Let's Talk BBQ
Tips, Tricks & Just Good Advice! => Good to Know! - A collection of How-To's & Sage Advice => Welcome to Outdoor Cooking! => Topic started by: kendec65 on December 14, 2015, 06:04:08 AM
-
OK-could use a little knowledge here. Tried to make my first brisket on my Rec Tec and
was so excited till I tasted it. Flavor and smoke were great, but was tough like rubber.
I cooked it at 225 till I reached an internal temp of 155 and I wrapped it, added a small
amount of apple juice and cooked it till I reached 195. Thing was so tough my wife could
of ripped her teeth out. My guess is it needed more time but I was worried I would over
cook it. Thoughts?
Ken
-
Brisket is a tough meat to get right. Also the quality of the brisket has an effect too.
Personally every flat I have cooked has not come out as good as I wanted it to.
The only time I have made brisket that turned out good was when I made a full packer.
The two keys I have learned is that sometimes a brisket will be ready when it is ready. Even though the temp was at 195F how did the probe feel when you pushed it in? Should feel like going into warm butter. If not then the brisket is not ready yet.
And always slice across the grain or it will be chewy regardless done or not.
-
Undercooked for sure. You cannot gauge brisket doneness by internal temp (though tit can be used as a guide to start checking). When you can slide a skewer into the thickest point in the flat and it goes in like a knife through room temp butter it is done. All briskets are different, and the final temp can depend on cook temp, grade of beef, size of the brisket and even just the finickiness of the individual cut.
-
I start checking the brisket to see how tender it is starting at 195F. The last time I cooked one, it was tender at 201F when I wrapped and let rest in the oven for an hour before slicing. Time before that it was 207F. If you over cook brisket you can always use it for some pulled beef, but it sounds like it just needed a little more time.
-
I'm just a backyard jack and I have smoked only 4 briskets - 3 packers and 1 flat. Each one turned out.
I use a technique that I found online. The reason I use it is because it allows wrap the brisket in foil and finish it either in the smoker or in the oven (I finished one there).
I cook in the smoker till I get to 175; double wrap tightly in foil adding some beef broth from bullion cubes; put back in at 250 until it reaches 205; if it passes the skewer test, I take it out and open the foil to let it rest, waiting till it cools to around 145 before slicing.
It is important to get over 200* but you have to go by the probe test, too. After that the MAIN THING is - you have to be very patient and let it rest...sitting there in its own juice until it cools down. If you don't let it rest, you will lose all the juices as soon as you slice it. It will be dry and tough.
You have probably done this step already, but just in case you haven't, do some more reading & research online.
I'm here to tell you that when you find the technique that works for you and that RecTec (I'd love to have one), you will absolutely love the results.
I don't think I'll go back to cooking butts.
just sayin'...
-
OK-could use a little knowledge here. Tried to make my first brisket on my Rec Tec and
was so excited till I tasted it. Flavor and smoke were great, but was tough like rubber.
I cooked it at 225 till I reached an internal temp of 155 and I wrapped it, added a small
amount of apple juice and cooked it till I reached 195. Thing was so tough my wife could
of ripped her teeth out. My guess is it needed more time but I was worried I would over
cook it. Thoughts?
Ken
As Jack pointed out, the resting of large cuts of meat is very important for moisture retention.
And, while temperature is part of the equation, we tend to over estimate the importance of temperature, as opposed to time. Partially because we have all believed that we "cook to IT - not time". And - this impartially true. But, always allow the "probe test" to be the final word in determining the doneness of the meat.
I have cooked briskets, and Boston Butts - several at a time, side by side - from the same butcher - that would finish at different temperatures.
So, I keep a package of the long cocktail toothpicks ( like the ones used to put 3 olives in a martini..on one stick... ;) ) in my kit of cooking gear.
