Brisket / meat question

Tigermidge ,what cut of meat did you cook? How big was it? If you cooked a brisket to only 160F it would have been pretty tough. Brisket should be cooked to 185-200 depending upon your prefenence.

You can cut back times if the meat was overcooked. You should never cook by time alone. If not sure use a remote thermometer to monitor the cooking progress. Remember that large cuts of meat will continue to cook 5-10 degress after taken from the oven.

I had a flat Briket and had the over set to 225 and a meat thermometer that reads 160 after 2 hours and stays close to that the next 3 hours.
I guess what I am asking is the thermo says 160 is medium rare, do you stop when this temp. is reached or continue cooking the full time?

Tiger.. Looking at the CS booklet that came with my Smokette.. there is a recipe for a flat beef brisket in the 2-3 lb range.

It says to cook at 225 for 3 hours. Remove from oven and place on heavy duty cooking foil. Add rub to taste. Securly wrap brisket with foil and place back in oven. Cook for 3 more hours at 225.

This should make it "fall off the bone" tender.. even without a bone and should be nice and moist.

Says to use 4 oz hickory. Sounds like a bunch to me.. but maybe not.

Bill

There has been alot of discussion regarding the book that comes with the smoker. The times and temps are not very "real world". It is best to use the info found on this forum.

AS far as brisket goes, check out the 101s http://cookshack.com/barbeque_guide/101/Brisket101.html

Brisket need to be cooked way past 160 to 185-200. When cooking a brisket, there is a plateau 1t about 170 degrees which lasts several hours. During that time is when all of the tissues is breaking down and the brisket becoming tender. After the plateau the cooking process goes much faster.

Some briskets cook faster than others, that is why you should not use time alone but double check with the temp and tenderness of the meat.

Ditto what everybody else says, plus 160F sounds a bit high for Medium Rare to begin with. More like Medium Well, still not done enough for a good brisket tho.

Hey Guy: If it is a brisket, small or large, it needs to hit a good 190-200 degrees inside (thermometer in the middle of the meat) in order to be tender. This is because it is a cut with tough fat (collagen) that must break down in order to make the meat edible. This is what "low and slow" BBQ is about. It's gonna take at least 6-8 or 10-12 hours to get there. It is done when it's done (T - Smokin Okie).

Med Rare (which I would call 130) is all about different cuts of meat that work well at that temp. Steaks... rib roast. Not brisket. Not pork shoulder (pork butts... pulled pork)

Does that help?

I suspect you are using one of those "meat thermometers" from the grocery store. The one's with the doneness levels on them. If I'm right. toss it, because those levels don't mean a thing. Get a cheap instant read or a nice digital unit and follow the temps suggested here. Then you'll be happy.

Tiger-

I had difficulty with the tenderness of brisket "flats" which are easy to find in most supermarkets.

As indicated in Smokin's Brisket 101, you will do much better in cooking a "Packer Cut"(in a Cryovac package) brisket that includes the flat and an attached piece called the deckle amongst other things. I get mine now at a local WalMart
Supercenter. Get one less then 11# if available. It may be more tender then the larger ones, and will fit easier than a hugh brisket. I use a Polder thermometer inserted in the thick part of the brisket in the flat below the deckle.

Be sure to read Brisket 101, especially about the "plateau" that occurs when collagen is breaking down and the brisket is tenderizing itself. Also, I like an internal temp of 185-90 degrees before taking it out of the CS.

Good luck with your next brisket!

Just my thoughts here, but medium rare is not a term I hear very often when we talk about BBQ low and slow. I am guessing that your flat was trimmed and did not have a good fat cap on it. If it did, I echo what is said above and you want to cook it until its in the 190� range. Follow the directions above and it will be moist and melt in your mouth.
Richard

COOKED A15 POUND BRISKET IN FEC100 ON 225-240 FOR 11-12 HOURS.NEAR THE END OF TIME THE 170 PLATEAU SET IN AND FOR 2.5 HRS.TEMP NEVER GOT OVER 177.THE185-190WAS NEVER REACHED BUT BRISKET WAS OVER DONE (BY THAT I MEAN FALLING APART)TO TENDER TO SLICE .ANY ADVICE?

PIGshack,

Then I'd suggest checking your temp probes or the placement of the probes. I've never had a brisket fall apart under 195. Probably where you placed it.

You might want to post in the FE forums. These are the archives and most people don't look in here very often for new topics.

Welcome to the group!