I'm scratching my head after my second brisket ever. My first brisket came out great – tender, juicy, and flavorful. This time, it was a tough & dry.
My first brisket was as follows:
-Rub with SPG, let sit 3 hours, into the smoker @ 225-250F for ~ 10 hours until the stall, when it was wrapped in foil and cooked at 275F until temps ~205F and tender to probe. Let rest under a towel until 150F and slice.
This time, I tried:
-mustard & spg overnight (~10 hours). Into the smoker 225-250F for ~10 hours until the stall, then wrapped in butcher paper and cooked at 275F until temps ~205 and tender to probe. I let this rest in the oven at 170F (as low as it would go) for ~4 hours still wrapped, then pulled and let come down to ~140F and slice.
Could the educated and experienced please point out where I've gone so terribly wrong? Why have the BBQ gods forsaken me?
by rdanroth
34 Comments
First off only change one thing so you know what may the issue.
When you pulled at 205 did you put straight in the oven or did you put on counter for an hour? If not, you put a still cooking brisket in a hot oven for hours and the brisket likely kept cooking for 2 to 3 hours and may have reached 210 or higher.
Well Id say the whole 10hrs thing isn’t what you should use to determine when you wrap. You wrap when your bark is set.
Could also be your meat and fat content, and how you trimmed.
I like to pull closer to 200, and set it in the oven with it turned off. Once my thermometer stops going up and starts dropping, I’ll put the oven on its lowest setting. When you pull the meat, it’s going to continue cooking for a while, even if there’s no heat. You’ll see it continue to rise in temperature, even after it’s off the smoker.
too hot too fast. period
Did you wrap at temp or at time for the stall? Some briskets with less fat/moisture content will get to the stall faster so you may have been drying out your brisket by going for time instead of temp for the stall. At that point, no matter if you waited for probe tender it would still be low on moisture and a dry oven will only dry it out further. My go to, taught to me by some kind internet folks, is to smoke some of the fat trimmings in a small metal container as the brisket smokes. Then when time to wrap. Pour the rendered tallow over the brisket then wrap. This will help ensure that the brisket stays moist and flavorful. Go get them next time man! In the meantime chop this brisket up and put it in chili. It’ll be delicious.
The problem was going into more heat to rest. Should not be resting in a heated source. It has enough of its own heat coming off the smoker
When you probed it, did it still feel tough or did it go in with little resistance? What part of the brisket did you probe?
You mentioned it was *tough* which to me says undercooked and not overcooked. Overcooked brisket tends to just fall apart and not stay in slices, but the meat will be dry.
What I’ve learned in my journey is that there are so many variables to think about when smoking a brisket or any roast. Time is probably one of the least important variables, and even temp is less important than people think. What you want to aim for is *probe tenderness*. That’s how you know for sure your brisket is done. 205° might be done for some briskets, but over– or under-cooked for others. You can probe the point and it’ll give you one temp, but probe the flat and get a very different temp. The edges will read higher than the center, etc. So temp is really not the best indicator of doneness.
I have no idea where I heard this and somebody can tell me if I’m wrong, but fat starts to break down at around 190F and the sweet spot for breaking down fat without overcooking your meat is between 190-210F. However, some meats that sweet spot is closer to 190F, so that’s where you want to sit for that last bit of the cook. So if you’re at ~205F for too long it can dry your meat out.
I’ve noticed a HUGE difference in quality depending on where I buy my briskets
Everyone nailed it with the advice. But i’d like to add, try using an injection. Simple one thats just beef broth + whatever dry rub youre using works.
But to not waste meat. Dry brisket is ok when sliced really thin and used as deli meat. Lettuce + tomato + cheese + mayo. Makes for a good sandwich.
Mayo + Mustard slather can lock in more juices and still give you the tang
Is your oven gas? I have a gas oven, and from some of my testing on it, I can have nearly 50 degree temperature swings. So set at 170, it might let it ride down to 150, and then fire up to 200 and keep the process going. I am sure some ovens are better, but that’s about what I got on mine. You can re-calibrate some ovens, and set it down 20 degrees, so 170 will really be 150 and then I think that will keep you out of the continuing to cook range.
That’s a lotta hash!
I’m confused by most of the comments here. Tough and dry is not overcooked. It is undercooked. You really can’t go by temp except when to wrap it when to start probing for doneness. Could take 6 hours or could take 10. Could be done at 198 or 212.
