HELP! in the middle of my first brisket and i need help...

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Boy those briskets drive you mad at first, but after you do a few you get used to it & learn to just ride it out. Good luck & be patient. The one's that take so long seem to be the best one's.
 
ok, sorry i stopped posting updates...things got hectic as i had to make potato salad and such...

so, here's what happened. i really didn't have the luxury of waiting all night for the brisket to finish. so, after removing from the foil, i decided to re-foil and cook to 185 because the temp seemed to rise quicker in the foil. when it got to 185, i took it out, the temp dropped to 180. i put it back in the smoker until it got to 185 again in an attempt to 'finish' any possible bark i could. i then removed from the smoker and re-foiled for 1 hour to let the juices redistribute...i am sure that my methods were wrong in many ways because...

i started to slice the brisket and it was...dry. not overly dry or so dry that it wasn't good (it was actually still quite tasty and everyone loved it) but it certainly wasnt as moist as i would like.

so keep in mind i've only been smoking for 3 weeks, and this was my first brisket, but will someone please tell me the way i did it was wrong so i will feel better about this? haha

i grossly underestimated the cooking time using the '1.5 hours per lb' as a guide so i was forced to compromise. i did what i thought was best and it did finish much quicker than i feel it would have had i cooked all the way through without foiling, but the brisket turned out dry and with not much smoke ring might i add...

any input by anyone? and keep in mind i do not mind any criticism as i am doing my best to learn...
 
Brisket is one of the harder things to smoke and get it right. It takes some time and practice and most of all patience. Holding a good temp in your smoker and let it roll. Stalls are a very common thing and you just have to ride the out. This is a hobby to relax and enjoy,....Like fishing, If you go out and expect to catch fish, you won't have a good time. So relax,have a good time and enjoy the smoke.
 
thanks for the advice. for the most part i really did have a relaxing day. i guess im just trying to get a grasp on timeframes in case i need to feed a house full of people or something. obviously 'come over around 6' wouldnt work if they're not eating til midnight because i misjudged the time so badly haha.
 
Well that doesn't always work in smoking. (Dinner will be at 6 O'clock) especially with brisket or pork butts. but if enertaining you might consider smoking the meat ahead of time and them reheat before your guests arrive. That way your not in a panic if your smoke didn't go just right. I just finnished eating a brisket that I smoked back in October. It tasted like I just pulled it off the smoker and was fork tender. You don't have to always fix it the day of.... Just a thought.
 
That's good advice from smokeamotive.. This is why most people do overnight smokes with briskets. If you start it late in the evening and smoke all night, you will be coming off the smoker around 10 or 11 am. Plenty of time to wrap it up the flat and put the point back in for "burnt ends". Don't bother trying to serve brisket hot because it will cool as soon as you slice it and plate it anyhow. Ribs are about the only thing i'll take off the smoker while the guests are already at the house. If you want to impress, have the flat done and resting and bring out the burnt ends as an appetizer..
 
so there wouldnt be any point in trying to re-heat brisket? and if so what is the best way to do it? same question for pulled pork...

and thanks for the suggestions i really appreciate it. just out of curiosity...do you think the brisket turned out dry because i tried to rush it in foil? or because i took it out of foil and put it back in the smoker? what would be the casue of this?
 
Last edited:
well good information from all...   I am glad I read this post because I am thinking of doing a brisket next weekend and i guess I will plan on an overnight smoke.....

what a great forum!!!   you couldn't ask for a better bunch of folks to help you out and answer questions...   I can only hope I learn as much as all you experts!!  but I am till in the begining stages

dalton
 
so reading around the forums im seeing that you definitely want your temp at 140*+ in 4 hours... looking back my brisket stalled at 130 for some reason and stayed there past the 4 hour mark til i foiled it and it took off.

has anyone ever had a stall before the 140 mark? and if so is foiling it to get it above the right thing to do?
 
so reading around the forums im seeing that you definitely want your temp at 140*+ in 4 hours... looking back my brisket stalled at 130 for some reason and stayed there past the 4 hour mark til i foiled it and it took off.

has anyone ever had a stall before the 140 mark? and if so is foiling it to get it above the right thing to do?
I had one stall at 141˚, but no lower.

IMO: The best thing to do is to NOT inject or temperature probe your Brisket, Butt, Chuckie, or whatever until it is in your 225˚ or higher smoker for 3 or 4 hours. Then you don't have to worry about the "40˚ to 140˚ in 4 hours rule. Then you can probe it to completion. If you're going to foil it, I would not foil until about 165˚ (but that might just be me).

Bear
 
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Latest posts

Hot Threads

Clicky