Help Please... Brisket End Temps...

[nascar_in_tx]

Hey All,

I have a 12 lb. Brisket on the smoker, it's 11:48 a.m. and it went on around 5:30 p.m. yesterday.

I have two temp probes in it, one in the middle of the flat going from the end horizontally with the length of the Brisket and one on the opposite side going the same way. The skinny side read 174, the cap side reads 154 in the middle. Which temp do I cook to? Pull it and foil when the skinny side is ~180 or disregard and cook fat side to ~180?

Thanks

Eddie

q-view will follow...

 

[fatbabys bbq]

if i leave the point attached to the flat i wrap when the flat reaches the stall then cook to 180 in the thickest part then unrap then go to 190 for a bark , if you wrap in foil  during the stall period it helps cook and tenderizes the meat , if you wait untill the point reaches the temp. desired the flat will be dry and tough in my experence , but these are only suggestions im not a professional just a good bbq and smoker cook look  on fatbabbys bbq on forums and you can see my brisket cooked last night  3-7-12

 hope this helps a little , i messed alot of butts and brisket up to get it like i like them ,( trial and erroe haha)

 

[nascar_in_tx]

if i leave the point attached to the flat i wrap when the flat reaches the stall then cook to 180 in the thickest part then unrap then go to 190 for a bark , if you wrap in foil  during the stall period it helps cook and tenderizes the meat , if you wait untill the point reaches the temp. desired the flat will be dry and tough in my experence , but these are only suggestions im not a professional just a good bbq and smoker cook look  on fatbabbys bbq on forums and you can see my brisket cooked last night  3-7-12

 hope this helps a little , i messed alot of butts and brisket up to get it like i like them ,( trial and erroe haha)

I just pulled it, the flat was coming in on the low side of the temp with the point being around 180ish. The flat seemed pretty dense/tough when I stuck a hand held instant read thermometer in it. It's resting in a cooler, hopefully part of this brisket still has some life in it. Have heard of wrapping ribs, but not brisket. Learn something new every day. Thanks for the suggestions...

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Do you want to slice the flat and pull the point, cube the point and double-smoke into burnt ends, or just slice it all up?

The point is the heavier end, the flat is the thinnest section. The point has more inter-muscular fat and is a tubular muscle, while the flat is leaner with a fibrous muscle. If the flat is taken much above 180* it will tend to dry out without foiling. A good method to prevent this is foil the flat only as mentioned above, or separate the flat from the point and return the point to the smoker to reach finished temps.

If pulling the point, take to 200* either foiled or bare. Then foil and wrap in towels to rest for a few hours.

The flat can be foiled to finish, and should be towel-wrapped and rested (after reaching a 180-190* finished temp) for a few hours prior to slicing.

To separate the point and flat, look for a fat layer in between the two muscles. The flat muscle grain runs lengthwise the brisket while the point muscle grain runs from side to side in relation to the longest sides/edges of the brisket. Finding the fat layer and differing muscle grain direction is pretty easy, and mid-smoke separation can be done by running a knife through the fat layer...quick and easy, as it's where the two muscles will already want to come apart when handling.

Burnt ends are the bomb if you want to try it out, and pretty easy as well. Just cube the point to approx 1-1/4" to 1-1/2" pieces after reaching ~160* (+/- a few works fine), re-season or toss in sauce and return to the smoker grates for 90-120 minutes, depending on chamber temps and how much bark you want on them. When done right, they have excellent texture, with a crispy, crunchy bark and a popping, tender chew inside.

If slicing the packer, the point/flat separation should be done anyway, so you get cross-grain slicing throughout for more tender eating. Cutting on bias, and especially with the grain will make for tough eating.

Eric

EDIT: oops, you posted while I was hen-picking on my keyboard...you're already out and resting. Well, take it from there.

 

[s2k9k]

Eric, so are you saying don't take it above 180*? I have one going right now and the flat is at 178*, actually it's right around there all over it. I'm going to separate and make burnt ends. Should I pull it now?

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Eric, so are you saying don't take it above 180*? I have one going right now and the flat is at 178*, actually it's right around there all over it. I'm going to separate and make burnt ends. Should I pull it now?

If it has a good amount of fat-cap over the flat (smoked fat-cap up), it can go much higher...I've taken flats to 200* and pulled them with a good fat-cap and didn't have moisture problems.

If fat cap is trimmed off, 180* is time to foil for me. You could go to ~190* foiled, then rest for slicing, some are tender at ~180*. Poke around a bit with your probe...if it feels tender, it's ready to rest.

For burnt ends, I get better texture and finished moisture content if I separate the point/flat when the point is in the upper 150* to mid 160* range...more moisture still present when you cube it up...then it finishes cooking on the second smoke.

Eric

 

[s2k9k]

It still feels a little tough when I probe it but it has been getting more tender each time I check it.