I hate brisket

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I usually smoke flats and I've never had a dry brisket.  What I do...
  • Dry rub, cut criss cross pattern in the fatty side
  • Smoke at 225°F - 1.5 hours per pound fatty side up
  • Put beer in the water tray in my smoker
  • baste every hour with a beer/bbq sauce mixture, or spray with apple juice.
  • Meat is basiclly done absorbing smoke after 3-4 hours, so if it's cold out I'll wrap it in foil, baste heavily with beer/bbq mix and put in the oven at 225° to finish at 190°
I've done apple juice instead of beer and no bbq sauce, that turns out good too.  When I do kobe beef briskets I could pull them apart.  Hereford beef (or any other standard breed) stays fairly juicy too.  

Sounds like you're drying out.  


Your from North Dakota...................
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Scott has a good thought as did many others.  I am wondering how the temps are being monitored and if the meat probe is calibrated?

Briskets and chuckies can be tricky but if temps are off they are even more so.

Good luck and good smoking.
 
Hi,

I just did my second brisket this past weekend so I'm no eggspurt. I buy full briskets untrimmed. Both of them have come out well. I rub both sides, I don't trim anything and I put the meat on the smoker fat side up. I don't foil anything and  I cook it at 220-250 for as long as it takes to reach 210 internal. I like mine pulled instead of sliced.

These guys and gals on here will set you right. Don't give up just yet, just try doing something different!

Rick
 
I cook flats all the time with pretty good results.  I run about 250 F on the smoker.  I inject and rub the night before.  Foil at about 155F and pull and rest minimum one hour in a cooler. Pull from smoker at 193 to slice.  When I foil I add apple juice.  Just a splash is plenty.  If you do not rest it cannot reabsorbe the moisture in the foil pack.
 
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I can't believe no one has mentioned this.

Here's a big one. You have to rest your brisket after you take it off the smoker. If you don't rest it, or don't rest it enough, it will be dry every time as the juices will go all over the cutting board instead of staying inside the meat where they belong.

When you pull it off the smoker, if it's not already wrapped in foil, wrap it in foil. Get yourself a few old towels and a cooler. Wrap the foil-wrapped brisket in towels and place it in the cooler. You don't want any space in the cooler when you're done.

After a couple of hours (1 hour MINIMUM), pull it out and proceed. Don't worry. It will still be too hot to handle without gloves.

If you cook a whole packer (they sell them at Sam's), make sure your thermometers are correct, and rest it properly, it'll come out great.

Don't give up on brisket. Once you hit one right, it'll get easier and easier and it will once again be your favorite.

That brisket has been working hard for you. Give it a rest and you'll be glad you did.

-Bret
 
Thanks for the info guys. Going to go out and get a whole packer tomorrow at wallyworld (I'm a little apprehensive about this since Walmart traditionally has had some really low quality meat around here, but it's my only option other than a pricey butcher) and give it a new try.

Modifications:

Inject with low-sodium beef broth

Fold up / tie thin end of brisket to even thickness out

Throw it in an aluminum pan at 150* with more beef broth

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I actually have a feeling that it's largely due to the cut I was using (fairly lean for a brisket, almost looked like a london broil cut). We'll see if a better cut + the above changes work.

Also, I'm using the built-in probe on a MES 40". I've compared it against another therm. I have and they were within 2* of each other.
 
Excellent point!

And an excellent addition to this thread for when it will be read by a newbie 3 years from now.

Some of us assume the rest will be done.

The rest is very important for this cut.  Not everyone reading this thread would assume that as we do.

Thanks for adding that!

Good luck and good smoking.
 
I didn't read any mention of letting it cool slowly.  I don't know if that would have anything to do with it being tough but I always use an ice chest or a warm oven for that purpose just for good measure.  Is it possible to over mop a brisket? lol
 
Resting is very crucial.  Heck...I've gotten to the point to where I rest steaks even LOL. 

My 1st 2 briskets were flats.  #1 was a nightmare and probably close to your description here.  The 2d flat was incredible.  I had a water pan and spray bottle filled with half apple juice and half beer.  I sprits 1x per hr (smoke refill) with temp right ~225-235 (still getting used to charcoal heat management).  What I've also done the last 2 times due to weather was pre-heat an over @ 225 and when the IT hits ~165 and you hit the foil stage....finish it in the oven.  Then @ 195* IT....pull, towel, wrap, etc. 
 
Ghost, I am also a fan of using the oven to finish off a foiled product and then just letting it rest in there.  I also let steaks rest for 10 minutes.
 
Im goning to be doing my frist one this weekend, and you guys brought up alot of good info I would have never thought of. Thank you and I hope mine comes out good enough to chock down
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