Hi Gang,
this is my first post here. I tried a 12 hour brisket yesterday and it came out TOTALLY inedible. The flavor wasn't bad, but the meat was sooo tough I had to apologize to my family for attempting to serve them something that may cause dental trauma...
I ran it at 200 deg for almost 14 hours and it was a 5 lb brisket. I got the time and temp online from reading several recipes. I think also, it may not have been the right cut. I've never tried a brisket before and my wife bought what I think is referred to as the flat part of the brisket.
If anyone would care to share a SUCCESSFUL brisket experience, i'd love to hear it!
Thanks!
Rob
I don't cook flats much but it sounds like you just dried it out - probably would have been better cooking for about half that time. You can't cook briskets or pork butts/shoulders (or most big chunks of meat) by time; you have to go by internal temperature. Go to the beef section of the site recipe forum (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?146-Beef) and read the brisket posts. Then get a thermometer and give it another shot. Pachanga will set you straight.
Hi Rob ,
Welcome aboard, I can see a few mistakes that you may have made, Hopefully we can get it cleared up
1) you indicate you ran it at 200, Im going to assume that the smoker Temp was at 200F if so it was a bit low, your smoker box temp should been at 225 F or so,
2) apply smoke for no more then 4 hours of smoke,,, start with two hours and add or subtract for smoke flavour
3) never smoke / cook in your smoker by time.. go by internal temperature of the meat... if you wanted pulled brisket you are looking at 195 - 205 F and when it is done it is some
( little trick here after the smoking process remove the meat from the smoker place in a large enough aluminium foil to cover completely with a apple juice or some other flavoured drink then completely cover. place in smoker with a thermometer till an internal temp . of 195 F maybe a bit higher for pulled meats. )
4) keep the top vent on your smoker wide open at all times.
5) be aware that your smoker box temperature will vary during the smoking / cooking process dont worry about it... this is normal with the amount of moisture in the box, ambient conditions, wind and temps. along with the draft in the box.
6) pre heat your box 30 minutes prior to putting your meat in.
7) 14 hours to cook a 5 lb piece of meat seems way to long to me , and it dried out. im thinking it should have been in the 4 to 7 hour range my self
others that have done more flats then i will be along
again welcome aboard and enjoy,,, do not let this discourage you were here to help and made similar mistakes, if you have questions ask we will help
Quote from: Ka Honu on September 22, 2014, 02:50:42 PM
I don't cook flats much but it sounds like you just dried it out
Thanks Ka,
It was actually still really nice and moist on the inside, and a medium doneness in color, it was just remarkably tough. Thank you for the feedback! Will definitely try it again with the point and flat intact.
Best,
Rob
Quote from: beefmann on September 22, 2014, 06:04:45 PM
Hi Rob ,
Welcome aboard, I can see a few mistakes that you may have made, Hopefully we can get it cleared up
1) you indicate you ran it at 200, Im going to assume that the smoker Temp was at 200F if so it was a bit low, your smoker box temp should been at 225 F or so,
2) apply smoke for no more then 4 hours of smoke,,, start with two hours and add or subtract for smoke flavour
3) never smoke / cook in your smoker by time.. go by internal temperature of the meat... if you wanted pulled brisket you are looking at 195 - 205 F and when it is done it is some
( little trick here after the smoking process remove the meat from the smoker place in a large enough aluminium foil to cover completely with a apple juice or some other flavoured drink then completely cover. place in smoker with a thermometer till an internal temp . of 195 F maybe a bit higher for pulled meats. )
4) keep the top vent on your smoker wide open at all times.
5) be aware that your smoker box temperature will vary during the smoking / cooking process dont worry about it... this is normal with the amount of moisture in the box, ambient conditions, wind and temps. along with the draft in the box.
6) pre heat your box 30 minutes prior to putting your meat in.
7) 14 hours to cook a 5 lb piece of meat seems way to long to me , and it dried out. im thinking it should have been in the 4 to 7 hour range my self
others that have done more flats then i will be along
again welcome aboard and enjoy,,, do not let this discourage you were here to help and made similar mistakes, if you have questions ask we will help
Great tips Beefmann, thank you! Very much appreciated.
Best,
Rob
When you say completely cover do you mean just to coat all the meat or submerge?
Quote from: steveshep8676 on September 23, 2014, 10:23:32 AM
When you say completely cover do you mean just to coat all the meat or submerge?
that has a two part answer,
1) the liquid of your choice like beer, soda, apple juice or something similar in nature would be used, only a cup or so to add flavour and steam the meat making the connective tissue loosen up and adding juiciness back into the meat .
2) as for the covering ... only item to be covering / wrapping the meat should be the aluminium foil... in this process lay out the foil... a large enough piece to totally wrap the meat all sides , top, bottom front and back... fold up the sides and front and back,, add in the liquid as above then finish closing the foil, place back into smoker at the same box temp of 225 F and insert a thermometer ( if you have one , if not please get one as soon as possible there a big help ) into the thickest part of the meat .. let it cook till the meat reaches 195 - 200 F at this point it should be ready to be pulled easily and be juicy as well.
also good questions and am happy to point you in the right direction. don't get discouraged you are on a learning curve
An old cooker once told me "if the brisket ain't done, throw it back on the fire" . Brisket is one of the hardest cuts of meat to consistently cook correctly. One thing I have learned is the IT HAS to be at least 1900 and 1950 is even better. I don't like to foil and "juice" the meat as it destroys the bark you work hard to get. If I have to use the crutch, like I need the brisket now, I'll foil put in the oven at 3000 till I get to the target temp then open the foil up and let the brisket dry out getting the bark back.
From what I read you said it was cooked till medium in color. If this is true then you way undercooked it. Possibly because the temp was 200. Now how do you know the temp was 200? If going by the door thermometer its difficult to really tell the correct temp near the meat you are cooking. It may have actually only been 190 or so. Brisket like the others mentioned needs cooked to an IT of 190-195 or so. If it was medium in color you were not near 190-195 and therefore will have a tough brisket. You really need to get a portable thermometer so you know the actual temp near the meat you are cooking and also so you can check the internal temp to tell when it is done. there has been many great tips that have already replied to this post. Use them to do your next brisket and you will be happier with the results.
Great information here.
I was told to allow two hours per pound....but to cook to my desired internal temp.
I think pensrock hit it on the head. Your meat was cooked to a safe temp, but not to the 195 needed to break down the connective tissues.
I've made the same mistake myself. Still haven't made a good brisket....but I will this fall when I get out of the chicken every night phase of my life.
Anyway, follow these folks advice and you'll be in brisket heaven soon enough.