My First Brisket (UPDATE, COOK HAS STARTED)

[Slimpicker]

Lookin good so far to me.

 

[Newtra]

Lookin good so far to me.

Thanks! Sitting on the smoker wrapped at 185 degrees IT. Smoker Temp 275.

 

[Newtra]

Pulled at 201, in cooler now resting

 

[Slimpicker]

 

[Newtra]

So this was the final result.. Not as juicy as I hoped. Fairly dry in certain areas. Also a bit tough and not fall apart tender. Not sure what I did wrong. It wasn't terrible, but not great either. I did notice the cut was "Choice" and not "Prime".. could that be the reason?

 

[Slimpicker]

My "choice" have been turning out betters than my primes.
You never showed a "trimmed" pic, did you trim too much fat off? The pic looks like you left a fat on one side, yeah?
Was that cut just a whole flat without a point?
Did it have that 'jello' affect when you took it off the grill? probe tested for tender means probe goes in without any restraint.
If not then it could have cooked longer.

You have a good piece of meat there... my advice to slice it up, you can VacPac some for meals. You can have "chopped" brisket mixed with BBQ sauce and serve that way (some restaurants are famous for that), you can make brisket tacos, add beef broth when reheat to add juice, Your options are endless, the meat is NOT ruined and it was ONLY your first brisket.
Couple thing you just need to tweak but also be aware, SOMETIMES it's the cut of meat, not every brisket in the world is a good one. $60 or not, we are all paying the same as you, just be creative with how you EAT it.

 

[Newtra]

My "choice" have been turning out betters than my primes.
You never showed a "trimmed" pic, did you trim too much fat off? The pic looks like you left a fat on one side, yeah?
Was that cut just a whole flat without a point?
Did it have that 'jello' affect when you took it off the grill? probe tested for tender means probe goes in without any restraint.
If not then it could have cooked longer.

You have a good piece of meat there... my advice to slice it up, you can VacPac some for meals. You can have "chopped" brisket mixed with BBQ sauce and serve that way (some restaurants are famous for that), you can make brisket tacos, add beef broth when reheat to add juice, Your options are endless, the meat is NOT ruined and it was ONLY your first brisket.
Couple thing you just need to tweak but also be aware, SOMETIMES it's the cut of meat, not every brisket in the world is a good one. $60 or not, we are all paying the same as you, just be creative with how you EAT it.

Thanks for the reply. I didn't take a trim pic, but next time I will for sure. I left the fat cap on the bottom, about 1/4 inch. The top I trimmed most (almost all?) the fat off. Maybe I should have left some? The cut was a packer brisket, with both point and flat.

It did not have the jello affect at all when I removed, which troubled me as I knew my piece seemed a bit stiff. In hind sight, Im thinking I removed too soon.

So I've been looking up recipes for what to do with it. I'd like to try the tacos, and I also saw another one where you put the meat in a baking dish, add some beef broth, and red wine, and cook at 350 for 3-4 hours and the meat is supposed to come out real tender.

For my first ever attempt, it wasn't a total disaster. I'm going to use it as a learning experience and try again soon. To be honest, when I stuck it with my instant read right before removing, there was slight resistance, I didn't get the butter feeling. So taking everything you said into consideration, I think removing too soon was the culprit here. Thanks so much for the insight my friend.

Just wanted to add that my total cook time was about 15.5 hours.

<John>

 

[Slimpicker]

So I've been looking up recipes for what to do with it. I'd like to try the tacos, and I also saw another one where you put the meat in a baking dish, add some beef broth, and red wine, and cook at 350 for 3-4 hours and the meat is supposed to come out real tender.

couple slices on a long hoggie bun and some cheddar and grilled onions, makes a great steak sammie too

 

[MidwestSmoker]

What you got was exactly how my first brisket turned out. Here are some of the changes that I made (several experiments!) that got it where it is like jello:

1. Start at a lower temperature (around 200) with fat side down. Smoke tubes are in use. This is the overnight part.
2. After 4 hours (or longer if overnight) turn it up to 225. Spritz only the top occasionally.
3. Let it reach at least 170 (or higher) and wrap it in butcher paper with some tallow. Place it fat side up in the Traeger and turn temperature up to 250.
4. Pull it at around 200 when it is probe tender, wrap in foil and some towels and place in cooler for a few hours.

The whole process in the Traeger takes 15-20 hours, plus cooling.

