1st brisket on an electric..

[slojoe]

Have a Smokin-it#2 and have cooked lots of butts and ribs but tried a 12lb separated brisket, the point came out great but the flat was not tender enough, total cook time was 5 hr with the thermostat to wide open, IT was 204, pulled and wrapped, put in cooler for 3 hrs, never could get that flat to get  probe tender the way folks talk, even wrapped and put in in 250 oven for 3hrs, finally chopped it for sandwiches, taste good, any ideas of where I screwed up??....BTW used mojobricks, good product, smoke held 3hr with 8oz of them.

[teesquare]

It takes time - as well as temperature to get the collagens to melt, and the connective tissues to liquify in the tougher cuts of meats.

Additionally - flats cooked without the benefit of being still part of a full packer brisket - do not get the added fat from the point as it liquifies under heat.

And, I know we throw around the arbitrary temperatures that we all use as a reference ( 205F for pulled pork as an example)  but hose are only reference points. Probing is the king of knowing when the meat has cooked long enough to be tender.

I have taken flats once they hit 165-180 and wrapped them in foil and added some beer, soy sauce, and a touch of the rub - and allowed them to braise and steam until tender.

[smokeasaurus]

I will Jacard the flat while prepped the packer for the upcoming cook.

[Hub]

Brisket is never an easy cook, even for those of us who have cooked a lot of them.  Five hours to get it to 204 was a pretty fast cook -- a little fast for that much temperature rise.  I'd try going lower and slower next time.  Also try injecting.  Flats, particularly when separated seldom have enough internal moisture.  Try this:

Don't separate the point and flat.  Inject with Butchers or FAB -- lots of small injections both deep and shallow, especially in the flat.  Cook it fat side down at a cavity temperature in the smoker of around 250-265.  Wrap in foil when IT reaches about 160 or so and continue to cook until IT reaches 195.  Pull and separate point, allow to rest covered for an hour.  Continue to cook point, wrapped until 215-220 then slice into burnt ends.  Slice flat ACROSS THE GRAIN and moisten with juices from the foil.  Allow plenty of time and then FTC (foil/towel/cooler) to keep it warm for serving.

There are many ways to attack a brisket but the surest ways to get tenderness and moisture in the meat are injecting and foiling and using enough time to get to the target ITs slowly.  Yes, you can get great results without using these techniques but it is more work and takes more practice. 

Hub

[slojoe]

Thanks for the replies, next time I'll leave it whole, probably do it on a weber with a lot of wood, the chopped flat is good as a sandwich.

[smokeasaurus]

The last brisket I did in my Smokin-it came out great. I put it in at 9 pm at 160........in the morning I took the temp up to 225. After a test probe in the afternoon I let it rest.  I was able to pull the entire packer......best darn shredded BBQ Beef I have ever had.

You definitely want to add a little water pan to set on the bottom of the smoker right next to the wood box. Makes a big difference.............

[slojoe]

Thanks for the advice, I didn't want to do an overniter and I figured by separating it I could get it done in 6-8hrs, did have a small water pan in the bottom but I took it out, the drain pan was over half full with grease, the point was dripping on the frat, so much that I think it cut down on the bark, oh well I got a lot to learn, onward and upward, enjoying the forum..

[Hub]

Thanks for the advice, I didn't want to do an overniter and I figured by separating it I could get it done in 6-8hrs, did have a small water pan in the bottom but I took it out, the drain pan was over half full with grease, the point was dripping on the frat, so much that I think it cut down on the bark, oh well I got a lot to learn, onward and upward, enjoying the forum..

Many briskets are sold with a bit too much fat left on them (thus, lots of grease from the cook).  If you buy a packer trim the fat layer down to a quarter inch or so and remove any huge fat chunks - sometimes found between the sections.  Don't take away too much, though.  Fat is both moisture and flavor when properly utilized.  Placed on the bottom during the cook, the fat layer acts as a barrier to keep the intermuscular fat inside, doing its job 

Hub