First Brisket

For slicing, take it to 185*. Slice thin across the grain.

The brisket has been on almost 4 hours and it is already at 151*. Should I turn it down or am I fine with the progress it is making? Seems to be cooking much faster than the pork butt! Thanks GLC for telling me the temp as I had only found things referencing the number of hours and nothing about internal temperature. I think tomorrow I am going to attempt pork spareribs so any info on that will be appreciated. This is soo fun learning how to use my cookshack!

GLH,

I have to disagree with you. If Tom were on here, he would recommend taking the brisket to 190-195 but more importantl is the poke test. We use an instant read therm to poke the flat to feel the amount of resistance is given going through the flat. If there is resistance, keep cooking. If the probe goes through with little resistance, it's done. This is the flat of course.

Thanks John. I am not trying to be a smarty pants BUT I thought you were not supposed to open the smoker during cooking! I have a probe in the brisket and I am monitoring the temperature. It is already at 154* at 4 hours.
So, how about a compromise cook to 190 rather than 185 or 195 especially if I am going to wrap in foil and let it rest a few hours????

You're going to have to open the door to take it out anyway. Do your poke test at whatever temp you choose. If it doesn't go through smooth, close the door and keep on smoking. You haven't lost anything but some temp which will build back up.

I've heard of guys who have cooked brisket for years that can tell at what temp a particular brisket needs to get to to be done, and it will vary from brisket to brisket. I think that's called experience, and I'm still working on it.

Good luck.

Thanks EZ. That is exactly what I was heading towards. And even though he won't say it, Tom is an excellent cook!

The poke or resistance method is tried and true.

Who knows? The probe might meet no resistance at all when the brisket is at 180*, or might still be tough at 200*.

185* for slicing thin is a good starting point for beginners.

Ribdog, a forum is for discussion, a question and answer session. Disagreeing or agreeing is part of any discussion. Don't worry about it, I don't.

OH MYYYYYY!!!!
I just took the brisket off of the smoker! It finally hit 190 at 8:54 am. It took roughly 16 hours to get to 190 and I did the resistence test before I took it off and it seems to be right. I guess it gets more accurate the more experienced I get with smoking. Anyway, this was absolutely the best thing I have smoked this far! ( hehehe it is only the second thing on my 08). I REALLY liked the pecan and cherry wood that I used for smoking! The more I smoke the more I THINK I need a larger one! OOOHHHH NOOOO!!! hehehehehe THANKS for the advice and support! This forum is too GREAT!!!!!

To address your 2nd post comment about it reaching 151* too quickly...do a search for the term "plateau" to read up on this phenomenon. I'm glad you didn't do what I did on my first few butts and briskets (turn temp down). It could result in a dry product.

Way to go, ltc!

Good job!