D+ on first Brisket

GLF35

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Absolutely love my new Bull and after several successful ventures decided to take on the "Dreaded" brisket! Result not good! I am hoping someone can tell me what I did wrong. Purchased a 5 lb brisket at Sams Club as my first experiment, rubbed it with olive oil and Hefter rub, placed it on rack fat side down.

At 160 degrees(4 hrs) I removed and wrapped in butcher paper and returned to grill. It stalled at 180 degrees for 3 hrs and after 14hrs was still only at 193 degrees! Finally removed it and placed in aluminum foil, towels, and into a cooler.

Smoke ring was good but brisket was dry and not tender! As a side note I installed a second probe to make sure that was not the issue and they were within 2 degrees! I smoked at 225.

Any help/ideas would be greatly appreciated!!!
 
@GLF35 How long did you cook the brisket for? Trying to follow your timeline it seems 4 hours + 3 hours then another 14 hours = a total of 21 hours!? :oops:
 
No, it was a total of 14 hrs.
 
Thats exactly what happened to mine....except mine was a prime full packer.....and I still dont know what went wrong.
 
I would probably place it fat side up so that the fat could run through the meat as it cooked since you don't need it fat side to protect from the heat in these smokers. It could have just been that meat was a bad cut though.
 
Kim, you bring up another question. Many sites say if the heat source is below you should put the fat side down. Are the RECTEC smokers considered a bottom heat or top heat source?
 
Kim, you bring up another question. Many sites say if the heat source is below you should put the fat side down. Are the RECTEC smokers considered a bottom heat or top heat source?
Its more like a convection oven from what I have been led to understand.
 
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You can cook it either way, some believe putting the fat on top help to keep the meat moist but in reality with indirect cooking it doesnt matter. I never buy just the point or the flat, if you want to do one or the other, buy the whole, separate it then freeze the other. An uncle of mine retired as the head butcher many years ago but imparted some wisdom that has always stuck. Never buy half or quarters of anything that normally comes as a whole. The reason being the, the bad part/s of that item are usually removed, the rest is cleaned, packaged and sold. So i never buy 1/2 chicken, 1/2 brisket or 1/2 anything because of it. Now not saying that is the reason your 1/2 brisket had issues but........

Briskets are interesting, they are quite unique in the sense the temp really doesnt matter. They are truly done when they are done. Have had them finish under 190 and closer to 210, the best advice I can give if probe regularly and often to get a feel.

Did you probe other areas for temp? Your 193 probe could have been in a stop that for whatever reason just wasnt taking heat, everything around it could have been significantly higher and for some reason your prob tip wasnt. Will also agree with the others, that could have also just been a funky piece of meat. We just recently had a super great super thick cut (del monico) from our local butcher. Everything was perfect with rub, cook and meat temp. Coloring was great, picture perfect finish, however the texture of the meat was meh. Was mealy and just not good, now im a frugal bastard so i ate it anyway but for the cost of the meat was not pleased. Things as they say, sometimes just happen.
 
After the stall at 180 I placed a second probe in a different area to make sure the first probe was not faulty. The second probe was within 2 degrees of the first. Since this was my first brisket I went with just the flat just in case it was I messed it up! Next time I will try a full packer and hope for the best!
 
Hmmm, yeah if you tested other areas then probe placement fine, how did it "feel" when you placed second? When your otherwise good that your grill reporting temps are inline, a whole packer is the way to go, learning to trim and prep a brisket is part of the fun / joy. Just like learning how to remove silverskin on ribs. Its a right of passage :).
 
Just to add to some of the other commentary, the temp thing is a dynamic not static thing. The probe inserted where you think the center/coolest part might be is just a guideline. An instant (emphasis on instant, most aren't, quick, maybe, but....) read like the Thermopen is a good tool. One it acts like a probe to test for tender regardless of temp. Two, it's best to push the probe through to the bottom of the meat and then read the results as you slowly extract it. If it is truly an instant read you'll get the variations through the entire thickness of the hunk o' meat. Do that in a few places in search of lowest temp, but remembering that if it probes tender everywhere regardless of temp reading...…………..it's done!

