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Brisket cooking too fast
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Toxarch
Posts: 1,900
I got an 18.3 lb prime brisket packer from Costco. Pretty good price btw. $2.79/lb for Prime.
The plan is to serve it for dinner tomorrow night. The plan is also to let it run overnight (Stoker will run the temp) and then wrap in the morning. Since it was 18 lb, I was guessing I would not have to wrap it until early morning.
The packer has a lot of marbling but not a whole lot on the fat cap. There was very little hard fat to cut off when trimming. This thing would bend almost in half under it's own weight when held in the middle. I did remove a couple inches from the flat to save for burgers and so it would fit in the LBGE. So it was probably at least 16 lb when it went on the egg.
I usually measure temp at the dome but decided to measure at the grate and go low at 225F. Figured dome would still be under 275. Using oval stone, empty pan with aluminum foil to catch more of the drippings. Raised grate near or above felt line.
Went from fridge, to trim, rub, straight to the grill. It was still below 40 degrees IT when it went on the egg. Started at 7pm with grate temp at 225. 2.75 hours in, the IT of the point is already at 125. That seems really fast to me. I switched the Stoker temp probe from the grate to the dome. That will lower the temp down to slow down the cook.
Is this brisket cooking fast or am I just out of practice on briskets? It has been a while. Any guess how long until I hit the stall? Looks like another hour according to the graph.
Red line is temp. The dip and jump is when I moved the probe to the dome. Olive line is meat temp. Blue marks at the bottom is monitoring when the fan runs.
The plan is to serve it for dinner tomorrow night. The plan is also to let it run overnight (Stoker will run the temp) and then wrap in the morning. Since it was 18 lb, I was guessing I would not have to wrap it until early morning.
The packer has a lot of marbling but not a whole lot on the fat cap. There was very little hard fat to cut off when trimming. This thing would bend almost in half under it's own weight when held in the middle. I did remove a couple inches from the flat to save for burgers and so it would fit in the LBGE. So it was probably at least 16 lb when it went on the egg.
I usually measure temp at the dome but decided to measure at the grate and go low at 225F. Figured dome would still be under 275. Using oval stone, empty pan with aluminum foil to catch more of the drippings. Raised grate near or above felt line.
Went from fridge, to trim, rub, straight to the grill. It was still below 40 degrees IT when it went on the egg. Started at 7pm with grate temp at 225. 2.75 hours in, the IT of the point is already at 125. That seems really fast to me. I switched the Stoker temp probe from the grate to the dome. That will lower the temp down to slow down the cook.
Is this brisket cooking fast or am I just out of practice on briskets? It has been a while. Any guess how long until I hit the stall? Looks like another hour according to the graph.
Red line is temp. The dip and jump is when I moved the probe to the dome. Olive line is meat temp. Blue marks at the bottom is monitoring when the fan runs.
Aledo, Texas
Large BGE
KJ Jr.
Exodus 12:9 KJV
Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.
Large BGE
KJ Jr.
Exodus 12:9 KJV
Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.
Comments
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Way too much data for me but once it starts cooking, it’s pretty quick to 150 or so. Then it will stall around 160, and since you are at 225 ish, it’s going to take a while to get to 200. I think you’re fine.NOLA
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11 hours, she's done. That middle note is when I wrapped in butcher paper. Sitting in a cooler now. I suspect I will have to warm it in the oven at some point if I am serving this evening.
Aledo, Texas
Large BGE
KJ Jr.
Exodus 12:9 KJV
Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. -
Even if it was 15 pounds trimmed that’s remarkably fast. Did you have your probe in the point the entire time?New Orleans LA
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11 hours for a prime is spot on. They cook waaaay faster than choice. That is not an outlier. In fact I would figure 10 hrs as a baseline.
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Thats what I'm thinking. Was the probe right in the deepest part of the point?Dondgc said:Even if it was 15 pounds trimmed that’s remarkably fast. Did you have your probe in the point the entire time?Napoleon Prestige Pro 665, XL BGE, Lots of time for BBQ! -
Matters not how you get there if the end result is what you were seeking/expecting. That said, I find the best finish-line indicator for a packer brisket cook is when the thick part of the flat probes almost like butter, independent of temperature, although most release in the 200-205*F range. The point is just along for the ride. FWIW-
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. -
Yes the probe was in the thickest part of the point the whole time. Probed like cake (I think that's a better saying than probing butter). Why do people prefer the flat over the point? The point is the best part.
Put the paper wrapped brisket in the cooler right after it came off the egg. Checked it 6 hours later (noonish) and it was into the 140s temp. Put it in a pan, covered with foil and put it in the convection oven at 170 (lowest setting). Sliced it at 7:30 and it tasted great. Very tender and very moist. Pulled apart very easy, a bit too easily for a competition brisket, but great for a get together. The guests raved about it and some said it was the best brisket they had had. That's pretty good from a bunch of Texas country folk.
