First Brisket (mid cook) Questions

[caseyswenson]

Started my first brisket last night around 11:30pm. 10lb CAB Flat injected with Beef Broth, Worcestershire, garlic and onion powder. It has been almost 11 hours now and the plateau has been worrying me as my Oregon Scientific temp probe shut off during the night. When I turned it back on the temp was stuck at 159 and hasn't moved in 2 hours. I finally gave in and opened up the smoker (holy crap is it looking good - gorgeous color but no bark yet - outside wise can tell not done) and put in a 2nd corded temp probe into the heart of the brisket and that probe is reading a couple degrees cooler. Sounds fine but that probe went in with very very little resistance.

Knowing that I am suppose to cook until the probes go in like butter I am a bit worried that at 157-159 degrees I am already SOOO tender. Another 30-40 degrees more seems like a lot. Is it normal to be this tender at this temp?

I'm using a Smokin-It Model 2 smoker at 225F.

Cheers

Casey

 

[raptor700]

I have had briskets that were done at 185º never at 160º. 

If it's tender it's done.

All briskets are different and it sounds like yours is ready.

Don't forget the Qview 

 

[SmokinAl]

I'm a couple of hours late in this response, but you really can't overcook a brisket. I have taken them to 210, but like Rap says when they're done they're done. There should be no resistance when you insert a probe. I have never seen one done at that temp, but if your sure the probes are correct & a toothpick goes in without resistance in several spots, then like Rap say's it sure sounds done.

 

[caseyswenson]

I got a tip over at the cookshack forums to use wood skewers instead of the probe as a good sharp probe can be misleading.  Sure enough the skewer was much tougher to get in and out.  So I kept smoking....and smoking....and smoking....the plateau was killing me....Finally after 21 hours it pasted the skewer test at 195F.  What was suppose to be lunch became a late night snack before wrapping it back up for tomorrow's lunch. Got a very nice bark on the outside full of great flavor from the fat and rub. The piece showing isn't the greatest as there is a fair amount of fat. I didn't trim the fat cap before cooking as I kept it down. After doing so I wish I would have cleaned it up a bit more. Cut very well, pulls apart nice with a just a hint of resistance. Started about 9 3/4 lbs and ended around 4 3/4lbs. I'm still lost why it took 21 hours to get to 195F cooking at 225F. I figured an injected CAB brisket would have cooked decently fast.  

 

[scubadoo97]

Good thing you kept smoking.  I would trust my thermometers.  Especially if you had two that were similar.  I don't care how easy the thermometer went in.   A brisket is not ready at 165 F when cooked on a regular smoker.  Maybe sous vide for 48 hours but that's a quite different environment.

Nice looking brisket.  I assume you are using an electric smoker since there is no smoke ring and you started at 11:30 pm.  Where you using a Cookshack or MES?

Every hunk of meat cooks differently.  I recently did a shoulder clod in my MES.  The meat was rubbed and rested for 3 days and put into the smoker cold from the fridge.  Smoker was set at 225*.  I started at 8 am and prior to having to leave the house 9 hours later for a dinner the meat was just at 171.  I foiled it to speed up the cooking since the stall is not from the connective tissue breaking down but the moisture evaporation.  I returned home at 8 or 12 hours from the start and the temp was at 192.  I kept it on till it had hit 200 before pulling it.  It took a total of 15 hrs to cook a 5 lb shoulder clod.  The meat minus any surface fat weighed out to just over 3 pounds.

 

[caseyswenson]

Yup electric.  It was a Smokin-It Model 2 - similar to a Cookshack Elite.  Pork Shoulder this weekend....I'm starting that one way earlier :)