Brisket

Forget to mention this is a Cookshack smokette II.
Audrey

For fall apart tender you need to wrap the brisket in foil and finish the cook or it will be real dry. Foil and add some mop or apple juice, or stock for moisture, seal and finish the cook, it will have the texture of pot roast.
Jim

Audrey,

Need some more details.

Now, if Jim is telling you to put it back in and foil it, his ideas will help some of the dryness. Try his suggestion.

But I don't foil my briskets normally. I'll have to disagree with Jim (hi JIM)... but you don't have to foil everything to keep it moist.

What temp did you smoke it at?
How long did you smoke it?
What was the temp when you pulled it off?

Sounds like it was a small packer trim, but could have been a flat only. Send a few big ones like that lately in the store and they don't have enough fat on them to keep them moist.

Make sure you check out Brisket 101.

Smokin'

Smoked it at 225 for 12-1/2 hrs. Don't know what the temp was when I pulled it off. Had to order a Polder and it's not here yet. Don't think it was a flat, it has lots of fat on it but since I know nothing about meats I could be wrong. Checked out Brisket 101, printed it and read it but didn't tell me about putting in back in after it has been cut. At least I didn't think so. Maybe I should re-read. How much longer should I cook it? Tks to everyone!

Help!!! How much longer shall I cook this brisket after I foil it and put back in CS. Has cooked for 1-1/2 now after 12-1/2 hr earlier
Audrey

Aubrey,

If you have foiled it and cooked it longer take a meat thermometer and insert into the middle part of the brisket and if the temperature is 190F or above you will be able to pull it (like pulled pork) as a basic rule of thumb. If you want to slice it I beleive it should be like 170-180F internal temp...some of the fine participants on this forum may correct me.

Now all the experts here will tell you that its not always that way based on temp alone...it takes expereince too (experts can tell when they insert the thermometer into the brisket). But I do that as a basic rule of thumb...

Now what I do after I smoke and foil is to place it on a gas or charcoal grill and baste it with a barbecue sauce and give it a crisping (I do this with brisket and sholder and ribs) for a few minutes. You can also make lovely burnt ends that way too.

Good luck...

PrestonD

I normally would not use foil either but his concern was about dryness and this methods does cure that problem, he also ask for falling apart, hard not to dry one out without foil.
The brisket you start with has a lot to do with the finale product. Cooking a whole brisket rather that a just a flat also helps.
Smokin
How you been?
Preston
170 to 180� internal would give you slices but would normally be yet tough. I would normally start to check for tender at 188� internal. By running a probe (fork or the probe of a thermometer) into the flat of the brisket, like should feel feel like it's going into butter.
If the quality of the brisket is there you can cook one without foil to 200 to 205� internal,it will be tender but dried out.
Jim

Jim

if you cook it to between 190 and 200 internal, then take it off and foil it up and just HOLD it in a cooler for a couple of hours, it will then have retained quite a bit of moisture and give you the moist and tender effect I think you want. If it has come off and you cut right in, I think the remaining juice will probably have run out and it will be a bit dry. Once foiled, either in the cooker or holding, it will be moist and happy an hour later to several hours later...