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Brisket-where did I go wrong

7-8  pound flat. Cooked at 225 for 13 hours (I couldn't believe it). Wrapped in butcher paper at 165. End result, very dry meat. Where do you guys think I blew it at?
Atlanta GA. 

Comments

  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    You cooked at too low a temp and kept it in the stall excessively long and probably gave up and pulled before it was probe tender.  Or some combination.  Cook at 250-300.  Flats can be lean and will benefit from wrapping.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
    NoobZero said:
    End result, very dry meat. 
    Was it dry and tough (akin to leather) or was it dry and crumbly (akin to overcooked cornbread)?

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

  • NoobZero
    NoobZero Posts: 177
    SGH said:
    NoobZero said:
    End result, very dry meat. 
    Was it dry and tough (akin to leather) or was it dry and crumbly (akin to overcooked cornbread)?
    It was tender, just dry!

    Atlanta GA. 
  • NoobZero
    NoobZero Posts: 177
    I don't doubt it was overcooked! I guess cooking it at 225 degrees was the culprit. It took almost 9 hours to get to 165 for wrapping!
    Atlanta GA. 
  • brentm
    brentm Posts: 422
    I think its premature to draw conclusion.   I tend to go against the grain on that thought and regularly cook at 200.  Wrap when I need to meet a deadline. No one complains they're dry though. At least not to me. 

    Do you have pics of your cook?  I usually always try to take a pre-trim/pre-cook photo of the slab before my hands get dirty. 
  • NoobZero
    NoobZero Posts: 177
    No, I do not. Chopped the remainder up for chili.
    Atlanta GA. 
  • brentm
    brentm Posts: 422
    Next time take some notes along with photos and then post the complete cook  

    Try a prime full packer and take @lousubcap advice.  It's worth doing again and again and again.  

    Keep logging your notes and be sure to review them later. 
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    Cooking at low temps is fine with large chunks of meat but it dries out smaller pieces.  A mind excercise on this is to imagine cooking a 1/8" steak vs an inch and a half steak.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • brentm
    brentm Posts: 422
    My first brisket was the Travis

    Second was a full packer that didn't even trim.  

    Brisket is not an easy cook.  My best advice is to try to keep everything constant from cook to cook and slowly change to your own style/taste.  Documentation.  Thoughts.  Etc.  Be verbose in your brisket journal.  It's a fun art to try to master.  
  • How was the Travis brisket? It seems to be quite popular around here.
    Stillwater, MN
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,168
    @NoobZero - Just sent you a DM with some info that may help with your next brisket 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.
  • Mark_B_Good
    Mark_B_Good Posts: 1,510
    edited November 2020
    NoobZero said:
    7-8  pound flat. Cooked at 225 for 13 hours (I couldn't believe it). Wrapped in butcher paper at 165. End result, very dry meat. Where do you guys think I blew it at?
    My guess, as @nolaegghead said, you cooked through the stall.  You cannot wait until a precise internal temperature like 165F before you wrap. You have to see when the thermometer just has a problem climbing ... it can happen anywhere from 140F to 165F.  Stall is the meat sweating (releasing moisture) and then it evaporates at surface, which actually shields the meat from increasing in temperature (all the fire energy is going into evaporating the water, not heating up the meat).  You have to catch it BEFORE this process finishes, and preferably as soon as it starts.

    Only way to figure it out is watch the temperature when it hits 140F, then you'll see it just isn't rising as fast as it was ... take it off and wrap it right there. If you want juicy ... use foil. If you want a good bark ... use butcher paper.

    Also, preparing the brisket pre-cook is SUPER important ... it's not like many other meats.  You HAVE to leave fat on the flat, and take fat off the tip ... it's the only way to shield the flat from overheating while allowing the thicker tip to cook right.  Fat should be towards the fire (indirect of course).

    I've always cooked brisket at 225F to 250F ... and that works for me.  It's still a long process, but if you catch the stall and wrap it then ... it turns out amazing.

    In the end, start probing it at 195F with a chop stick ... and when it slides through ... take it off. I've learned from others here to unwrap and let it cool down for a few minutes to stop the cook, then wrap again and in towels and in a cooler for another couple of hours before you serve.


    Napoleon Prestige Pro 665, XL BGE, Lots of time for BBQ!
  • NoobZero
    NoobZero Posts: 177
    Yes sir, that is exactly what I did. I thought I was supposed to wait until it hit the right temp to wrap. It stalled for a very, very long time. And I let it roll! Dang! Lesson learned here sir! Thank you!
    Atlanta GA. 
  • Mark_B_Good
    Mark_B_Good Posts: 1,510
    We've all screwed up a brisket.  Now that you got yours out of the way ... you're all clear for the next one! Looking forward to it.
    Napoleon Prestige Pro 665, XL BGE, Lots of time for BBQ!
  • DainW
    DainW Posts: 159
    I think the main culprit is just trying to cook a flat only. Even on a full packer, the flat can get a little dry, but usually the fat from the deckle keeps the thick part moist at least. I think if I was going to do a flat, I would probably inject and wrap in foil with some additional liquid to keep everything from drying out. 
  • QDude
    QDude Posts: 1,052
    Briskets are tough to nail.  You will get better with practice.  Sometimes though, you may just have a lousy piece of meat!

    Northern Colorado Egghead since 2012.

    XL BGE and a KBQ.

  • MotownVol
    MotownVol Posts: 1,039
    When I wrap my briskets at around 165 degrees, I always add about a 1/3 of a cup of black coffee for moisture and flavor.  I have never had a dry on with the coffee addition.  
    Morristown TN, LBGE and Mini-Max.
  • brentm
    brentm Posts: 422
    How was the Travis brisket? It seems to be quite popular around here.
    You know, it's been so long ago, it's difficult to remember.  It was before I was taking notes too.  I asked the Mrs. and she said "It was really nice and beefy, but it wasn't completely tender".

    It's somewhat of a braise.  I do remember buying a braise book for the bookshelf after that, and that's what lead me onto the Grand Champion rub that I'd used for so many years in my cooks.

    To the OP:  You're going to get a lot of input on how you should approach your next brisket.  I'd advise you to develop a plan of attack, write it down, do it, then review.  Take lots of notes, photos, and post it here.

    Repeatability in briskets is the most maddening part of them.  No two briskets and no two cooks are the same.  But to get the brisket just the way YOU like it, and be able to repeat that on a cook-by-cook basis, is the chase.....


  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    None of the wrapping is of much consequence since you were using butcher paper. I’ve done flats naked low and slow with great results before. It’s likely the particular cut. You would have been better off using foil and maybe a little liquid in this instance. As stated many times around here, it hard to cook greatness into a poor protein. If you are left with a flat and it’s lean or less than prime and you are a newbie with them, I whole heartedly recommend foil. Yes it steams the meat. Yes it softens the bark yes it’s your best chance at tender moist product. After you have a few under your belt or you are confident in the high quality of your protein, then move into naked or butcher paper wrapping. Stick with it. 
  • RyanStl
    RyanStl Posts: 1,050
    I've noticed on egg I don't get much of a stall and wrap when bark won't sluff off when pouring beef stock on when wrapping. Did you pour stock on when wrapping or inject prior to cooking?  Injecting helps battle dry brisket.

    I've even poured beef stock on dry brisket when storing in fridge and it helps soften the meet.

    I recommend watching some Harry Soo how to brisket Youtube videos.  I've been following his methods with good success.
  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    +1 on the injection. Commerical injections have some phosphate in them which will retain moisture really well.