I used a combo of Meat Church Holy Cow and Holy Gospel.Aledo, Texas
Large BGE
KJ Jr.
Exodus 12:9 KJV
Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. -
The flat is the indicator for when the brisket is finished-has nothing to do with preference. I agree that the point is the best part of the cook (and why I don't sacrifice it to burnt ends). But you may be drawing an ill founded conclusion based on a comment about how to best determine when a packer cook is finished. FWIW-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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I had the same experience this weekend, 16# prime from Costco finished in 9 hours. Dome temp jumped to 325 early on and I could not get it below 300 with the bottom opened just a sliver. Even so, I thought 9 hours was fast.Basking Ridge, NJ - XL with KAB
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What he said. But he said it before I knew what a brisket was. So I follow his advice.lousubcap said:Matters not how you get there if the end result is what you were seeking/expecting. That said, I find the best finish-line indicator for a packer brisket cook is when the thick part of the flat probes almost like butter, independent of temperature, although most release in the 200-205*F range. The point is just along for the ride. FWIW-New Orleans LA -
In all of my brisket experiences (half dozen or so) they have cooked much faster than I thought. Probably close to estimated post-trim weight minus two/three hours. And I maybe pull a little too late. Can't explain it, and I always reset my expectations to just take the cook as it it comes, but the pattern has been undeniable.
It only matters when it comes to resting/serving time. Otherwise, just get to delicious and enjoy!LG BGE
Camp Chef 2xburner
Twin Cities, MN -
My simple approach to timing (if you call it that) a brisket is to finish inside the FTC window which I ascribe to a 2-6 hour window. Once inside the outer limit then you have some options for how to finish the cook.
With the cook times per lb all over the place depending on the cow, I can hit that window. I have seen post trim 10 lb prime briskets finish in 7 hrs and then turn around and finish in 13 hours. I run at around 260-280*F on the calibrated dome figuring and hour per lb. FWIW-
Just be ready for the audibles and remember, "The friggin cow drives the cook."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. -
Interesting. I bought a 14lb prime brisket from Costco, trimmed to about 10 or 11lbs, and it took about 16 hours to be done at 225 (pulled off BGE at 200 internal). Granted, egg was at ~200 when I woke up Saturday morning before I adjusted, but I was surprised at how long it took...
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My buddy cooks at least a hundred Costco primes every year and does them at 225 with a wrap in butcher paper and it’s always between 10-12 hours. 16 hours is what I might expect from a choice one. However, as they say, the cow drives the cook. There are always outliers.divided_wood said:Interesting. I bought a 14lb prime brisket from Costco, trimmed to about 10 or 11lbs, and it took about 16 hours to be done at 225 (pulled off BGE at 200 internal). Granted, egg was at ~200 when I woke up Saturday morning before I adjusted, but I was surprised at how long it took...
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100 a year, wow. Your buddy must have it down to a science at this point.
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On an egg?pgprescott said:
My buddy cooks at least a hundred Costco primes every year and does them at 225 with a wrap in butcher paper and it’s always between 10-12 hours. 16 hours is what I might expect from a choice one. However, as they say, the cow drives the cook. There are always outliers.divided_wood said:Interesting. I bought a 14lb prime brisket from Costco, trimmed to about 10 or 11lbs, and it took about 16 hours to be done at 225 (pulled off BGE at 200 internal). Granted, egg was at ~200 when I woke up Saturday morning before I adjusted, but I was surprised at how long it took... -
Not all on egg, but the egg cooks generally go even faster due to the tight moist environment.Legume said:
On an egg?pgprescott said:
My buddy cooks at least a hundred Costco primes every year and does them at 225 with a wrap in butcher paper and it’s always between 10-12 hours. 16 hours is what I might expect from a choice one. However, as they say, the cow drives the cook. There are always outliers.divided_wood said:Interesting. I bought a 14lb prime brisket from Costco, trimmed to about 10 or 11lbs, and it took about 16 hours to be done at 225 (pulled off BGE at 200 internal). Granted, egg was at ~200 when I woke up Saturday morning before I adjusted, but I was surprised at how long it took... -
Good morning everyone-just need a bit of affirmation here. I’ve read this thread. This my FIRST brisket.
