Brisket fail

[harry575]

Need some help , I'm only beginning with brisket and have tried to master a point of brisket before making the plunge to getting And trying a full packer .... This is my third try at a point

4am on the smoker at 225f with water pan
Wrapped at 180f after 7 hours and spritzing every 2 hour or so bumped to 250f
Pulled at 210 total time 10 1/2 hours let rest for 1 hour

Taste was ok and reasonably tender towards the Flatt but so dry and very spongy when you tryed to pull it

Where am I going wrong ? Is the cook time too long for. 2kg point ? Or should I be cooking higher temp or?

Any assistance would be appreciated

 

[Slimpicker]

spongy when you tryed to pull it

You were going for pulled brisket?? Or you mean pulling on a slice?
First it sounds like you did everything ok... have you tried adding 'tallow' when you wrap... that should add flavor and moisture. What did you 'wrap' with? paper or foil? You can wrap 'sooner' than 180, that might help... more like 165ish, and maybe pull off at 203 - 205 instead of 210

2nd, lots of BBQ joints will chop brisket up and add BBQ sauce or a juice. You could save the drier area for chopped sammies, or tacos, or anything that you can add a condiment to.

So I wouldn't call it a fail unless the whole family was supposed to eat the whole thing at once.

 

[harry575]

You were going for pulled brisket?? Or you mean pulling on a slice?
First it sounds like you did everything ok... have you tried adding 'tallow' when you wrap... that should add flavor and moisture. What did you 'wrap' with? paper or foil? You can wrap 'sooner' than 180, that might help... more like 165ish, and maybe pull off at 203 - 205 instead of 210

2nd, lots of BBQ joints will chop brisket up and add BBQ sauce or a juice. You could save the drier area for chopped sammies, or tacos, or anything that you can add a condiment to.

So I wouldn't call it a fail unless the whole family was supposed to eat the whole thing at once.

Sorry o meant pulling on a slice

I did add beef dripping to the wrap

That's helpful Il give that a go

I thought maybe I'm smoking for too long as the rule being an hour per pound ? Roughly

It was tasty bit just very dry although the larger part of the point was jucy but not tender and spongy when u pulled a slice

 

[Slimpicker]

Sorry o meant pulling on a slice

I did add beef dripping to the wrap

That's helpful Il give that a go

I thought maybe I'm smoking for too long as the rule being an hour per pound ? Roughly

It was tasty bit just very dry although the larger part of the point was jucy but not tender and spongy when u pulled a slice

Just keep trying and add a couple of these ideas and keep track of changes.
The meat is always good for eating one way or another, everyone wants the perfect brisket, sometimes it's also WHERE you buy from and who supplied it.

I got a 15lber in my freezer waiting for me to have the "balls" to go for it. I'll have to stick with the basics and see how it turns out. 1st one that big on my Traeger.

 

[miguelb]

Personally, I would say try the full brisket. I find that the flat is usually dry, however, I personally prefer the point. More soft and tender.

 

[Slimpicker]

Personally, I would say try the full brisket. I find that the flat is usually dry, however, I personally prefer the point. More soft and tender.

Accept your first cook on here was a successful Brisket if I remember correctly!! Damn good looking one too.

 

[miguelb]

Accept your first cook on here was a successful Brisket if I remember correctly!! Damn good looking one too.

My neighbor had been doing brisket on his green egg so he definitely helped me a lot. so I got lucky. But yes it was good!

 

[GTDjr]

I watched this a couple of times and my briskets improved immediately and immensely.

 

[Slimpicker]

12 hr rest?! wow, That changes everything for guys who ask "when should I start for my party?"... a 4-12hr rest means you cannot go wrong, that's new to me.
I would have an anxiety attack going 6 but if done the way he does with the 2nd wrap then I'd say there's no excuse to not have it done 'on time' for something.

 

[midwest]

What did you wrap it with. I use butcher paper and have had some people say foil will/can change the texture. That could be part of the cause of the texture you described. A guy I work with wrapped in foil once and he said it fell apart like a pot roast and could not be sliced.

 

[Slimpicker]

A guy I work with wrapped in foil once and he said it fell apart like a pot roast and could not be sliced.

I can see that happening, but probably only if you wrapped too early in foil, then you are almost just steaming your meat instead of BBQing it.

 

[JPSBBQ]

All wrapping is steaming it. The foil more than the paper, but the paper is as well. have to be careful. This is how you power through the stall. The stall is like meat sweating. just like us, the meat gives up moisture which actually cools the proteins like sweating does for us. It's the internal temp that needs to be monitored. Once you get to @190 IT with your stick and stay ballpark probe system, in the thickest part of the flat, you need to probe with an instant read. This is for two reasons mainly. First, you are probing for tenderness most importantly. Once it probes like butter, it's done. Tenderness always trumps IT. The IT can vary based upon the grade of the meat and it's particular intermuscular fart content. It's always possible the thin end of the flat will get a bit dry. That's just the way it goes. Many comp cooks cut it off ahead of time because it's not useful to them. I like to save it for beans etc. Secondly, you can see the temps in different areas of the brisket and how it relates to the tenderness. This can be a dance that you will improve upon with experience and practice. I usually take mine off @200-205, but it depends on rest time and each individual protein, as they are all unique. It can be done at 195 or 210 potentially. Tender is tender. Always let the protein cool down to stop the carry over cooking before putting in the cooler. 1/2 hour with the wrap cracked to let out the heat a bit should do. Lastly, IT is important, but with large cuts like brisket and butts, tenderness is the key. they can vary widely unlike say a steak which is far more predictable but does have some variations if you cook really high grade stuff like wagyu. Probe early @190 and monitor closely through the finish. Good luck, it's much easier to have success with a pellet cooker than it used to be for the guys having to manage a fire.