Call the cobbler...we did brisket again!

Unknown

Well, our first attempt at cooking a brisket was not very good, so we tried it again. This was a TINY hunk o' cow (1 1/2 lbs). After getting 3 very different suggestions on how to cook it, we opted for low and slow. We said to each other "how long could this tiny piece of meat take, an hour? maybe an hour and a half?" So about 6 pm, we fired up baby humpty to 225, and stuck a Polder into the meat, and opened up a fresh six-pack of Newcastle. After an hour the Polder read 105, after two hours it read 130. After 3 hours it read 155. We kept increasing the temperature as the night went along, and by now we were cooking at 350. The six pack was starting to disappear, as was my patience! At that point, we shut the egg down, stuck the meat in the refrigerator, and ate cold cereal for dinner.[p]The next night, the brisket went back to the oven, at 350. A hour and a half later, this stubborn piece of flesh had only reached 160. We gave up and ate it anyway. Boy was it tough! I would have rather eaten my boots!

The Naked Whiz

qbabes husband,
I think no matter how small the piece of meat, you are still going to need to cook it to an internal temperature of 190-200 to get it tender. [p]If you want a suggestion on what to do with the shoe leather, cut it up into cubes and toss it into some baked/barbecued beans, heat for about an hour. Heaven....[p]TNW

KennyG

qbabes husband,[p]The Whiz is right. Any brisket needs to hit 190-200° to become tender. I've cooked a bunch of flats in the 3 to 9 lb. range and it always seemed to take 12-13 hrs., regardless of size, with several hrs. to get through the 160°'s plateau.[p]K~G

[ul][li]Here's what to expect......[/ul]

Unknown

qbabes husband,
Connective tissue takes time to break down, the 1 1/2 hour per pounds rule of thumb doesn't work until the brisket reaches about 9 pounds and then it's only a guide. Your milage may very.
The one way to get a very small brisket to move in temp would have been to seal it in foil after a few hours of smoke.
The average brisket I cook is 10 to 13 pounds and they run 12 to 16 hours an average. If the brisket is a Prime brisket a 10 to 13 pounder may only run 9 to 12 hours to cook.
Jim

StumpBaby

qbabes husband,[p]What kind of cold cereal. I love cocoa puffs..they remind me of those little bunny pellets we keep finding on the kitchen floor. We suspect Beulah is keeping a bunny in her room, and brings her out to the kitchen at night to eat, but nobody is brave enough to go into Beulahs room to find out if'n there's a bunny in there. [p]Momma says we can just wait in the kitchen late at night and surprise her, but I reminded momma bout the last time I surprised Beulah, I popped out of the broom closet like a big ol Jack-in-the box..and Beulah jumped two feet in the air, and when she walked away she done left somethin on the kitchen floor. Poppa sure did laugh at that..specially when I had to clean it up. I can say makin cereal that looks like nice little round bunny pellets is one thing..but nobody wants to make any cereal outta what I saw. [p]
Anyway, I'm cookin my first briskit today..it's only a little over 2 pounds and it's been on the egg for a little under an hour. I'm still shootin for 2.5 hours or so per pound..but I'll have my polder in there to make sure I hit 195 or so..no matter how many beers it'll take [p]StumpBaby

Seth

StumpBaby,
Thanks, I needed that laugh today. I love your posts. Good luck with the brisket, and Beuhla.
Seth

Unknown

The Naked Whiz,
Good idea, maybe it will not be a complete waste of good lump (and beef).[/b]

Stogie

qbabes husband,[p]When it comes to brisket, the THICKNESS of the cut is what matters. I did up 25 lbs. of corned beef this past weekend. Mostly chunks of the point that weighed 2 - 4 lbs. They ALL took over 8 hours to cook. I foiled after about 6 hours and that hurried them along.[p]On the other hand, I have had flats that took a mere few hours to finish...but they were very small and thin.[p]Brisket can be very hard to judge time-wise...as you found out. My rule of thumb...if cooking a point, 2hrs./lb. minimum. If cooking a flat, gauge time based on the thickness...sorry no specifics in this case.[p]Stogie

Joel Ferman

seth,
All kidding aside, do you really find his posts funny, or are you just offering a courtesy laugh?
-Joel

Seth

Joel Ferman,
I do find them funny at times. I must admit i don't read them all, but sometimes they crack me up. I have emailed him off of the board and he is a very nice guy. Good to see you back so we will be enjoying your pictures soon. Thanks for the email about the digital camera by the way.
Seth

regularguy

qbabes husband, try this link!I read and studied it and got a great brisket the second time!seems like 200 degrees and under is the right thing to do. don't forget the mustard!!

regularguy

<p />regularguy,Did i forget the link gees http://www.barbecuen.com/champ-brisket.htm I'll put it everywhere maybe it'll work? I'm sure Tim is typing now

[ul][li]http://www.barbecuen.com/champ-brisket.htm[/ul]