So this year I am smoking a brisket for Thanksgiving instead of being traditional and having Ham to go with the turkey. I wanted to try out something new but I don't wan't it to ruin the brisket, so I am here to get advice from all you on the forum.
I want my brisket to be REALLY tender and not competition style like I normally do because I have realized I like what would be considered overdone for competition style in terms of tenderness. I have been to this place called Big lee's in Ocala and seen this place on TV called Pinkerton's in Houston where their brisket is extremely tender, they have to cut it in thick slices and the brisket folds in half when they pick it up from how tender it is and thats what I am striving for. One of the places said they smoke their brisket for 18 hours but I am worried that this would dry out my brisket and I really don't want to disappoint on thanksgiving. I usually get a 12-15lb full packer before its trimmed and usually smoke it for 12 hours at 225-250 with a water pan and wrap in butcher paper around 165 IT or at the 8 hour mark until it reaches an IT of 195. I have two questions that I think would give me a good idea of what I should do differently to get what I'm looking for.
1) Is 16-18 hours too long and likely dry it out or would it get me to the tenderness I am looking for? I am not quite sure how fast brisket can go from being tender to drying out and usually avoid taking the chance.
2) What IT/how many hours do you think I should strive for to get the tenderness I am striving for?
I want my brisket to be REALLY tender and not competition style like I normally do because I have realized I like what would be considered overdone for competition style in terms of tenderness. I have been to this place called Big lee's in Ocala and seen this place on TV called Pinkerton's in Houston where their brisket is extremely tender, they have to cut it in thick slices and the brisket folds in half when they pick it up from how tender it is and thats what I am striving for. One of the places said they smoke their brisket for 18 hours but I am worried that this would dry out my brisket and I really don't want to disappoint on thanksgiving. I usually get a 12-15lb full packer before its trimmed and usually smoke it for 12 hours at 225-250 with a water pan and wrap in butcher paper around 165 IT or at the 8 hour mark until it reaches an IT of 195. I have two questions that I think would give me a good idea of what I should do differently to get what I'm looking for.
1) Is 16-18 hours too long and likely dry it out or would it get me to the tenderness I am looking for? I am not quite sure how fast brisket can go from being tender to drying out and usually avoid taking the chance.
2) What IT/how many hours do you think I should strive for to get the tenderness I am striving for?