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Beef Brisket

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Sclemen
Sclemen Posts: 4
edited April 2012 in EggHead Forum
Tried my first brisket this weekend and didnt turn out as tender as I hoped. Cooked at 225 for the first half and then wrapped in foil for the last half.  It was 5 lbs.  I had to leave for a few hours and got back and the temp had dropped to 180 so I opened all of the vents and got to 250 and took a while to get it back down to 225 so wondering if that caused any problems.  Any thoughts? 
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  • OLD NORTH STATE BBQ CO.
    OLD NORTH STATE BBQ CO. Posts: 412
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    Your fire grate may have got clogged up with some smaller pieces of lump, restricting air flow thus dropping your temperture.  Invest in a Hi-Q grate and worry no more.

    imageimage

     "Where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great, Here's to "Down Home," the Old North State!"

    Med & XL

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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    Not sure what happened with your fire but 5 lb briskets are usually super trimmed up and very hard to make tender before drying out. Try using whole flats or even better, whole packers if you can get them. Those smaller cuts usually aren't worth the effort it takes to smoke them

    Did it look something like these the attached pic? These are on the "do not buy" list if you want good moist tender brisket. The packers are 10+ lbs so it's a lot of food but brisket just not turn out when you use the smaller super trimmed cuts. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • Austex_Egger
    Austex_Egger Posts: 153
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    I only wrap briskets after I pull them.  That being said,  briskets are tricky.  You can do everything exactly the same and 2 briskets will turn out differently.  Temp fluctuations may have something to do with it,  most likely just the brisket itself.


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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    I only wrap briskets after I pull them.  That being said,  briskets are tricky.  You can do everything exactly the same and 2 briskets will turn out differently.  Temp fluctuations may have something to do with it,  most likely just the brisket itself.


    +1
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,391
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    My experience is with flats and they are tricky-They run 5-8#'s and I see around 1.8-2.1 hrs/# at a calibrated dome of 250*F +/-. I use chips which I disperse throughout the lump load. Wood type, I use cherry but to each his own.  I cook fat side down but have recently been layering bacon on the non-grid side (after applying rub and letting sit over night) and that does help with the moisture.  Bacon curls up and dries by the end of the cook so you get a good bark (and the bacon can be recycled into ABT's).
    After it passes the twisted fork tender test (somewhere around 190-205*F +/-) I do wrap in HDAF and rest in a cooler (with towels) for at least an hour. Then open the foil and let the brisket rest for around 10-15 minutes (juices redistribute) before slicing.
    Been lucky so far.
    Check these sites for more info; <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

    http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/texas_brisket.html
    http://www.bubbatim.com/
    http://www.nakedwhiz.com/recipes.htm
    http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/1996/03/brisket.html
    All the info you will ever need. Enjoy the journey-

     

    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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  • Shiff
    Shiff Posts: 1,835
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    You didn't say what the internal temp was when you pulled it.  You shouldn't pull it until it is tender (fork test) which is usually between 180 and 205 degrees.  As others have said, the biggest problem was probably the size.  Talk to your butcher about getting a packer cut (point plus flat).
    Large BGE
    Barry, Lancaster, PA
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  • Sclemen
    Sclemen Posts: 4
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    Thanks for all of the feedback, sounds like i should have done some more homework on the frontend.....
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