Need some brisket help,not happy with how it turns out

[Jason TQ]

One comment and one question.........

1. "Probe like butter" is is just an awful analogy. Brisket is not butter......being that it is made of meat, has grain, different levels of fat, thicknesses, some tell you how you will never amount to anything in life......etc :-D

While my youtube channel is just absolute garbage I found not one ever made a video where they actually SHOWED what they are feeling and actual probing. So I have many of those videos......ingest them with caution. They may help worse than some random person regurgitating "hey bro its done when it probes like butter" because they read it a handful of times and they think it sounds cool with absolutely no additional context :icon_blush:.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqhEFVlaMOrDuIJqYQr2mgA/search?view_as=subscriber&query=probing

B. Have you ever had brisket you really like and just blows your socks off?

I ask because (and I've said this a lot) I love cooking brisket, but it wasn't until I had some really great stuff from pitmasters that know how to make unbelievable brisket that I realized "hey brisket is not euphoric for me and regardless of select or A9 waygu....it just tastes like 'ok' beef".

You might love brisket, but if you are like me it just took me a while to understand what was amazing to others was just "ok"

 

[blazinfire]

Do not use WSM lid thermometer as a guide of cook temp. It is unreliable. Get a probe and monitor the grate temp. Stick a probe through a chunk of foil resting on the grate if need be. I wrap when flat is around 165. Probe is only way to tell if it's done, time doesn't work. Feels like knife in butter is real. Also like sticking in peanut butter.

Now.. I'll get heat for this.. but advising people to not rely on the WSM lid thermometer is bologna. At least for me.. I have had my WSM since the first year i started BBQing.. that thing has seen some weather.. Still to this day,, I can put oven therms on my top grate it is spot on with my WSM lid thermometer... I would at least advise people to run therms at the grate before THEY decide if the dome temp is wrong or not..

 

[SmittyJonz]

Plus, Since you're a point Man - Choice and Selects should have less Fatty points, more meat....

 

[blackdogbbq21]

I’d try using a water in the pan and possibly try cooking closer to 250 grate temp. I’d also consider wrapping in peach paper.

 

[sickhick]

You definitely need to let it cool a bit before you rest it. If you immediately put it in foil/towels and into the cooler then it's still gonna keep cooking for quite a bit.

 

[pharp]

Sounds like you are over cooking it and then overcooking it more steaming it in foil for a few hours. Also try not looking at the internal temp at all...it just messes with your head. Sounds like you have done several about the same way pulling at the same temp. Since the only reference point we have is your final temp, I would say try pulling it at 198 or so. Ideally you won't use the temp, but since we all different "probe feel" definitions and temp is your reference point it is a good place to start. Also as already mentioned let it cool down enough so that it stops cooking when you put it in your cooler.

 

[jimstocks53]

Get the feeling that there is an art to this rather than science? There IS no single right way to do this and from your post I can tell you have done your homework. But you WILL get this if you keep trying. I would only reiterate that done is a matter of look and feel not temp - especially NOT a temp off the cooker lid.

 

[HouseDoc]

Now.. I'll get heat for this.. but advising people to not rely on the WSM lid thermometer is bologna. At least for me.. I have had my WSM since the first year i started BBQing.. that thing has seen some weather.. Still to this day,, I can put oven therms on my top grate it is spot on with my WSM lid thermometer... I would at least advise people to run therms at the grate before THEY decide if the dome temp is wrong or not..

My WSM18 and a few others are older model with round knob on side door. Temp at grate runs 25 degrees hotter than indicated. Just call me and my friends lucky....glad yours is accurate.

 

[JS-TX]

Honestly I think a lot of what you are experiencing is because your brisket doesn't have enough marbling.. even if its' graded prime. Some primes have great marbling.. others don't. If the middle of the brisket where the flat meets the point is also dry, you could be taking it too far. I think letting the brisket vent for about 15 minutes and allowing it a long 3+ hour rest helps too.

 

[JWACKS]

You might love brisket, but if you are like me it just took me a while to understand what was amazing to others was just "ok"

And I thought I was the only one. I've cooked some fine briskets, but I'll take good ribs over brisket any day.