 

[Newtra]

What you got was exactly how my first brisket turned out. Here are some of the changes that I made (several experiments!) that got it where it is like jello:

1. Start at a lower temperature (around 200) with fat side down. Smoke tubes are in use. This is the overnight part.
2. After 4 hours (or longer if overnight) turn it up to 225. Spritz only the top occasionally.
3. Let it reach at least 170 (or higher) and wrap it in butcher paper with some tallow. Place it fat side up in the Traeger and turn temperature up to 250.
4. Pull it at around 200 when it is probe tender, wrap in foil and some towels and place in cooler for a few hours.

The whole process in the Traeger takes 15-20 hours, plus cooling.

Thanks for this! I will use your tips when I make the next one. Appreciate it!

 

[RayClem]

You did not wrap the brisket until it hit 185 degrees. Thus, a lot of the moisture had evaporated. If you think the meat turned out too dry, you might try wrapping a little sooner next time, or add a little more liquid and fat to the brisked when you wrap it.

I am cooking for only my wife and I so a brisket is a little big for us. I normally wrap other roasts around 165 F to keep things juicy, but you can experiment until you find what you like best. The longer you wait to wrap, the firmer the bark, but the less moist the meat, so there is a tradeoff depending upon your preferences.

 

[Newtra]

You did not wrap the brisket until it hit 185 degrees. Thus, a lot of the moisture had evaporated. If you think the meat turned out too dry, you might try wrapping a little sooner next time, or add a little more liquid and fat to the brisked when you wrap it.

I am cooking for only my wife and I so a brisket is a little big for us. I normally wrap other roasts around 165 F to keep things juicy, but you can experiment until you find what you like best. The longer you wait to wrap, the firmer the bark, but the less moist the meat, so there is a tradeoff depending upon your preferences.

Thanks for the info! I pulled and wrapped at the 168 mark. I didn't however add any liquid or fat when I wrapped. I will certainly try this next time.

I now see the confusion. My post saying it was wrapped and 185. That was just a progress update.. in other words at the time I posted that, the current IT was 185, but it was wrapped prior to that at 168.

 

[RustyJake]

Fat content in the meat plays heavily into how it cooks and the end results. Well marbled meats will tend to be juicier and more flavorful. Selecting any brisket with good marbling is a start. Having a flat that is about as thick as your thumb helps as well, but this one isn't always easy to find.
In my opinion, it sounds like your brisket may not have been cooked enough. Temperatures are great references (only if the device being used is accurate). Touch, feel and look are better tell-tales. But that isn't easy on a first brisket. You can watch videos and get an idea of what to look for, but nothing replaces real-time experience, which you will get. Your first brisket sounds a lot like mine. I wasn't happy with it and it took me a full year before I attempted another. Which was far too long to wait.
Like @Slimpicker said, your finished brisket should have been 'jiggly' like jello when it was done. This comes from the fat being rendered down to a gelatin state.
It is BBQ, lots of methods to achieve a final result. I have not had any issues with the brisket being dry when wrapping at 180. I used to wrap at 160 or as soon as I saw the stall happening. But I found I sacrificed bark for doing that.
Definitely try again. Watch some brisket videos and take the general consensus you see and incorporate those into your next brisket cook.

You can get moist and good bark from wrapping at 180°F, this is from my last overnight brisket cook. This was rested overnight in the cooler and sliced the next day

 

[Newtra]

Fat content in the meat plays heavily into how it cooks and the end results. Well marbled meats will tend to be juicier and more flavorful. Selecting any brisket with good marbling is a start. Having a flat that is about as thick as your thumb helps as well, but this one isn't always easy to find.
In my opinion, it sounds like your brisket may not have been cooked enough. Temperatures are great references (only if the device being used is accurate). Touch, feel and look are better tell-tales. But that isn't easy on a first brisket. You can watch videos and get an idea of what to look for, but nothing replaces real-time experience, which you will get. Your first brisket sounds a lot like mine. I wasn't happy with it and it took me a full year before I attempted another. Which was far too long to wait.
Like @Slimpicker said, your finished brisket should have been 'jiggly' like jello when it was done. This comes from the fat being rendered down to a gelatin state.
It is BBQ, lots of methods to achieve a final result. I have not had any issues with the brisket being dry when wrapping at 180. I used to wrap at 160 or as soon as I saw the stall happening. But I found I sacrificed bark for doing that.
Definitely try again. Watch some brisket videos and take the general consensus you see and incorporate those into your next brisket cook.

You can get moist and good bark, this is from my last overnight brisket cook. This was rested overnight in the cooler and sliced the next day
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I really appreciate all of that! I'm taking bits and pieces from everyone and will apply it all on my next one. Your brisket looks perfect

 

[RustyJake]

Some good points are brought up in this video on what the mad scientist BBQ feels are some common mistakes