How am I going to salvage this Brisket?. . .

Washog · February 2004

Got up this morning and didn't see any replies to my request for Brisket help, so I decided to go to the recipes section and use one of those methods. Problem is, the brisket I'm doing is a hell of a lot smaller. Anyway, Got the dome temp stabilized at 275 and put the brisket on a little after 6:00am. Figuring 2.5 hrs per pound my small brisket should be ready around 4:00 right? WRONG! My Brisket internal temp just pegged 200 about five minutes ago and I basically have it in dwell mode. The internal temp has dropped to 192. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Chuck · February 2004

Washog,[p]Thats really fast to hit 200. Have you checked your thermometer lately? I thought your original plan sopunded pretty good although I would have used a temp closer to 225. Also I would make sure you are checking the temp in the center, maybe try another spot. If it is "done" I might crock pot it in some broth until tender. I would imagine it's pretty tough right now. Good luck.[p]Chuck

Bob V · February 2004

If it's at 200, it's done, so let it dwell. Your posts don't mention it your BGE setup, but the longer cook times are all for indirect cooking (inverted plate setter or firebricks). With your dome temps and cook times it sounds like you cooked the brisket directly over the coals. Briskets are tough but thin pieces of meat, which is why the indirect low & slow is the way to go.[p]Try putting a fork to the meat to see how tender it is. If it is still tough, you might try putting a few pieces of bacon on top of it and wrapping it in aluminum foil. Put it in a warm oven (160-180) and leave it there until you are ready to eat.[p]Bob V

Washog · February 2004

Bob V, In my original post, I was asking for set up and temp help because I looked through the recipes section last night and they all seemed to indicate cooking direct. That sounded strange to me, especially at some of the temps being recommended. Right now I'm in salvage mode. Is it too late to throw a pizza stone on and try and dwell this sucker indirect?

Wise One · February 2004

Chuck, I'm with you. 200 after 3 hours at 275 is pretty fast. I would suspect that one temperature or the other was off. If that brisket was thin you might have gone right through it with your probe.

Washog · February 2004

Wise One, Wise One, I've been cooking on my egg for over five years and I mostly use it for steaks, burgers, butt, and ribs. This is my first attempt at brisket and even though I'm screwing the pooch royally, I can assure you the temps are correct. I use polder for my dome temp and a redi check thermometer on the brisket. I calibrated both this morning, (as I usually do when I do a long cook) and the polder checked out at 210 degrees in boiling water and the redi check showed 211 in boiling water. [p]Right now I have my egg set up for indirect with a pizza stone, extension grate and have wrapped my brisket in aluminum foil. The dome temp on my egg is 216, I’m trying to get it to stabilize around 200 and my brisket is now at 185. Right now I suppose it’s a crap shoot. I’m just hoping it doesn’t turn out closer to jerky than brisket.

Bob V · February 2004

You're shooting to keep the brisket in the 160-180 "zone" where the connective tissue breaks down, whether that's in the oven or in the Egg. It's hard to keep the Egg in that zone unless you've got a practiced hand. Putting the brisket in aluminum foil with bacon will restore some of the juices and keep any more from getting out.[p]160 at the grill is roughly a 200 dome temperature - so if you go with the Egg you'll be trying to maintain a 200-225 dome.[p]Good luck! Worse comes to worse, call it a learning experience and spatchcock some chicken for the game -[p]Bob V

1044 · February 2004

Washog, no, 2.5 hours per lb is waaaayyyy over. I think you will find 1.5 is going to be still a little on the high side, especially at 275. My WSM is about 1+ at 225.

QBabe · February 2004

1044,[p]You have to be careful on those hours per pound suggestions on smallish briskets...we had the smallest one I ever saw at 2 lbs and I thought "ok, 1 hr/lb would be 2 hrs, 2 hrs/lb would be 4 hrs, so it should be ready sometime between 2 and 4 hrs". Turned out like shoe leather...my understanding after posting about the abysmal failure was that even thought it was small, it needed to cook much more than 4 hrs to get it tender...[p]Since I haven't cooked a successful brisket yet, I'm certainly no expert on the matter, but just relaying what happened on my small one and the suggestions folks gave me afterwards...[p]I sure hope Washog can salvage it. I tasted brisket yesterday that showed me what could be accomplished and it is something I'm definately going to try and perfect...[p]Tonia
:~)

usa doug · February 2004

Washog,
Stick it with a temp guage. If it slides in and out real easy, it is ready.
I cooked a small packer cut yesterday. They are a little tricky. That's what I am having this evening at work.[p]usa doug

usa doug · February 2004

Washog,
If you wrap it and finish cooking it, you will probably lose your wonderful bark.
I would spray the thing with apple juice, finish it off and wrap it in foil for an hour or more. When you wrap it after cooking, place the brisket in the foil with the fat side up. If it is tough, slice it very thin and cut across the grain. You may need a little extra sauce.[p]It will work,
usa doug

Wise One · February 2004

Washog, I give up then. That seems awfully short though. I may have to go try to duplicate your cook and see what I get. I can always use extra brisket.

1044 · February 2004

You're right, Tonia. I didn't pay attention to the size. I would guess (dangerous) those would be flats, not packers. I never have tried a flat. [p]In fact, I use 10-12 lb. packers as a rule. But, even on the few 15-18 lb'ers, I still come in at 1 to 1.25 hours per lb.[p]Good point, thanks for bringing it up.[p]At first, I had to learn to eat shoe leather, alone, the dog wouldn't even help me. :-0

QBabe · February 2004

1044,[p]Yeah, mine was a flat and that's what I guessed his was too...[p]I've tried one packer and two flats so far and haven't had one I liked of my own yet ...but when I tasted Drbbq's yesterday in Lakeland, I knew that brisket could be amazing and am now inspired to try again...![p]Cheers,
Tonia
:~)[p]

Washog · February 2004

Wise One, It turned out great. I guess it's true God watches over fools. [p] Even though I've never done brisket, I should have known better. I'm looking at this brisket that's undersized anyway and reading through the recipe section and I'm telling myself these directions can't be relevant for a brisket as small as the one I had. My gut was telling me to go about 230 indirect and that's why I was keeping a sharp eye. I was watching that temp rise and I was waiting for the meat to hit the wall like I see happen when I cook butt. The second it hit 200 I shut everything down and basically started over. I cooked it most of the day at just under 200 and when I finally took it off, it was tender and juicy. [p]I appreciate everyone’s help in the thread.

How am I going to salvage this Brisket?. . .

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