 

[JWACKS]

I'm cooking at 275, and no wrap because at 275 with briskets in this size range they seem to finish in 8-10 hours or less.

At 275 uncovered, 8-10 hrs doesn't scream overcooked.

I've been pulling when the thickest part of the flat hits 203-205.
I read somewhere that if cooking at higher temps, pull the brisket when the flat hits 190.

203-205 is probably too low, but as many have said, internal temp is only a guide. Low slow cooks finish at a lower temp. Hot fast cooks finish at a higher temp. At 300-325 my briskets don't finish until they temp 210+.

So I guess the other question, is when it comes to the probe tenderness of the flat, is the "like a knife through warm butter" just an exaggeration that's not really accurate? My point feels that way for sure, but not the flat.

Like butter may be a bit of an exaggeration, but your flat should feel almost like what you've felt in your point. The flat doesn't have as much fat so it won't get quite there, but pretty doggone close.

 

[93_confirmed]

"I'm wrapping in two layers of foil, two towels, and into a cooler to rest for anywhere from 2-4 hours depending on what time it is and when I want to eat."

I'll defer to the senior brethren but for me personally, I wrap in butcher paper at the stall and rest on the counter for an hour+. I have found that wrapping in towels in the cooler negatively impacts the final texture and tenderness.

 

[LloydQ]

I think water in the pan and wrapping may help with the dryness issue. DEFINITELY let it cool down before the rest in the cooler. Doesn't seem like you are very far off the mark, IMO.

 

[Whisky]

B. Have you ever had brisket you really like and just blows your socks off?

I ask because (and I've said this a lot) I love cooking brisket, but it wasn't until I had some really great stuff from pitmasters that know how to make unbelievable brisket that I realized "hey brisket is not euphoric for me and regardless of select or A9 waygu....it just tastes like 'ok' beef".

You might love brisket, but if you are like me it just took me a while to understand what was amazing to others was just "ok"

Valid point!! It took me about 2-3 briskets to figure that out for my self.
Now I can't remember the last time I cooked a brisket. Beef ribs, however....

 

[smoke ninja]

originally you mentioned the slices dont pass a bend test but also you dont get clean slices........just a stab in the dark here but what are slicing with?

a dull, or the wrong knife can shred perfectly cooked meat.

other than that you have some good advice to follow.

 

[Pig_Farmer]

I have not been, should I?

I have found that letting it sit on the counter and cooling below 190 really improved my briskets. If you wrap immediately after removing from the smoker and putting in the cooler, it will continue to cook and will result in an overcooked brisket. I wrap mine around 165-175 (color pending) in foil. I will add around a cup of beef broth when I wrap.

 

[frayedend]

Could your injection cause any issues? I truly don't know. I've never once injected a brisket and I've had great success with everyone I've done, from Walmart Select, local butcher Choice, and Creekstone Prime.

I see a lot of people inject and I've really wondered how this helps and what people are using. I can't imagine putting some store bought broth in my brisket. I'm wondering if so much salt is drying it out, forcing the liquid water in the broth do ooze out. I honestly have no idea. But I skip the broth and haven't found a reason to add it.

 

[Smokin D@wg@77]

And I thought I was the only one. I've cooked some fine briskets, but I'll take good ribs over brisket any day.

me too

 

[Smokin D@wg@77]

originally you mentioned the slices dont pass a bend test but also you dont get clean slices........just a stab in the dark here but what are slicing with?

a dull, or the wrong knife can shred perfectly cooked meat.

other than that you have some good advice to follow.

also against grain or with the grain ....

 

[Kevin James]

Hey everyone. Sorry I disappeared for a while, work has me ridiculously busy and it's been difficult to get back to the forum. I greatly appreciate all the advise.

My next attempt, I will try a few things different. I will try not injecting, I may bump the pit temp up to 300 to speed the cook a little and take the flat to a higher temp to try to get it to probe more tender, and I'll let it rest for at least 30 minutes on the kitchen counter before giving a 2 or more hour rest in the cooler. If that works, great, if not, then the next attempt after that I will try wrapping in pink butcher paper once the bark sets and I get the color I want. Or who knows, I may just wrap this next one, not sure yet. Depends how I'm feeling during the cook I guess.

One way or another I WILL figure this out... no plans on giving up lol