Briskets a scary!

[Cantcookabrisket97]

So this is my third brisket I am cooking as a write this.. the first two were flats and they came out okay, not super tender but then did taste good. BOTH cooked very fast, under 6 hours at 225.. I can't figure out how to slow the cook.

This current brisket is a full cut, at 13.5 lbs. I had the grill at 225 and threw it on a midnight, hoping for a nice slow cook of around 14-16 hours. Boy was I wrong, I got an alarm at 6am saying the probe was reading 190.. I refused to believe that cooked that fast. I wrapped the brisket in butcher paper and recalibrated the probe and hopefully it's reading right because it's hovering around 172ish right now. Doesn't seem very tender so I am frustrated and disappointed so far.. can anyone give some advice? I've watched plenty YouTube videos and I'm so confused. Just seems like my grill cook entirely way to fast.. thank You.

 

[RemE]

Unfortunately you can't really trust the Traeger's thermometers. Many of us bought 3rd party temp monitors like Fireboard 2. Setting your grill to 225F might actually measure 10-20 degrees higher. Plus the Traeger meat probe could also be off. It's pretty critical to know the true temps so a better temp system is highly recommended.

My slow cooks are now overnight, in at 5pm @185F then up to 225F in the morning until meat hits 165F, then wrap. May leave at 225 or go to 250F until internal temp hits 203 F. Meat should probe test with a resistance like butter when ready. Lastly, must rest wrapped up for 1-3 hours in an insulated cooler.

Good luck!

 

[Cantcookabrisket97]

Un you can't really trust the Traeger's thermometers. Many of us bought 3rd party temp monitors like Fireboard 2. Setting your grill to 225F might actually measure 10-20 degrees higher. Plus the Traeger meat probe could also be off. It's pretty critical to know the true temps so a better temp system is highly recommended.

 

[Cantcookabrisket97]

Shit okay ill have to invest in a different thermometer then.. any idea on why it may be cooking so fast? I may get a temp swing within 10 degrees but nothing crazy.. my last brisket have never been super tender though and it's frustrating

 

[Slimpicker]

Shit okay ill have to invest in a different thermometer then.. any idea on why it may be cooking so fast? I may get a temp swing within 10 degrees but nothing crazy.. my last brisket have never been super tender though and it's frustrating

right now it may actually be 'under' cooked, when a brisket is ready to pull off, a probe should be able to go in effortlessly, almost like no resistance, like butter. This is one of the true signs it is "done"

Any other feeling and your brisket is NOT done yet.... or obviously may be over done, but you think they are cooking FAST and I'm saying you may still have a ways to go yet. Gotta have that probe go in so smooth and tender

PLUS, everything RemE said, follow that advice before your next one

 

[Cantcookabrisket97]

right now it may actually be 'under' cooked, when a brisket is ready to pull off, a probe should be able to go in effortlessly, almost like no resistance, like butter. This is one of the true signs it is "done"

Any other feeling and your brisket is NOT done yet.... or obviously may be over done, but you think they are cooking FAST and I'm saying you may still have a ways to go yet. Gotta have that probe go in so smooth and tender

PLUS, everything RemE said, follow that advice before your next one

Man my temp are the only thing that vary slightly from that process... I try to drag the cook out as long as I can by doing to overnight so I have plenty of time to work with. I'm almost thinking the cuts of meat I get aren't the best I have yet to have one that's butter thats what I'm looking for! Falling short everytime, I pull mine off around 202 then cooler for minimum of 2 hours

 

[Murphy's Law]

Do you check your temp with another thermometer or just rely on the Traeger meat probe?

Another “must have” is an instant read thermometer. They can be the difference between a tough brisket amd a “butter” brisket. If you want to up your game you need this accessory.

As noted, the Traeger probes are just about always wrong and you could think you’re pulling the brisket at 202 and it is really 190. Incorrect temps could really be your problem.

Solve that and you’ll have to change your name to damngoodbrisketking97.

