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Received my Elite after Thanksgiving as an early Christmas present. Pork Butt 1st turned out nice. Babybacks next, those were very good. Ham for Christmas, got rave reviews. Tried my 1st brisket this weekend. Very disappointed. It looked great! it was too stringy. 10lb and cooked to internal temp of 195. Had two probes in it. The Cookshack probe registerd 192...I have a remote and it registed 198.
When it hit temp, I wrapped it in foil, turned down box temp to 140 and held it there a couple hours until dinner time.
Any ideas?
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Well now,I haven't had the pleasure of cooking on an Elite yet,but I have probably had more failures than anyone on the forum. Big Grin

I assume you have read smokin's Brisket 101.It gives you much of what to do and gives you enough good info to ask the right questions ,that we might be able to give the answers that are helpful.

Whatever we do,the quality of the starting product may dictate the quality of the end product.

Some compare the hunt to your going to the Alabama vs Notre Dame football game tonight,having a few beers,stopping the first person of the opposite sex and finding your spouse for life.

Suppose it happens,but it takes a few tries-usually.

Too stringy could mean it was cut with the grain,rather than across it.If cut across the grain,you could cut thinner slices.
I suppose the therms were checked for accuracy and the temp was checked in several places?

If so,internal temp means it could be a good time to start checking for tender.
If your temp probe passes thru from top to bottom like warm butter,it probably is ready to take out.You can also try to pick up with a large two tined meat fork and if it falls off,it could be tender.

If more questions,there are some experienced packer cookers will jump in.
quote:
Originally posted by Tom:
If so,internal temp means it could be a good time to start checking for tender.


Yep, finishing a brisket to a perfect brisket temp is just like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

No way to know the feel of warm butter or the look of a well cooked brisket without a little practice and a few disappointments, guess that's why some folks say there is an art to cooking.
I have cooked quite a few briskets from anywhere just under 190 up to the temps you did as well. If you are cutting with the grain like Tom said, that could be the only reason I could think of to describe it as stringy. Try Smokins tip and square off the end of the brisket a little while it's raw, so when it's cooked you could tell in which direction to continue cutting against the grain.

It will all work out with practice.
Thanks for the reply's. I too thought I may have been cutting with the grain..cut the brisket in 1/2. One 1/2 I cut with what I believed to be across the grain...the other 1/2, I cut just the opposite. Same result.
It tasted great, had nice smoke to it, it looked beautiful with a very nice bark. Just not the "butter" I was hoping for.
It won't deter me!
Thanks, Ted
I'll toss my hat into the ring with the other fine cooks above...cutting with the grain was most likely the culprit. Keep in mind, when smoking a packer, the grain of the flat and point run in opposite directions. One work-around is to seperate the two muscles once done. If cooked to proper doneness, using a pair of insulated gloves, you can work your fingers between the point and flat. Once seperate, the grain is easy to determine on both pieces.

Finding the proper temp of a finished brisket is crucial. I've had 'em finish anywhere between 191 and 208. I keep a pack of 8" wooden skewers on hand. At the 190 mark I check tenderness by inserting a skewer, top thru bottom in the middle of the brisket. Easy in and out = done.

Competition judges use the "pull test" to determine doneness. Using a 1/4"-3/8th" slice, they pull from opposite directions. A proper slice with break apart with just the slightest amount of tug.

Hang with it...you'll find the butter.

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