Brisket tough

Hi CaterGreat!

I am a little confused by your first statement..."I have been buying briskets with the deckle off, but not the flats" If the deckle(point) is off, then only the flat remains, so you are buying just the flat.

I may be interpreting your sentence incorrectly....but I guess it doesn't really matter in the end......

There is only one problem when your brisket is tough....hasn't cooked long enough. Pure and simply....not enough time in the cooker. Which brings us to your next question....if you leave it on too long it will dry out..

You are exactly correct! That has been the quandry for many years. There is a very fine line between NOT done enough and OVERDONE to the point of a dry roast.

My advice, when buying any brisket you must look for a "packer trimmed" piece....that means the meat packer has packaged it with the fat cap still intact.....no matter if this is a flat or the entire brisket. Never buy a brisket that has been trimmed of all fat. This fat layer will act as your moisturizer.

Of course the other thing you must do is practice.....to me, brisket is the hardest piece of meat to get "just right".....only practice will fix that!

Hi catergreat.I agree with Stogie about the time and the packer trim.If you are using a cs you have to worry less about the drying and concentrate on the other things.What he didn't mention was the upside of all that practice,if not great,is lots of chopped sanwiches,chili,hash etc.He knows of what he speaks.

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Good Q 2 Ya,Tom.

If the brisket is tough,it's not done.

How did you determine when to pull it out? When the timer went off? The timer is a general setting that you will have to modify, based on the size of the brisket.

You can't cook Q that way, just my opinion.

The only way to know is by experience, which you'll get with your new Cookshack quickly.
But to help you down that path...

Cook your briskets to an internal temp of 190. I cook them to 200 if I'm going to chop not slice.

For all the trouble, just buy the whole brisket and the extra fat will certainly help it cook very tender. I've even taken the deckle off and put it back in to cook a little longer for chopping.

Just read my signature below and remember the quote...it's the only rule in Q I know that everyone agrees with.

Welcome to the CS club...We'll help you out. Sounds like you're been using other smokers, so bring that experience over here.



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Smokin Okie
It's done when it's done
Cookshack BBQ Guide Page

I have to agree. TIME!!! Also are you slicing with the grain? If you are, no matter HOW LONG you cook it it will be tough. CUT ACROSS THE GRAIN!! 190-200 degrees and it will be like melting butter in your mouth.

I will post my reply in a new post

[This message has been edited by CaterGreat (edited April 21, 2001).]