Edit: look at the Pic. That brisket never broke down at all. Pulled early. If it was pulled later, you would be able to see each fiber of meat individually. Brisket is the opposite of a steak. Really confusing at first. Another 30-60 minutes would have helped.
It wasn’t done yet
If you have lots of time try this next. Put it in the smoker at 200 for 6ish hours. Then turn up the smoker to 225 to 250 depending on when it’s being served. No wrap. Since I’ve started not wrapping my briskets they have become the crowned jewel of my bbq. I’m on a pellet smoker so it may be a little more difficult on a stick burner or the like. Give it a try. I’m not sure how they turn out so juicy and tender but they sure do. Could be the actual brisket you bought as well. My last brisket I did I tried leaving the smoker at 200, 24 hours in I was still at 165 or 170. Kicked it up to 250 I think and it finished it right off within a couple hours. I took a video of cutting that one open it was uber juicy.
You can use a food processor to chop up. Freeze. Where your not feeling like cooking, thaw and you have brisket sandwiches.
I’ve done a lot of briskets, most great, some excellent, and more than my fair share of meh. Number 1 is people will dislike a dry brisket more than a less “barky” brisket. Smoke it to 160 and then wrap it in foil. Butcher paper is fine, yes your bark will be “better”, but you will never achieve the juiciness that foil gives. I take all my trimmings and put them in a metal bowl, and place it in the smoker with the meat. Once the meat hits 160-170, I pull it, wrap it in foil, and pour the melted fat over it and let it soak and steam. I stick it back on and finish it at 300 degrees and it’s dripping when I pull it at 195-203(when it jiggles like jello).
Welp since the other commenters have it handled about your method let me give you a suggestion about what to do with the failed brisket: Make some chili. Chop it up nice and fine, stew it with beans, onions, and tomatoes and any additonal spices to your taste. Great for freezer food prep when a day you would rather die then cook finds you.
your not resting at 170, that’s cooking in my book
Why are people resting in ovens that are on?
Every time I’ve pulled a brisket after 201 its come out overdone. Start checking for probe tender around 195.
I don’t trust your ambient thermometer….
One other unrelated tip- you lost out on a chunk of bark on the flat due to pooling. Mop up any pooled juices when you periodically check on the brisket during the cook. You can also ball up some aluminum foil and put it under the brisket in such a way that the juices drain better.
Need this flagged NSFW op! I swiped and almost had a heart attack
I’m still not great at making briskets but every brisket I’ve made has been better than the last. The best advice I’ve gotten from a friend is to not worry about the way it looks. Just focus on the temp. Maybe it’s just my own personal experience, but I pulled mine at °195 and let it rest in the oven. No towels no extra heat. Turned out good, but I might pull it at 190 next time and let it rest. I know it depends on the thickness of the brisket too.
I can tell you at least based on that second pic that you need to cook it longer. Every brisket is different but if you have a meat thermometer it should go into the brisket like a hot knife through butter. In the thickest part of the brisket. Also make sure you cut the brisket perpendicular to the grain of the meat. You will see lines of the strands of the brisket. Cut against the grain. Make sure you give the brisket time to rest. If you wrap it in foil. Let the steam out for 20 mins then close the wrap and put it into a cooler or over for a couple hours if you can.
Limp Brisket
Do what you did the first time. Brisket is getting too expensive to experiment…..find what works and replicate it. Great business model.
The oven ruined your brisket
Needs to rest, wrapped in paper with tallow, for a lot longer.
How much did the brisket weigh? 10 hours could have been too long for the weight of the brisket, then you put it in the oven.
Temp gauges are great to use but you have to know the weight of the brisket, recognize progress by sight, and know how it feels when it’s tender (done).
You’ll get it, just takes a little time and asking for help like you have already!
Instead of resting in a warm
Oven, wrap in butcher paper and a clean towel that doesn’t have ‘fluff’ and pack it in a cooler just big enough to fit. An oven allows the moisture to vent whereas a cooler will steam it in its own juices
Two major things to consider for next time:
1. 205 is not necessarily the temp you have to get it to. I pull my brisket around 190-195 when it’s probe tender and they turn out very juicy
2. MY oven doesn’t manage temp very well at low temps, I put a temp probe in mine and had to continually adjust it because it can go as high as 220 even when set to 170. It is very likely possible that yours may also have this issue and if you’re holding it for hours at 200+ you’re cooking it even further.