Brisket Question

I am not the "heavy smoker" that some of you guys are, but I have probably cooked ten or so briskets on pellet smokers at home or at our lake place. Cooking temps in the low 200s, sometimes starting lower to increase smoke. Always resting for a couple of hours in a cooler.

The one I did yesterday (at 240 on my new Heatermeter) is fairly typical: The point end and that half or more of the brisket probed like butter and the slices (point and flat) easily pull apart, maybe even too easily. But as I get out further on the flat, the probe feels more resistance. The slices will still pull apart, but with more effort.

I have stopped my cooks at internal temperatures in the 190s. Yesterday was more like 205, maybe the reason the point end ended up so tender. Flat always seems to be about the same: very edible but not easy pull-apart.

So, gents, is this just the way of the brisket? The less fattier meat will not cook to pull-part/fall-apart doneness like the fattier end?

razorbrewer said:

You need to probe for tenderness in the thickest part of the flat and completely disregard the point because it's much more forgiving. It sounds like your briskets have been undercooked.

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OK & I know that probing is the way to check doneness, but at some point there must be a temperature limit too. No? Above 205? How hot to go before saying "enough?"

West River BBQ said:

Were you saying that the brisket is cooking unevenly? If so, I'd consider the possibility of cool-spots in the cooker.

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No, not the cooker I think. This is a pretty consistent situation with two different cookers, a Traeger and a Camp Chef.

One consistent thing is I have been afraid of overcooking and drying the flat out. Maybe I'll just buy and gamble with a small brisket -- as @razorbrewer suggests just cook it until the flat probes tender with total disregard for the temp. Living dangerously IOW. I guess I can always make chili if the point completely crumbles. Or maybe spaghetti Bolognese.