 

[MidwestSmoker]

I just finished cooking a 13 lb full brisket in my Pro 575, almost the same situation as yours. I cooked overnight at starting yesterday evening at 9 pm at 180 degrees. At 6:45 am this morning it was at 150 degrees. Turned the temperature up to 250 and it finished at 11 am for a 14 hour cook. See the temperatures as measured by FireBoard 2:

 

[Timmy]

Man my temp are the only thing that vary slightly from that process... I try to drag the cook out as long as I can by doing to overnight so I have plenty of time to work with. I'm almost thinking the cuts of meat I get aren't the best I have yet to have one that's butter thats what I'm looking for! Falling short everytime, I pull mine off around 202 then cooler for minimum of 2 hours

What are you measuring 202with?

 

[Slimpicker]

I pull mine off around 202 then cooler for minimum of 2 hours

And I will repeat what is said above by my peers, if you are NOT using a trusted Therm to measure that 202°, then you might not have been at 202°.

201° is scientific, in 95% of cases if the meat didn't reach that temp then it doesn't break down and become tender.

 

[TheGrumpyGriller]

Shit okay ill have to invest in a different thermometer then.. any idea on why it may be cooking so fast? I may get a temp swing within 10 degrees but nothing crazy.. my last brisket have never been super tender though and it's frustrating

I have two (2) of these:

https://smile.amazon.com/Inkbird-Rechargeable-Thermometer-Wireless-Calibration/dp/B0821G4KXX/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=1SL74QFCNZEVJ&dchild=1&keywords=inkbird+wifi+grill+thermometer&qid=1630322398&sprefix=inkbir%2Caps%2C177&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyODRZRU9TTDRTWldIJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDA3ODk3MVNKS01UTEZKNzU0TyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzQ0ODM5MlhHTEtPSzY3WTZZViZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Many others on this forum us the Fireboard, which has some additional features, but is "less than inexpensive"

 

[midwest]

I've seen people on here report their traeger probes being off by as far as 40-50 degrees. So you might think you are cooking at 225 and could be close to 300, which would explain the quick cook times. I use an MK4 and an Ink Bird. At lower temps my Traeger probes are off 10-15 degrees but when I get close to 400 it can be 30 or more degrees off. My meat probe is about 8 degrees off, so that is why I got the Ink Bird.

 

[spikescopilot]

And I will repeat what is said above by my peers, if you are NOT using a trusted Therm to measure that 202°, then you might not have been at 202°.

201° is scientific, in 95% of cases if the meat didn't reach that temp then it doesn't break down and become tender.

Agree with this. My first couple of briskets were so-so... Once I got a Thermoworks Signals and an MK-4, I found that my pit probe is off by 20 - 30 degrees, and the Traeger meat probes were completely unreliable in both directions. Every brisket since using different thermometers has been pretty darned close to perfect. I would think it would be pretty hard to overcook a brisket and have it end up not falling apart tender, unless it gets cooked at high temps the whole time, or overcooked for many hours, either of which is theoretically possible with bad Treager probes.

 

[smokeOnwater]

I just compared Inkbird to the Traeger temp inside my 3-4 yr old (just bought it used) Timberline and another digital thermometer and they came within about 10-15 def F of the Traeger temp, fwiw. Close enough, as long as I can figure out the calibration offset, and it's consistent, I can work with that. But the Inkbird 4 sensors and my other digital sensor were in much tighter agreement.

Why is Traeger temp so far off... seems something to expect from the FAQ.

 

[GTDjr]

This has been posted on several other threads on this site, but I tried to follow what this guy does and it was the best brisket that I have ever had.

I did not have the wagyu tallow so I "smoked" the fat that I trimmed from the brisket before putting it on the smoker. This guy also uses and offset smoker. An offset smoker probably does a better job of imparting smoke to the meat, but the ease of using a pellet smoker far outweighs the extra smoke. In short, I would not do much smoking if I had to do it on an offset, but I do a lot of smoking on my Ironwood 650.