I put a choice, 16# brisket on the egg at 250, using the Genius. I expected at least a 12-16 hour cook. One issue was that my pit probe didn’t work when I plugged it in (after 2 uses!! Wtf) so I had to use the meat probe to monitor the pit overnight. After 10 hours the brisket probed like butter and was 200-220. Flat being 205 point being closer to 220. When I pulled it, it almost broke in 2. Overdone? But my biggest issue is it’s 8am and I’m not serving it until 7pm. I’ve wrapped it and placed it in a cooler. I plan to check the temp in 3 hours and maybe every hour after. If I put it in the oven on the lowest temp as others have, will I be ok? -
Just my two cents here but when I first got my LBGE and smoked my first 3-4 briskets on it using the plate setter, they went way faster than I thought (had one finish in like 6 hours or something) and I usually burned parts of it. I came from using a masterbuilt electric smoker and always went fat side up. Started to figure out that the plate setter gets pretty hot during the cook and I think a lot of ambient heat comes off of that thing. So even if your dome thermo is saying 225, that stone is probably way hotter and using the standard big green egg smoking set up, I would always cook faster than planned. I think this is a problem the drip pan with spacers underneath is meant to correct. My solution was to get the adjustable rig from the ceramic grill store with the oval plate. Raised the brisket up further away from the stone and as a result, briskets are back to talking the normal amount of time. Have a 15 lb prime that I put on about midnight last night and his hanging at 160 or so right now. Hoping to be done between 12 and 2 for a 5 o’clock meal.JCarr...I would think you could put your oven on hold warm setting or if you can set the temp to 140 if it goes that low and hold your brisket until dinner time.
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I know that both ovens have a lowest temp setting of 170. They have “warm”, but not sure what temp that dictates. I’ll try warm with a probe inside and see what that does. Thanks for replying!
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A bit more detail: I used the platesetter with a foil pan of water sitting on it. I also use a cast iron grate instead of the standard grate it came with. Good point about raising it higher. I’m a bit more confident that it will be ok. 😬
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Before you wrap and put in the oven, make sure to let it set on the counter for 15+ mins unwrapped to stop carry over cooking
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Jcarr3391 said:A bit more detail: I used the platesetter with a foil pan of water sitting on it. I also use a cast iron grate instead of the standard grate it came with. Good point about raising it higher. I’m a bit more confident that it will be ok. 😬
The water acts as a heat sink, and when it evaporates, your temperature will spike. Most do not use a water pan in the egg - it's really not necessary. The egg is a moist enough environment. A spaced empty drip pan will act as another deflector and catch drippings to keep them from burning, but it's not necessary to add extra moisture.
NOLA -
I use a aluminum deep tray on the grid (it'sabout " wide, 8" long, 4" deep). Just did an 8.5h cook overnight for a brisket and took it off to wrap. Anyhow, the aluminum deep tray only lost at best 3/4" of water. I think if you're cooking at 225 to 250F it will take 3 days to evaporate all the water in the deep tray. So this is a non issue for me, you won't run dry if you use a deep pan on the grid. I agree with you if you use the drip pan on the plate setter, it's far too shallow and will dry up faster.buzd504 said:Jcarr3391 said:A bit more detail: I used the platesetter with a foil pan of water sitting on it. I also use a cast iron grate instead of the standard grate it came with. Good point about raising it higher. I’m a bit more confident that it will be ok. 😬
The water acts as a heat sink, and when it evaporates, your temperature will spike. Most do not use a water pan in the egg - it's really not necessary. The egg is a moist enough environment. A spaced empty drip pan will act as another deflector and catch drippings to keep them from burning, but it's not necessary to add extra moisture.Napoleon Prestige Pro 665, XL BGE, Lots of time for BBQ! -
What was your dome and grid temperature? I normally don't let the dome go past 250F, unless I screw up. The grid temperature will be around 205F to 210F (cooler by the meat). It took me 8.5h to hit 158F internal on a 12 lb brisket last night. It's wrapped now and will probably take another 4h to hit 200F internal.Jcarr3391 said:A bit more detail: I used the platesetter with a foil pan of water sitting on it. I also use a cast iron grate instead of the standard grate it came with. Good point about raising it higher. I’m a bit more confident that it will be ok. 😬
So sounds like yours cooked too fast, and it can only be the ambient temperature that did it.
Anyhow to salvage it ... do you have any way to heat it with steam?? My buddy has a steam oven and that kept a brisket warmed the next day super moist, worked like a charm. Not sure if the slow cooker is an option, with an inch of beef broth at the bottom?? Never tried that, but I'm thinking it might work.Napoleon Prestige Pro 665, XL BGE, Lots of time for BBQ! -
I think it's great I get faster cooks with the egg than with past smokers I have owned. The Egg has by far been the most consistent and least finicky.
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Oh man, I didn’t think about carryover. I wrapped it in butcher paper and put it in a cooler right from the egg. After 3 hrs the flat was 153 and the point was 170. It’s been in a 150 oven since, still wrapped. I was just going to leave it there until 6:30 or so. Not sure what I’ll see when I unwrap it.
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