While cooking a 16.5# brisket last weekend, my temp readings varied widely from end to end using two differents temp probes. At first I though one probe might be bad, in fat pocket or sim, but using the instant-read temp probe gave me similar readings when placed near those other probes, and repositioning the low-reading probe did not change the results. My final temps when I pulled from smoker were 194* at Point and 168* at Flat. The Point section was soft as butter while Flat section was still a little firm, which seems consistant with temp readings I was getting for both areas. This is my 10th brisket cook and I had not experienced that much temp variation in the meat before.
A little more info on this smoke. Smoked fat side up in Amerique running at 225* whole time. Put brisket in late at night and when checked temps in morning after about 8 hours both probes read around 150* or so. As the day progressed, the temp probe in Point section slowly rose as is normal, while temp probe in Flat section seemed to be stalled. When I finally first opened the door to check for tenderness at 15 hours, Point =188* and Flat =160*. After another 2-1/2 hours (now total smoke time at 17-1/2 hours, the Point section was very soft and 194* while Flat section was only 168* and still firm. As it was now 8:00 PM and late for dinner, I FTC'd brisket for only 1-hour before slicing and eating. As imagined (by earlier temps & tenderness probes), the Point portion was very good, tender & moist, while the Flat portion was only fair, a bit firm although still a little moist.
I do not know which grade this brisket was as package was unmarked, but its general appearance was good to my unskilled eye.
Any thoughts on why those large temp variations between ends/sections of this brisket??
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