High Altitude Smoke

Luigi123 · November 2017

I have attempted three five pound USDA Choice briskets over the last six weeks--all too dry. I live at an altitude of 7200 ft, I start the smoke process at 225, take it off at 150, wrap in foil with a half a cup of coffee poured in the foil, back on grill at 250 until temperture internal reaches 195, take it off, wrap in towel, let it rest for 30 minutes-- the results are the same too dry. What can I do different--I am thinking of smoking to 170 then let it rest, as water boils at this altitude at 200 versus 212. Appreciate suggestions, As a side note both practice turkeys in the past month was dry as well. And no I am not moving:)

The_Stache · November 2017

Welcome to the madness! Typically (we're at 800ft) I cook brisket to around 195 (7 degrees below boiling) before pulling. My test to check is to probe and see if I get the "like butter" feeling.

I would think you would want to start testing around 185 to see how the meat "probes".

Smarter minds than mine will, I'm sure, chime in!

Good luck and enjoy!!

fishlessman · November 2017

sounds like you are cooking brisket flats, those are just hard to cook low and slow. what temp are you cooking the bird too, at sea level i shoot for 150 to 155 breast temp and a long rest using standard roasting temps

lousubcap · November 2017

Welcome aboard and enjoy the journey. Above all, have fun.
Not at altitude but it sounds like you are over-cooking the brisket flat. The key is the probes like buttah feel in the flat to declare victory. Temperature is just a guide. If you go straight from the BGE to FTC, carry-over cooking will drive the protein past the finish-line.
If you can score a whole packer brisket the higher fat content makes the cook less challenging. FWIW-

nolaegghead · November 2017

I think you might be undercooking, as unintuitive as that seems.

Once the temp hits 190F or so, start stabbing it with a skewer or thermapen. It will be "tight" when under cooked, and it will loosen up as the connective tissue breaks down until there will be very little resistance - "probes like buttah". Once it probes correctly, take it off and let it cool. No need to foil it and let it overcook.

That you're at a higher altitude makes it take longer to cook as the vapor pressure of water is higher with less atmospheric pressure - it can exacerbate the stall.

But there's no magic to the 212F sea-level boiling point when it comes to cooking meat. With sous vide, we can achieve tenderness at much lower temperatures...it just takes more time.

Good luck and report back to us.

Nature Boy · November 2017

It would be really nice to be able to judge the doneness of tough cuts of meat by the temperature that they reach. But it is not realistic. The finish temperature can vary because of many factors, so the only way I have found to decide when to pull the meat off the heat is by judging the tenderness. As Nola says, "probe like buttah". Or you could say "Wiggle like jello", "Fork Tender", "Done gave up" or whatever you want to call it. When it is tender, it talks to you. Wait for that and you'll be happy

Whatever elevation you are at.
Good luck on t he next one!
Chris

High Altitude Smoke

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