Help with brisket

[tturaider]

I just got thru smokin two briskets and while they were tender and moist they wern't as tender as the last one that i smoked.  The meat had a texture that seemed like the connective tissue wasn't quite cooked all the way.  The briskets were from Sam's one 8 lbs and one 10 lbs I trimmed off the ends so that they would fit in the trays without touching the sides.  Here is what I did....I would appreciate any advice if you see where I went wrong.   ??? ???

1.  Marinated the briskets with a rub for approx 26 hrs.
2.  Started the box and let it get up to approx 215 deg while the meat warmed to room temp.
3.  Briskets in the box at 0500 with a 4 hr smk alternating between oak, cherry, and maple with a temp of around 180-190 deg. (I tried to keep it around 200 the complete time but i dont have a pid so it was just as i could watch it) I do have a digital therm. that has a probe for the cabinet and one for the meat which i used throught cooking.
4.  Around 0930 pulled the briskets wraped em in foil with a splash of AJ and put em back in the box with the racks rotated. Box temp 190-205.
5.  1230 rotated the racks and kept the temp around 200-215 for the remainder of the cook.
6.  1630 pulled the racks with an internal temp of 180 and FTC for two hrs.

That is basically what i did. Like i said the meat was tender and jucy it just still had that connective tissue that you could feel while eatin it.  >:(

Thx for any suggestions!!!

[Ontrack]

It looks like you did everything right on the cooking end. Main question-did you slice against the grain of the meat? You wouldn't beleive how much difference that makes, and that sounds like a "cutting with the grain" problem. After eating fresh brisket from my local butchers, I will not buy Sam's or Walmart's briskets again. My guys don't have them very often, and I do without a lot more than I would like, but I don't like the solution packed stuff at all. If I had never gotten it fresh I probably would be OK with Sam's, but there's no comparison to fresh. Also, I don't pull them out of the smoker until they reach 195, though many people on the forum pull at lower temps.

[tturaider]

Thanks ON....yea i tried slicing it both ways to see if it would help any but i couldnt tell any diff.  I didnt really like the two briskets that i got but they were the smallest that I could find. I guess next time i will just get a larger/better cut and just cut it down the middle to make it fit.

I was plannin on taking the meat to 190 but ive got a small problem with not having any patience!!! I was wondering if I had maybe pulled them a little to early? ???

Also do you ever wrap ur briskets while cooking them? Do you think it helps/hurts?

[Gizmo]

I take mine to 185 or so.  I also put them in a foil pan with foil lid.  I use 210 deg box temp.  I usually get the largest whole packer I can and get them from a meat market although I have picked some from Costco and Smart and Final but the Iowa beef UDSA Choice is hard to beat.  I cut mine almost in half.  Actually selecting the area where the flat part starts getting larger.  I do this so the flat section will cook evenly and the larger section with the decel will cook evenly.  They will usually arrive at the the 185 internal temp at different times but the FTC (keeping it in the foil at 150 deg) holds it well for the duration. 

Last weekend I did a brisket and used a creole butter injection.  I picked up another brisket today and doing a repeat for relatives in town, the brisket is a special request from Iowans. 

[Habanero Smoker]

You didn't mention if you were smoking whole packer, flats or points. The Sam's in my area only sells flats, but I know that depending on the region you live they will offer the other cuts. For the last several months the flats have only been averaging 5 pounds each. So I am wondering if you my have picked up some whole packer cuts. If they were whole packer, then it may be an issue of where you placed your probe.

Myself I don't like my brisket falling apart, I prefer it to still have some texture to it.

[Wildcat]

I normally do not wrap in foil until the FTC.  Also, I never let my box temp get any higher than 210 while cooking and I cook until meat temp is 190 to 195.  I try to FTC for at least 2 hours and prefer 3 or 4 hours.

[tturaider]

Thanks Giz I will have to try that. Creole butter woooooo im gona have to try that.  Thats making my mouth water just thinking of that.  What kind of rub do you put on them with that butter.

Haba...I was using whole briskets.  I placed the probe about half way in the middle but I may need to check several points next time.

I also do think the two briskets that I had wern't the best prob bout a 3 on a scale of 10. I was just thinking of trying to get it to fit on the rack.  Dumb me :-\ :-\

[tturaider]

Wild....so am I correct in assuming that the higher the internal temp you get the shorter the FTC time should be??? ???

[Wildcat]

No but the longer it takes to get through the plateau the less need for FTC and the better the connective tissue and fat break down.  I still like to FTC for a while with apple juice.  Also, you can take it out at lower temps (if desired) when it takes a long time to get through the plateau.

[tturaider]

Thanks Wild that makes more sense.

[Gizmo]

Thanks Giz I will have to try that. Creole butter woooooo im gona have to try that.  Thats making my mouth water just thinking of that.  What kind of rub do you put on them with that butter.

The creole butter injection came with creole seasoning as well.  I added some brisket rub (seasonings I threw together) as well.

The brisket I put in today, I larded with some of the fat I trimmed off.  I was talking to the butcher and he suggested that on the flat part where the meat is much leaner, to lard it to add to the flavor and moisture.  This also received the creole butter injection.   :)

[Ontrack]

Hey Giz, I had never injected a brisket until about 5 minutes ago. Actually never thought about it until I read your post. I melted butter and added creole seasoning and a little flavored meat tenderizer and shot it up. Then I did a brown mustard slather, and rubbed with Iceman's rub, more tenderizer, onion powder and garlic powder. I had to seperate the point from the flat (which I usually don't do) because of a huge difference in thickness. I'm just hoping this pouring rain stops so I can start early in the morning. Thanks for the great idea! :)

[tturaider]

Wow you both will have to keep us posted on how that works out.  It sounds so good I think I might have to try it myself.

[Ontrack]

Sure will, tt. I used to inject just about everything I smoked in my old smokers, but for some reason I kind of got away from it when I got the Bradley. I still can't beleive I didn't think of injecting  a brisket until I read Gizmo's post, though. Oh, well, age does that to a man, and that's another great thing about spending time on this forum-the help and ideas from a bunch of great people!

[tturaider]

That is true there is a lot of great info on this site.  This site is the main reason why is bought a bradley....smart on bradleys part.