Beef Brisket Newbie

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hodgepodge

Newbie
Original poster
Jun 12, 2011
20
12
Phoenix, AZ
I've never smoked a brisket before. I figured I'd see what all the fuss was about.

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I used Meathead's Big Bad Beef rub.

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It's raining outside today so I pulled the smoker under the patio. Started smoking at 9:17 am. I'll keep you posted.

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After 3½ hours in the smoker I put the meat into the foil! The meat was hovering around 155° F for the last hour and 15 minutes. I added 10 unlit coals right on top of the existing coals. Not sure if I really needed it but I was headed out to the store with the family and wouldn't be around to monitor it for about an hour and a half. It smells really good.

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At 4:00 p.m. the temperature probe slid into the meat like it was butter. I removed it from the foil. It smelled awesome, but no crust. I was disappointed in the lack of a darker color and a crust. I prodded the brisket with the tip of the thermometer to test for tenderness. There was a small portion that offered a bit too much resistance so I removed the meat from the foil, saving the juices for later, and placed it back in the smoker. I plan to leave it in for 30 minutes and test it again.

Can I realistically expect to develop a crust on my brisket if I wrap it in foil? Should I have taken it out of the foil a little earlier?
 
Actually I would take it to 170` before wrapping in foil... when you wrap it it will soften up the bark... an IT of 190 for slicing 200-210 for pulling... what temp were you cooking at ? seems to reach 155 in 3 1/2 hrs sounds pretty fast.
 
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I pulled the meat out of the smoker at 5:37 (8 hours & 20 minutes total cook time). The temperature actually went down with the foil off. The final temp in the middle of the meat was 171 degrees F. It must have had to do with evaporation. However, it was starting to look the way I expected. I wrapped it up and let it sit for another half hour.

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The final product was very tender around the edges. The first 2 inches around the outer edges were super juicy and super flavorful. It had a big peppery taste. The middle of the brisket wasn’t as tender as the outer edges. I wasn’t very happy with the middle. If it was all as tender as the outer edges I would have been very pleased. I believe this must have to do with the internal temperature at the end of the smoke. Next time I think I'll shoot for a final temperature of 205 degrees F as advised. Thanks all!

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That was a very Educational Run...Still looks good...JJ
 
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It looks really good. But with the IT at only 171 you never reached the temp where all the connective breaks down and becomes a tender piece of meat. Foiling will soften the bark. But it will cook quicker foiled. Kind of a catch 22. I bet if you slice it real thin the next day it will make some awesome sammies.
 
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These are the temps I use for brisket.  They are assuming a smoker temp of 225-250 F. 

Slicing temp 190-195 F

Pulling temp 205-210 F

These temps internal will give you consistant results.  Also remember with brisket to slice against the grain.  Sliced brisket should hold together but be tender to the tooth.   Oh ya I almost forgot.  Brisket should be rested.  Place wrapped in foil in an insulated container and cover with towels for 1 hr. Minimum.  A coooler or microwave works fine.  This allows the brisket to do a couple important things. 

First the internal temp will continue to climb as much as 15 degrees F.  Also and IMO most importantly it allows the moisture to be absorbed and the brisket to reach equilibrium.  It is a important step in the cooking process so dont skip it.   
 
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Brisket is a cut of it's own,

I never use a temp probe on my briskets.

I use the tooth pick method,but yours has a great color and a very pronounced smoke ring 

                      
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Originally Posted by raptor700

Brisket is a cut of it's own,

I never use a temp probe on my briskets.

I use the tooth pick method,but yours has a great color and a very pronounced smoke ring 

                      
points1.png
Interesting...my brother-in-law was just telling me something similar. He said he uses a thermometer to get close and then goes by resistance with the probe until he gets the desired tenderness. Thanks for the input.
These are the temps I use for brisket.  They are assuming a smoker temp of 225-250 F. 

Slicing temp 190-195 F

Pulling temp 205-210 F

These temps internal will give you consistent results.  Also remember with brisket to slice against the grain.  Sliced brisket should hold together but be tender to the tooth.   Oh ya I almost forgot.  Brisket should be rested.  Place wrapped in foil in an insulated container and cover with towels for 1 hr. Minimum.  A cooler or microwave works fine.  This allows the brisket to do a couple important things. 

First the internal temp will continue to climb as much as 15 degrees F.  Also and IMO most importantly it allows the moisture to be absorbed and the brisket to reach equilibrium.  It is a important step in the cooking process so don't skip it.   
Thanks Shooter. I will definitely let it rest longer next time. The brisket wasn't as juicy as I wanted it to be. Hopefully the extended rest will help.

Alelover, Al, Meat, JJ, thanks for the kind remarks. I'm feeling like I can pull this off. I'm thinking about trying it again next weekend.
 
 
It looks really good. But with the IT at only 171 you never reached the temp where all the connective breaks down and becomes a tender piece of meat. Foiling will soften the bark. But it will cook quicker foiled. Kind of a catch 22. I bet if you slice it real thin the next day it will make some awesome sammies.
I forgot to post the temp of the meat right before I removed it from the foil. It was 189.6 degrees F. That is when I removed it from the foil and put it back in to darken up a bit.
 
Hodgepodge, I never wrap my Foods,be it Brisket,Butt ,Chicken or whatever and get a great bark,and yours looks as if it would have been great
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Try it without the "Crutch" they sat WE TEXANS use, NOT!!!

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I implore the Family to come over to our place to enjoy the meal,once wrapped, the Bark goes Kaput. Then there is nothing like a rack of Spares right off the Smoker,these are going to spend about four more hrs. in my little smoker .

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Have fun and...
 
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