You didn't mention if it was a Select, Choice, or Prime grade. Given it was roughly half a flat it could well have been a select which has the least marbling and will tend more toward dry outcome. But as been said above, some hunks is just gonna frustrate ya.
 
It was firm when I put the second probe in! Even at 193 it seemed firmer then I thought it should be. My nephew is cooking at 13 lb brisket full packer on his 590 as we speak and doing everything the same as I did so it will be interesting to see how his turns out. After 12 hrs his has stalled at 180.

@Uncle Bob, I have a Theropen which was giving me essentially the same readings as the built in probes, but I like your technique of pushing it all the way through and then slowly extract, great idea! It was definitely select!
 
Do that in a few places in search of lowest temp, but remembering that if it probes tender everywhere regardless of temp reading...…………..it's done!

Done when it probes like buttah!!!
 
Update from my nephew. He cooked his brisket the same way as I did, only a full packer, and after 17 hrs (14lb brisket) his brisket came out perfect! I think I just bought a not so good brisket flat!
 
My first brisket on the RT was a flat that I pulled too soon, was at IT of 195. It wasn’t bad by any means but nothing like I had made prior. I ended up sealing in a vac bag, pulled out my sous vide and heated it at 165 for around 3 hours, when it was done I was pleasantly surprised how well it turned out. The next flat I waited longer, pulled / probed at around 203 and it was good.

It wasn’t until I did my first packer that changed my mind on cooking brisket, never again will I do a non-packer. Not only is a packer less per pound, it in my opinion has much better flavor than just the flat.

Cook to probe / temp and make sure to have a good instant read thermometer on deck. Start checking around 198ish to 212ish and remember each slab of meat cooks uniquely to itself.
 
I believe you are correct on all counts! On a brisket there are no shortcuts, either in the type of cut or patience! Lesson learned by me, can’t wait to try a full packer next time!
 
Did you spritz at all ? When I wrap mine I will spritz with orange juice and lay one stick of butter in with wrap. When I see the brisket hit 205, I take it off and immediately put it in a dry cooler for at least 45 minutes. I’ve done fuller packers, flats, tips with pretty good results, I smoke heavy for about an hour and then low and slow at 225 to 235.
 
Brisket recipes all over the web are great for traditional smokers that use natural convection. Pellet smoker convection currents are several magnitudes greater. You have some hot wind blowing around in there. I use a different approach than most with my RT based on the performance of my other cookers and some experiments using chuck roasts. I go low smoke and wrap at 145. Yep 145. My thought is that it is about as smoky flavored that it is going to get by then so I want to get it out of the previously mentioned wind to retain as much moisture as possible. I wrap in foil as tightly as I can get it. I then bump the temp to 250. Butcher paper should give similar results aside from the liquid that it absorbs which cannot be on the game changing level in my opinion. Next thing. Start probing it for feel at 190. I know that 203 is the recommended temp but in reality feel is the true test. If you aren't getting any resistance then it's done regardless of temp. Let it rest for about an hour flipping it half way through. I have no science to back any of this up but I was able to reproduce the results of my experiment three times using chuck roasts so that is how I do it. Three packers and one flat in with great results every time.
 
Mine took from 0630-2230 (16 hours) to finally hit the magical 203 temp.

I spritzed it ever two hours with Apple Cider Vinegar, then at 160 internal temp I double wrapped it in pink paper. Then when it hit 203 I pulled it and wrapped with a beach towel and put in dry cooler and went to bed.

Remember the stall is when the connecting tissue is treating down. Mine hung at 190 for several hours, then just started climbing and about 45 minutes later is was ready to be pulled.

The bull was at 225 the entire time.

I followed this https://girlscangrill.com/recipe/smoked-brisket/.

Lessons learned: Put the meat on early, if you want it that day. Patience.
 

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