Brisket

[ctwiggs1]

Looking for some tips here.

When I order brisket at the restaurant, it's fall-apart-in-your-mouth tender.  When I smoke my own, it's this-should-be-called-jerky.

I am pretty sure I'm doing mostly the right things: trim, smoke @200 until 130, remove and wrap in foil, back in the smoker until 190, remove, rest for 1 hour.

Any tips on how to get this thing restaurant-good?

Thanks in advance!

Curtis

[Blacklab]

Hmmm here’s what I do. Smoke 225-250 spritz about every hour half. @ about 190 pull wrap in tin foil followed by a towel. Stick in cooler 2 hrs cut across grain #2 pencil thick. Not much difference in temps. You could have just gotten a tuff cow idk.

[Stein]

Don't pull it based on internal temps, pull it based on tenderness.  Use a skewer or something to probe around and see where it is at.  Different animals will finish at different temps.

My guess is yours is undercooked.  200 is pretty low, as mentioned, bump it up to 225-250.  I smoke until the crust is set then wrap and finish in the oven.

I cook at 250 and it's about 12 hours total.  200 would take a LOOOONG time to finish.

[WSU]

You need to cook until 200-205.

[ctwiggs1]

OK guys so is this the one meat where more is less?  Seems like most meats get tougher when you cook them to higher temp.  Hitting 200-205 with this is actually going to make it more tender?

[WSU]

hitting that higher temp breaks down all the connective tissue and is what makes it moist and tender.

[ctwiggs1]

hitting that higher temp breaks down all the connective tissue and is what makes it moist and tender.

Ahh..  ok. Thanks!

I've got one more brisket in the freezer.  I'll pull it and trim it for this weekend.  Would you recommend pulling around 195-200 then?

[92xj]

Yes, it might fall apart/pull (like pulled pork does) when you make it over 200 and start slicing.  I do my brisket to 203.  Smoke at 235.  Use a huge brisket cutting knife, looks like a 2 foot bread knife and it'll slice great and all the little pieces that fall apart make great snacks for the chef.

[ctwiggs1]

What point do you guys pull to wrap? 

Curtis

[Stein]

Brisket needs time and temp to render it down and make it tender.  I don't use a thermometer as it seemed really inconsistent - one would be done at this temp, the next one underdone, the next one overdone.  The couple of times I did more than one at the same time they finished at different times and different temps.  If you look at the internet, you will probably find people saying anywhere from 190-210 is done which isn't too helpful.

I'm pretty confident you are either undercooked or you bought a really bad piece of meat, or both. The big problem is that the good Costco briskets were $90 last time I was in there and that makes experimenting pretty painful.

[92xj]

I don't wrap most of the time. But if I do, I pull at 160, add apple juice and double wrap in heavy duty foil.  Cook to 198, then place in cooler covered with towels for 3 hours. Pull out and slice.

[Stein]

What point do you guys pull to wrap? 

Curtis

I wrap when the crust is set and it's the color I want.  Depending on what you wrap with, it will stop the smoking process and may speed up the cooking if you wrap with foil, but not much difference in cook time with butcher paper from my experience.

[Blacklab]

When you let It rest it continues to cook😉🥃🇺🇸 I pull and wrap@ 190-195. Make sure thermometer is working😉🥃🇺🇸

[ctwiggs1]

Brisket needs time and temp to render it down and make it tender.  I don't use a thermometer as it seemed really inconsistent - one would be done at this temp, the next one underdone, the next one overdone.  The couple of times I did more than one at the same time they finished at different times and different temps.  If you look at the internet, you will probably find people saying anywhere from 190-210 is done which isn't too helpful.

I'm pretty confident you are either undercooked or you bought a really bad piece of meat, or both. The big problem is that the good Costco briskets were $90 last time I was in there and that makes experimenting pretty painful.

Definitely not bad meat.  These are usually 1.5 year old steers that we butcher.  I don't pay for the briskets, but I know their value so it is a real bummer when it turns out not so great.

I appreciate all the advice guys!  I'll report back this weekend.

[Stein]

hitting that higher temp breaks down all the connective tissue and is what makes it moist and tender.

Ahh..  ok. Thanks!

I've got one more brisket in the freezer.  I'll pull it and trim it for this weekend.  Would you recommend pulling around 195-200 then?

I pull it when it's done.  You can jiggle it around and poke it with a skewer and get a very accurate notion of whether it's done or not.  I've heard of some people using the wrong end of a plastic fork since it's the size of a tooth and poking it with that. A skewer should slide all the way through with very little pressure but it takes a few times to get the hang of it.

Mine are usually about 9 hours in the smoker, then wrap and oven finish 2-3 hours checking after about 90 minutes.