It just won't get done!!!

[Dakaty]

I put my 5.5 pound brisket on at 10:00 this morning and here it is 6:30 PM and the internal temperature is only 163 degrees. (8.5 hours!!) It was "hung up" at 150 for over an hour. Will it ever get done
? I've been running my pit at 225 - 235 degrees all day. I am using a Maverick ET 73 for temperature monitoring.

What is the problem?

[mm_0_mm]

you have the same problem I do, lack of patience...

[qman]

It's just stuck, or at least it was. They are all different. You just have to keep on keeping on. It sounds like it is moving now, and if so it will most likely move fast, as small as it is. What is your target temp?

[willkat98]

wrap in aluminum foil at 165. It'll march on up to 190 in 2 hours. Cooler for a couple hours.

And you thought this was dinner brisket

[The_Kapn]

Originally Posted by Dakaty

I put my 5.5 pound brisket on at 10:00 this morning and here it is 6:30 PM and the internal temperature is only 163 degrees. (8.5 hours!!) It was "hung up" at 150 for over an hour. Will it ever get done
? I've been running my pit at 225 - 235 degrees all day. I am using a Maverick ET 73 for temperature monitoring.

What is the problem?

Assuming your pit and meat temps are accurate and you want to "get it going":
Foil it or kick up the heat.
Brisket cooks just fine at a lot higher temp, if needed.

That has been a long time for such a small cut.

TIM

[Dakaty]

Well, fine.

8:00 and 170 degrees!!

10 hours on a 5.5 pounder.... so far.

And the worst part is - I'm runnin out of beer.

Looks like it will be around 10:00. At least we'll all be hungry!!

[jgh1204]

Make that midnight, it needs to sit 2 hours before slicing.

[willkat98]

Did you wrap it?

[Dakaty]

Nope - haven't wrapped it as it looks real good. Will wrapping it significantly speed up the process? I have read that foiling is sometimes referred to as the "Texas Crutch". What's with that??

I had to cut a piece of it off to feed kids and some "drop in" relatives (they always seem to be in the neighborhood when I'm smoking). The brisket tastes really good, but is tough.

Looks like a late nighter on a Sunday....

[jgh1204]

Use the Tx crutch. Works well for me. I think you could call it the (insert your state name here) crutch.

BTW, have you checked your thermometer in boiling water? Also, where is the thermometer in relation to the meat? In my bandera, the temp from the bottom to the top can very by 20 degrees or more(depending on meat load).

How often are you opening the pit? From what i have read, each time you open the door, you add 10 to 15 minutes to your cook time.

[Ron_L]

I've found that smaller cuts weem to take disproportionately longer per pound than larger cuts. Foiling it as Bill (or should we call you Milton ) suggested will speed things up. Its already past the point where it will take on any more smoke flavor, and your bark shouldn't suffer much from foiling.

[Sawdustguy]

There are two reasons to use the crutch. Firstly it does speed up the cooking process and second it keeps the brisket from drying out. I have been known to let my brisket rest 5 hours in a cooler and it comes out as juicy as you can imagine. Go to the top of the Q-Talk forum and open the first thread (the roadmap thread) and look for Dr. BBQ's method for doing brisket. You will be glad you did. Ignore those so many hours per pound gestimates. The brisket is ready when it is ready but ya gotta make sure you more more beer onhand next time. Never know when a brother may stop by to give you a hand.

[CarbonToe]

The Brisket I cooked at the weekend stuck at 160 for hours, I didn't foil, I never use the stuff (I might experiment with the next one), If I'm feeling impatient I just crank the heat up to 275 and hold it there for about a hour to an hour and a half and it will raise the internal temp. (I cook at 235-255)

You've got to be careful and spray if you doing this (if you dont foil) as the Bark can get crispy! But I like it like that as there is hardly any sugay in my rub so it doesnt get bitter.

[RichardF]

Your food stalling at a certain temperature (usually in the 150 - 160*f range) is acutely a good thing. That's the temperature range where the connective tissue is breaking-down. You are putting additional energy in, but instead of the temperature going up, the energy is being used for collagen break-down. I do not foil during cooking. I will wrap in heavy duty plastic wrap for cooler time.

[backyardchef]

Different animals, different cooks. I did some short ribs this weekend that took longer than the briskets and everything else I cooked. The meat was tender and all, but not all the connective tissue broke down close to the bones-- after many, many hours. Last ones I did were done in about 5 and were falling apart. Go figure.......