First day off from uni and work in a month so I thought I’d give a brisket a second try on my Akorn Jr.
Supermarket cut point, 1.5kg (3 pounds), I’m in Australia so probably grass fed and a bit on the lean side.
Smoked at about 240F for 6 hours til 165F then wrapped in butcher paper and about an hour and a half later was at 203F, probed nicely in most areas, a few tough spots though… but pulled it anyway and rested in a cooler for about an hour and a half.
Bark look perfectly set, but when I cut it open – dry and grey, and no smoke ring. Almost the same as my first cook, except that one the bark didn’t look as good – but it did have a smoke ring.
Anyway, it seems like I followed everything I learnt and still screwed up. I mean the flavour was there, but it just wasn’t that juicy brisket you could get at any smokehouse – besides the delicious fat cap on top.
Really would appreciate if any experts here could tell me where I messed up, these are my ideas:
Thermometer reading wrong temperatures? It’s an INKBIRD wireless probe which I’ve heard mixed reviews about.
Aussie grass fed beef just isn’t fatty enough to stay moist. Maybe need to get some grain fed fattier beef?
Akorn Jr is too small and getting too much direct heat from the smoking stone, not far enough away from the grill?
Thanks for all the help :))
by iiTz__M3
19 Comments
What kind of seasoning did you use? Some seasonings with small particle spices cover more surface area of the meat so you don’t get much smoke penetration. I only use coarse salt and coarse pepper. I usually smoke mine over night at 200F.
As for the dryness i think you can try a higher grade meat. Over here in US i notice a large difference between choice and prime grade
It likely needed a bit longer to cook. If the probe doesn’t go in with basically no resistance, then it’s not done.
And while 203f is usually where everything breaks down enough to be done, it’s not a hard and fast rule. Sometimes it’s a bit more, sometimes a bit less.
Even “bad” brisket is good for for sandwiches.
Man, that looks like it came from an electric smoker. What wood did you use? Also, a 3 pounder is a tough cook to get right. Even the point ins unforgiving at that weight.
How do you have your Akorn set up?
Smoke rings aren’t a big deal honestly, its all cosmetic. Did you taste smoke in the bite though?
I would also calibrate your temp probe. To me, that doesn’t look like it’s fully cooked. It could be, but it doesn’t have the look of a 200°-205° IT brisket.
I also recommend skipping the cooler part. Once you’re done with the cook, wrap it up or do a foil boat and throw it in the oven on the lowest setting (preferably 170°F) and let it rest for a few hours.
You’ll get as many varied answers as the numbers of posts but here are my two cents. 240 sounds low for a brisket, I usually go for 275F – risk with too low and slow is that the extended time also means risk for drying out. But opinions might differ.
However, the biggest problem is most likely your raw product. If you, like here in Sweden, only grass feed your beef and not finish with a 6-8 month grain/corn diet to fatten the meat up; you won’t have enough fat to render during the cook. I have done the comparison between Swedish and American meat myself – and while the 100% grass fed variety is probably best for the animal, it simply doesn’t lend itself to BBQ all that well.
Save your local meat for steaks.
I see no mention of any wood being used in the cook process. Wood chunks or chips are required to get a smoke ring and smoke flavor.
Australian here. I’ve tried those little briskets from Coles, they never seem to come out right.
You should inject your brisket with broth before you rub it and put it on the smoker. I would do about 1.25 ounces per pound. This will give you significant ability to reduce dryness as well as give you a wider margin of error as to when you take off off the brisket (it’ll be harder to overcook).
Second thing, when the brisket is approaching 190 degrees, you need to start poking it with your thermometer. If you can poke that bad boy in there and pull it out quickly in most parts, like an easy poke with little resistance, it’s done. I think you might have had the brisket on a tad too long. Remember, it’s going to continue to cook up about 5 and maybe even up to 10 degrees after you take it off.
Last thing, how much smoking wood did you use? I would consider adding more wood if you are looking for the smoke ring. Smoke ring is overrated though imo.
Your bark looks great though!
If you used an electric smoker you will not get a ring.
On an offset my Ribs are pretty much all red, electric smoker I had no ring at all
Somewhere along in the bitterness maybe?
Ok, couple things…
That looks to be just the Flat. And if that’s the case, there could be a couple issues.
You said you rested in in the cooler for another hour and a half ? Did you let it set on the counter unwrapped for 20-30 minutes beforehand, so it would cool and stop the cooking process? (Carry over cooking is a very real thing, and no one seems to talk about it) If not, it’s very likely that cooking it to 203 then putting it straight in the cooler actually overcooked it. It being dry points to that conclusion. Overcooked flats are dry and tough.
Don’t worry about a smoke ring, its just a cosmetic from a chemical reaction and has no bearing on brisket flavor or texture. Long holds usually make them disappear anyway.
Try cooking at a higher temp. About 250. Try injecting your brisket. Spritz the brisket every 45-60 minutes. Add moisture to the brisket before wrapping in butcher paper.
Try wrapping in pink butchers paper with beef tallow at around 160-170 degrees internally.
High temp…just a tad too high
If you’re worried about your thermometer stick it in a pot of boiling water. Most non-calibrated thermometers are off by a degree or two, but will be fairly linear over the range of cooking temps. Just get the read from the boiling water and adjust.
I’d eat it. But I get what you mean. Looks tasty either way.
Temp. Not time. Every time. – Knowing your desired destination temp makes it perfect every time.
Sounds like you did all the right things. I am going to say it is most like the beef. People are saying cook it longer, but it seems like it was already dry. I have been smoking briskets for a long time and learned all kinds of tricks and I am going to drop one on you now.
Do everything exactly like you did, but instead of using butcher paper wrap in tin foil. You will already have your bark, but this is a trick that will turn a not very good brisket into a great brisket. One more trick to turn a not good brisket into a tasty AF brisket – use some kind of seasoning in your rub. Season salt + course ground pepper, or some kind of rub and go HEAVY on it. When you wrap at the end in foil that seasoning will cook in, the brisket will get tender and juicy and have plenty of flavor