfast samm.[p]I have been reading about folks getting good results with the fat down. The theory seems to be that the non-fat side ends up turning out better that way. [p]I have also been cutting off all of the fat, rubbing the meat, and reapplying the fat...just laying it on top. About 2/3 of the way through the cook I remove the fat and let that side get some color and crust during the last several hours.[p]Glad it turned out for you, and that the Cow Lick was able to help out.
beers
Chris

Unknown

Kevin,
I have cooked a couple of briskets, both on a BGE and on a regular Barbcue pit. I found this web site very informative. It explains why a brisket should be cooked to an internal temperature of 200 - 210 degrees.
http://www.purplesmoke.com/[p]Happy cooking,
Willy

Unknown

Nature Boy,
Thanks Chris. I've found that putting the fat cap down protects the meat from the direct heat and most of it renders off and forms a nice crust.[p]For the rest of you guys out there, if you don't buy anything else from the Dizzy Pig folks, get the Cow Lick rub for beef and the Tsunami Spin for fish and chicken. I haven't found anything better.[p]Regards,
Chuck Lane

Unknown

Kevin,
Takes me 13 hours to cook mine. Seems like you cooked it pretty quick.