First bomb----rubber brisket

Schneid · June 2001

I have been using the BGE since Turkey day on a 3-5 day a week basis--done some great food from burgers, steaks, ribs of varying styles, 2 tremendous butts, fish, shrimp, pork loin, pork chop, chicken, turkey, brats. I did a beef brisket yesterday that was uneatable---my wife and I laughed as we attempted to chew the rubber. My question is aimed at an avoidance of a repeat. I marinated in red wine, soy sauce and Lipton soup mix, place on V-rack with drip pan on large firebricks. I added Pecan and Apple chips and attempted a 250 deg cook. (I left the BGE for an hour, returned to find her cooking at just over 300--but brought her back down) The cook was for four hours, internal meat temp was 160 deg, meat looked pink, juicey and smelled great----but bounced like a rubber ball. The taste of the juice was good----but try as we might, we could not eat the brisket through the giggles. Is it possible that I got a bad piece of meat, or did I torch it. Was a bummer, but for tonight, we already have some spare ribs marinating, pork of course. Any ideas?[p]

dan c · June 2001

Schneid,
Try cooking for an extended period @ +- 250* (up to 20+ hrs!!). That particular piece of meat needs to be in the 200* range when it's removed from the grill. Cook over a drip pan.

Nature Boy · June 2001

Schneid,
The magic was just starting to take pace when you removed it. You need to cook to a minimum of 185 for good results. The plateau, where the breakdown of the tough stuff occurs, happens in the 160-170 internal temp range. You had several more hours to go for a successful cook![p]Try it again, this time allowing plenty of time (usually around 2 hours a pound), and pull off at 190 or so, and you will see the difference!![p]Better luck next time. I just bought a 5 pounder that I will cook overnight tonight.[p]Great weekend to ya!
NB

Smokey · June 2001

Schneid,[p]There is such a thing as a bad brisket. I've cooked 4 or 5. Most were very good. At least one would have been put to better use on a pair of shoes. I hated it because I waited 17 hours to find out (and I was hungry).[p]"Jump back on the horse that threw ya" and hope you have better lick![p]Smokey

Alan · June 2001

Schneid,

Zip · June 2001

Nature Boy,[p]In addition to the above the fork test is pretty good on brisket as well. If you didn't throw the rest away, put it back on and cook at the same temp until it is tender. [p]Z

Schneid · June 2001

Schneid,
Thanks for all the advice. Sounds like I mistreated the piece of beef---I was thinking of a med. rare prime or good roast, not along the lines of a pulled pork. I only had a 2 lb piece of meat and was worried to over cook: oh, the irony. I will never underestimate the power of the BGE's low and slow again. Will try another, but first a few known successes to get the confidence back. Thanks for the help! Cannot wait for ribs tonight!

JimW · June 2001

Schneid,
Briskets are better if you can do a larger piece than you did, say around 5 or 6 pounds. What you don't eat freezes well.
JimW

BlueSmoke · June 2001

Schneid, In addition to the good advice below, you might also want to consider the fat cap on your brisket. I'd think that with a little tiny guy like you had, there was not much fat. If that was the case, consider larding it with beef tallow, or at the least draping bacon or side meat over it.

First bomb----rubber brisket

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