Interestingly - a slender piece of wood and if it slides in and out of the meat like warm butter - tell me more about the meat's doneness/tenderness than my most expensive thermometers. ;) :)
As much as we all like technology, and have come to depend on it - fire management and the understanding of the physics connected to our cooking will always be our best guide.
Meats such as brisket, boston butts, shoulder clod, - and others which have a good deal of connective tissues, silver skin, hard fats, and tendon - need longer to achieve tenderness because it is time AT temperature which dissolve those tough parts in our meat which allows the muscle to be moisturized - and "relaxed" or tender.
-
While I have messed up everything at least once, I can humbly say I have not done a bad brisket. The key is checking for tenderness instead of resorting on temps. The longer the rest the better....I think that is the key. I have rested them for up to two hours and they were like butter. Adding a little water pan for extra moisture during the cook never hurts...................just get back in the saddle Cowboy and your next briskie will be a good one :)
-
In the end it all depends on the cow. The lesser grade of meat, the more cooking time it will require. The higher grade of meat, the less cooking time it will require. Your method of cooking the brisket sounds just fine. You simply got a tough brisket. Try again and get a better grade of brisket. Your results will be different I am sure.
-
In the end it all depends on the cow. The lesser grade of meat, the more cooking time it will require. The higher grade of meat, the less cooking time it will require. Your method of cooking the brisket sounds just fine. You simply got a tough brisket. Try again and get a better grade of brisket. Your results will be different I am sure.
Larry hits on a point worth expounding on: The higher the grade of meat - the better the marbling - or fat distribution. Intramuscular fat in particular. That is the fat that brings flavor and moisture to the cook.
Here is a link to a very detailed explanation about meat grading-
http://meat.tamu.edu/beefgrading/
-
In my experience, brisket needs 3 things.
Time in cooker
Go by probe tender not internal temp to test doneness
Time under a blanket in a cooler.
I've cooked briskets that were probe tender at 205, others went as far as 215.
-
OK-could use a little knowledge here. Tried to make my first brisket on my Rec Tec and
was so excited till I tasted it. Flavor and smoke were great, but was tough like rubber.
I cooked it at 225 till I reached an internal temp of 155 and I wrapped it, added a small
amount of apple juice and cooked it till I reached 195. Thing was so tough my wife could
of ripped her teeth out. My guess is it needed more time but I was worried I would over
cook it. Thoughts?
Ken
I just had the same problem.I sliced it up and put in crock pot with broth a few hours....Viola,tender as can be.So if you are a schmuck like newbie me,these things can be rescued until we all make it to nirvana "Tommie" level.
-
In my experience, brisket needs 3 things.
Time in cooker
Go by probe tender not internal temp to test doneness
Time under a blanket in a cooler.
I've cooked briskets that were probe tender at 205, others went as far as 215.
I follow the same rules and if it works for me it must work for everybody . :D
-
I would also like to add that I follow Chris Marks method of Jaccarding the flat. This will also help because you are "interrupting" the pattern of the connective tissues even before it hits the smoker............
-
Thank you all for the great pointers! I'm gonna try some chicken breasts and corn on the cob tomorrow for my wife-can't screw that up to bad.
-
You got some great advice there. Now on to "bite-thru" skin ! ! !
BD
-
One point I learned a few years back was, when shopping for brisket, pick it up and place the middle over your forearm. IF the brisket "bends' some, it is more apt to be tender than one that has NO give to it at all. I am pretty picky about the briskets I buy and have had the best luck with those at Sam's. Choice beef always, as opposed to lesser grades of beef. Was disappointed last week though--went to get one for a party we were hosting later in the week and all they had were flats. Asked and was told they did not have the whole thing. That, and the price was $4.77/lb for the flats. I would have had to buy at least two of those, which meant better than $100.00 just for the meat! Happily, just across the aisle in a display case were whole pork loins for $1.68/lb. Bought one just under nine pounds--LOT cheaper and had plenty of meat for the 15 people we fed. Missed the beef flavor, but the money Nazi was MUCH happier.