Brisket fail and questions

[matt r]

Did a 16 lb packers on the traeger. 225 degrees to an IT of 193.
It was weird. The juice was pouring out of it as I was slicing it, but even then I knew it was going to be dry...and it was!
My question is how do I know if it was undercooked or overcooked? I pulled it at 193, wrapped it in foil and put in a cooler for about an hour. It should have been great!
Brisket God did not favor me this time!

 

[Danno44]

Did you probe it? I’ve had them hit temp I was looking for but when probing could feel it wasn’t there yet. (When I say probe, I mean for tenderness not temp)

 

[cooker613]

I’ve had briskets go to 203 before testing tender. I use the toothpick test. If a toothpick goes in and comes out with no resistance, you’re good.

 

[matt r]

Hi guys. I did probe but maybe not thoroughly enough. It seemed good to go, but I guess I should have been more diligent.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

I wouldn't even bother probing before 205f IT. That is in effect the method I was taught by reading here.

 

[gmc2003]

Sounds undercooked especially at 193*. If it's dry and crumbly then it's overcooked. If it's tough then it's undercooked.

Chris

 

[zachd]

I would say undercooked I don't even start probing till 195

 

[SmokinAl]

Brisket is a very hard piece of meat to cook right.
I'm sure you learned something with this one, and your next one will be perfect!
I agree with the above, it sounds like you just didn't cook it long enough!
Al

 

[matt r]

Definitely under cooked. It was tough. Really goes to show you how finicky this cut is...last one I did I pulled at 193, with the probe sliding in like a hot knife through butter. It was fantastic! This one not so much.
Thanks for the great tips and kind words, gentlemen.

 

[RickNessly]

Was looking around and saw your post...I've only had limited success with Brisket, so Saturday I got a 14lb brisket at Costco and decided to let it ride until it jiggled. I put it in the smoker at 10pm Saturday night at 230 and thought I might be eating it between noon and 1 on Sunday. It hit 203 and was buttery around 2:30 in the afternoon on Sunday...16 1/2 hours. I pulled and wrapped for an hour in the cooler. I only spritzed three times and it was the best brisket I've ever made...incredibly moist and chopped the point (couldn't slice it because it fell apart) for sandwiches later. I just need to time it better for eating..3:30 is not exactly dinner time.

...point is...I've had many briskets like yours and been left scratching my head...going forward I guess I'll live by the adage..."it's done when it's done"...I also think we worry too much about overcooking and end up undercooking most often

 

[zwiller]

Not done one yet but been researching brisket ALOT. Almost all posts that do not specify the grade are fails. The posts that do mention grade (and they are usually Costco primes) are success. I think the grade is critical. So do my books. That said, I totally agree with Rick, that most pull too early in fear of overcooking.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Not done one yet but been researching brisket ALOT. Almost all posts that do not specify the grade are fails. The posts that do mention grade (and they are usually Costco primes) are success. I think the grade is critical. So do my books. That said, I totally agree with Rick, that most pull too early in fear of overcooking.

I don't even know what grade it is I get at GFS, of the two I did, the first was perfect, the second was almost perfect but one small problem that wasn't my doing. The flat had just a ton of fat in it, some places it was fat straight through. But I go with the done when it's done adage. <Seriously not sure if the grade matters when it comes to the bad luck of getting that much fat>

 

[zwiller]

I don't even know what grade it is I get at GFS, of the two I did, the first was perfect, the second was almost perfect but one small problem that wasn't my doing. The flat had just a ton of fat in it, some places it was fat straight through. But I go with the done when it's done adage. <Seriously not sure if the grade matters when it comes to the bad luck of getting that much fat>

Point for that since the only brisket I can source near me is GFS. Here it is CAB. Looks great too. Pretty sure now that you posted success with it, I'll try one. Touche' on grade. Grade is not gonna guarantee success in itself.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Point for that since the only brisket I can source near me is GFS. Here it is CAB. Looks great too. Pretty sure now that you posted success with it, I'll try one. Touche' on grade. Grade is not gonna guarantee success in itself.

I have every confidence in you! Just wish we could see the middle of a brisket before buying it.. lol.

 

[revs2ninegrand]

I just smoked a brisket this past weekend that didn't even start to feel probe tender until 208

 

[sauced]

Yes...sounds like it was undercooked to me as well. I use the temp as a guide on when to start the toothpick probing.

 

[tallbm]

Here is another thing that makes briskets difficult. You should try and place temp probes in the thickest yet center most portion of the brisket. It usually takes me 3 probes to get 1 correct.

So what I am saying is that I believe another major reason all kinds of different temps are reported when a brisket is tender is due to the difficulty getting the temp probe placed well. Add that with all the other factors and you can see why briskets are a challenge until you get the process down well. Keep at it :)