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Brisket Disaster

Siltz
Siltz Posts: 11
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Tried a brisket ala "Famous Dave's" yesterday and it went wrong. Instructions said to seperate the point and flat, put rub on brisket, and smoke indirect for 8 hours at 200, mopping every hour after the first 4 hours. You then wrapped the brisket in foil with 2 cups of mop sauce and cook for an additional 3 hours at 200. After that you cool the brisket and wrap in plastic overnight. The next day you resmoke the brisket at 200 until the internal temp reaches 160. It came out tough and a decent bark never developed. I set my Egg up for indirect cooking with the plate setter and a drip pan underneath. What am I doing wrong? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Comments

  • Siltz wrote:
    Tried a brisket ala "Famous Dave's" yesterday and it went wrong. Instructions said to seperate the point and flat, put rub on brisket, and smoke indirect for 8 hours at 200, mopping every hour after the first 4 hours. You then wrapped the brisket in foil with 2 cups of mop sauce and cook for an additional 3 hours at 200. After that you cool the brisket and wrap in plastic overnight. The next day you resmoke the brisket at 200 until the internal temp reaches 160. It came out tough and a decent bark never developed. I set my Egg up for indirect cooking with the plate setter and a drip pan underneath. What am I doing wrong? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

    dont know that technique, but a few thoughs:

    - have ya measured the internal temp ?
    - have ya make the poke test right before cooling down ?
    - 200 is imho a bit low, I cook at 240 - 250.
    - what was the size of the brisket ? 11 hours all in all seems a bit short at such low temps. Be aware, 200 hours Dome Temp Thermo means approx 170 F grid temp.
  • If you want perfection, stick to the advice from the egghead pros. There were so many things wrong with the technique you were using I don't even know where to begin. Maybe Famous Dave's doesn't want you to compete with their brisket and steered you down a long winding path to failure.
  • I agree with egg simon, at 200 dome temp chances are that brisket never got completely cooked....your egg prpobably needed to be at around 225 dome temp to get the brisket itself up to proper tenderness and doneness .. . i've never heard of that technique either, but if whatever technique you use, you shouldn't strictly on time, but also on the feel (fork tenderness) and internal temp (190 - 200 degrees internal) of both the flat and the point meat. .. .that is how you know the brisket is properly done.. . also, while many people separate the two muscles prior to cooking, did you cook them together? or cook them completely separately?. ..while i will almost completely trim the hard fat out between the two, i leave them together through most of the cook, primarily to allow the point to protect the flat. ..
  • ResQue
    ResQue Posts: 1,045
    What was the internal temp when you pulled it off to wrap in foil with the mop sauce? I never even seen/heard of that technique so I think what you did wrong is that you followed the "famous dave" instructions. Most of us will cook brisket at around 250* dome temp and cook to an internal of around 190-200*(It must pass the fork tender test/toothpick test) Some foil and others don't. Some inject and others don't.
  • I've only done 1 brisket, turned out pretty good. Seems like it cooked for about 18 hrs. If I remember right there is a how to on Bubba Tim's web page. Brisket is a tough cook. Keepnotes until you get it the way you like it.
  • Siltz
    Siltz Posts: 11
    My dome temp was 225-250. Thought that would make up the difference at the grate. Didn't have a thermometer in it while smoking. The point and flat were seperated and the fat trimmed to 1/4 of an inch. Can't get a whole brisket on my large Egg. I tried some last night and it was tough. Goning to put it back on the Egg at 300 and see what happens. Might smoke it some more too.
  • Siltz
    Siltz Posts: 11
    I've tried other recipe's from his book and they are great. Maybe this technique was'nt meant for the BGE. I'll try something different next time.
  •  
    No brisket expert here... good but not what I think much some of the much better cooks are ending up with.

    The meat needs to cook to a point where it is tender. That can be checked with a fork/toothpick or even the probe on the thermometer. That is going to happen somewhere 180° & 200°. Keep in mind the meat will continue to cook during the rest period and brisket if cooked too long will end up being a bit dry. For me that is the challenge done/tender but not a dry result.

    Putting a liquid on the bark and even foiling with liquid is going to soften the bark.

    There is some excellent information on thirdeye's cooknig site. Brisket

    GG
  • Siltz wrote:
    I'll try something different next time.

    Bubba Tim: http://www.bubbatim.com/Bubba_s_Brisket.php

    and Thirdeye: http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/1996/03/brisket.html

    are definitiv way to go
  • i wouldn't put it back on the egg at this point....i'd wrap it tight, maybe put some beef broth in with it and let it steam some to try and soften it up. ..but just do it in an oven. .. the egg isn't going to do anything special for it at this point. . ..
  • ResQue
    ResQue Posts: 1,045
    If nothing works, cube it small and save it for chili this fall!
  • nothing like a good batch of brisket chili, dats for sure!!! LOL....
  • ResQue
    ResQue Posts: 1,045
    he!!'s yeah! I have some in the freezer waitin for some love!
  • Yeah your technique isn't right IMO. My first brisket came out bad also. I then used Dizzy Pig's method, but also injected it with Butcher's marinade (butcherbbq.com--a lot of successful competition teams use this--I also like Fab-B, but used Butcher's 2 days ago and it is better IMO--best brisket I have ever had). That marinade is amazing, I can't recommend it enough. Look at Butcher's site.

    Here is the recipe I use for brisket which I like:

    http://www.dizzypigbbq.com/recipesBrisket.html
  • Hi,

    One thing I don't think I saw anyone else say is that there is a differential in the Egg when cooking indirect between the dome temperature (where the external thermometer reads) and the grid temperature (where the meat actually sits). The grid is lower than the dome with this setup, sometimes by 20-30 degrees. If you were cooking a brisket at 200 dome, that would probably put the grid temp in the 175-180 range. It would be impossible to finish it, no matter how long you let it cook, as the meat would never be able to get to the 190-200 range if the grid temp is lower than that. That's likely why it came out tough. A brisket doesn't become 'fall apart' tender until the collagen in the meat breaks down, which doesn't fully finish until that 190-200 internal range. If you pull it before that, no matter how long it's cooked, it will be tough. You know it's done when your thermometer (or another probe) goes in and out of the meat with no resistance.

    The moral of this story - don't cook to time, cook to temperature. And do your low and slow cooks from 230-250 dome, so the grid is hot enough to get the meat to the desired temp.

    Hope this helps,

    -John
  • I cook whole packer cut briskets on my medium all the time. Stick a pop can under the middle until it shrinks up enough to fit by itself. The egg cooks like a sauna and really is simple to master and get outstanding results. Cook at 250 indirect for around 15 hours until the meat temp gets around 185 internal. Test for tendernous by sticking a fork into the meat and twisting. Contine cooking until tender checking every 1/2 hour.
  • THA
    THA Posts: 198
    Sounds like you didn't respect the plateau temp. If you took it off during the time the temp was stable in the plateau range, and then cooled it, you missed the big tenderizing part of the cook
  • Never cook brisket by time. Always cook to a set internal temperature for the meat. Any home cook, with a little practice, can turn out better Q than the industrial stuff shoveled out of chain BBQ joint kitchens.

    I have a medium Egg and typically cook between 225 and 250 degrees until the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 185. I then wrap the brisket and drop it in a cooler for at least an hour to rest.

    I'm sorry, but this recipe is just crazy.
  • Just an FYI, I cooked a 15lb monster on my large this weekend. It barely fit but it fit. Some people suggest putting something under the middle of the brisket, like a foil wrapped brick, just something so the brisket is folded a bit. Again, I got a huge one my large without bending it at all.