Help me figure out what went wrong with this brisket

[fisher6688]

need the help of you experienced smokers! i did my second brisket today. it was a 10.25 packer cut. i trimmed maybe a lb or less of fat off. i did mustard and Grub Rub overnight. started the smoker this morning at 8 am. smoked till about 1 pm (temps of 215 up to 270) as the temps internally already reached 170. Wrapped it and put it in the oven with the oven set at 230. at about 4 something i took it out and put it in the smoker as my foil started to leak and smoke up the house. Next time i will use three layers of foil. I have the heavy duty restaraunt size. stuck it on the smoker foiled and my temps on my smoker went from 200 to 290 and back down. i finally took the meat off at an internal temp of 198. i did the poke test and the flat was tough in some parts but the point went in smooth. 

The flat is little dry and tough. the point is tender. I see the connective tissue on the flat had rendered as well too. I rested in the cooler for about two hours. The flat felt tough with a poke test when i first checked. so i initially thought shoot lets let this thing do its thing and render. 

tips? suggestions? thank you

 

[fisher6688]

image.jpg

• fisher6688
• Jun 5, 2014

Part of the point. The flat pieces were gone before i could take a pic.

 

[pc farmer]

Cook till probes like warm butter. Might not have cooked long enough.

Must have been good if its gone that quick.

 

[fisher6688]

Cook till probes like warm butter. Might not have cooked long enough.

Must have been good if its gone that quick.

Family doesnt complain haha but i am a perferctionist. 

 

[fisher6688]

yeah for some reason my meat keeps reaching temp quicker than the whole hour to hour and half per pound theory. 

 

[pc farmer]

What smoker are you using?

 

[brandon91]

Isn't the 1-1.5hr rule for a 225-240F temp range? Maybe it got too hot for a while.

 

[fisher6688]

Old country BBQ wrangler

 

[fisher6688]

And my brisket never looks black and charred on the outside. Wondering how to get that bark

 

[fisher6688]

Maybe my temps are running too high. Some times it was cruising along at 240 to 260 during the smoking stage

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Be sure your temperature readings are accurate...not only your probe, but your smoke chamber temp gauges both should be verified/calibrated. You can do that yourself...shout back if you need more info. Controlled chamber temps are everything, and if you don't know the accuracy of your gauges, you're basically smoking blindly...cooking too fast can easily be happen. Get a handle on your smoke chamber temps...those are some pretty wide temp swings you mentioned.

I'm a believer in, and advocate for, low & slow cooking for brisket, shoulders, ribs...any lesser/tougher cuts of meats. If I keep smoke chamber temps where I want them, I always get tender meat. With wide temp swings, this could have a huge impact on the overall cooking time...in your case, probably way too fast. Trimmed packers for me generally take about 1.25-1.5hrs/lb just to reach separation temps (155*+ in the point) where I separate the point to rest and cube for burnt ends, and return the flat to the smoker to reach tender slicing temps/tenderness...close to 2hrs/lb overall. I was very accustomed to 24hr brisket smokes before I started doing separated/lean-trimmed point and flat smokes. The connective tissues in the meat need time in the proper temp range to melt away, and if the internal temp swept through that temp range too quickly (possibly didn't even hit a stall), it may not have had enough time to melt the connective tissues...translated: tough sliced brisket. BTW, you risk less interior moisture loos through evaporation when smoking at lower and steadier chamber temps.

Eric

 

[noboundaries]

The fact that your flat was dry, tough, and resistant on the poke test to me indicates it needed more time and a higher IT, probably 203-205F.  Even at a chamber temp of 250F, internal temp on a some wrapped briskets may only climb 5-7F per hour at the end of a smoke.  That hour can make the difference in melted connective tissue and juiciness. 

I'm a bit unconventional with my temps.  Folks know I smoke at higher temps, generally 250F+.  I tend to let my smoker coast at the temp it finds most happy and use a Maverick to monitor IT to determine the progress of the meat.  The 7 lb brisket I did on Mem. Day started at 225F chamber temp, coasted up to around 260F, stayed there until I wrapped it at 165-167F IT with drippings from the tri tips I did at the same time, plus a little beef broth.  I usually wrap at the first sign of a stall in the 150's but this one didn't stall until reaching that higher temp.  After wrapping the chamber temp climbed to as high as 290F then eventually settled down to about 255F or so.  I pulled the brisket off the smoker at an IT of 200F, did the toothpick poke test (good) and let it sit for a couple hours.  Brisket was juicy and flavorful.  Total time on the smoker was right at 7 hours.  Smoke ring was a little too shallow because I didn't have large chunks of hickory and the small pieces I had were burning up too quickly, resulting in periods of no smoke.  I didn't reload wood often enough. 

I truly understand the predictability of constant temperature and cook times, but temp swings can still create juicy, flavorful meat if managed by IT and feel.  It isn't for everyone, and no way I'd do it if competing, but it still works for feeding the family meat that will make them smile