First cook on new Smokette- brisket flat

No photo, although the URL that is shown in the properties dialoge takes me to the picture.
I put this using Instant UBB Code for Image below. Above, I took out the extra http:// and included it here. If this does not work, I'll wait for some advice from you pros, and or wait until Photopoint come up again?
Bear with me as I try to post the picture again! This time I'm using a different address from Ofoto than the one above.

Brisket

Hey BobbyQ

fixed your code.

Two things were happening:

1. There are two UBB codes you can use.

First. Use the address you provided as a URL since it was taking you to an entire page, so the code was trying to place your entire page into our page. Won't work.

Second. To insert just the image, you have to have the image address, NOT a URL. to get it, I right clicked on the photo in your album and got the address of the JPG (that's the photo itself).

The server your using is acting weird, some times the post will show the photo, some times it won't. When I get a chance, I'll download the photo and update your posts. With photo sites like that, sometimes their server and our server don't like to talk, that's why it will show intermittently.

The photo above is now on our server, to help out.

Key thing to remember, use the URL for entire web pages and the image for a JPG or GIF address.

Hey Bobby, Am I missing seeing a hole in your foil for drainage?

Regards, Mike

Mike- I am a retired Internal Medicine physician, and am used to poking my fingers in odd places. I know I did that to the Smokette, and I lookd under the thing to see if drainage was established. thanks for the 'Heads up" notice.
BTW, the brisket has been at 167-167 for 3 hours now, and smells great!

Hope it is ready by 7:30 PM (1.5 hours) but if not will pop another Martini!

Smokin- thanks for the advice on the pictures. I posted another try where I thought I right-clicked on the picture and got a URL to post for that, but maybe I did it wrong. I now have found out that Photopoint is realy down, and lots of people are having problems with that site. It may leave us with "freebies" like Ofoto (until they change their policy!).
I'll try again when the brisket is done!

quote:

BTW, the brisket has been at 167-167 for 3 hours now, and smells great!

Bobby, the longest we ever had one hold (at about the same temp you're at now) was for close to 4 hours.

Being in science, perhaps you can explain to us why the briskets (and butts) tend to plateau like that. We've been told that it's when the fat breaks down and renders out, but really have no clue.

In any event, ~most~ packer cut briskets that we've cooked (between 225-275 pit temp) tended to take just about 1.5 hours per pound to reach 195.

We paid attention to two things: The internal temp (as measured anywhere except into the fat), and the use of a long tined fork to test for doneness. If the fork slips easily in and doesn't grab upon extraction, the brisket is done.

In a very few cases we took briskets out before 195 internal, and the magic fork test was correct. In only one instance did we take out a brisket over 200 because the fork test told us to leave it in the pit. Again, the fork test was correct.

The only achiles heel to the CS is the inability to use the "fork" test for brisket, the "wiggle the bone" test for butts, and the "tear" test for ribs. If we keep opening the door to perform these tests, we are increasing our cooking time by far more than were we cooking offset or direct.

Thus, we "settle" for really great Q every time out, in lieu of the chase for the Golden Grail.

Regards, Mike

Bobby Que if you have any trouble wiyh your brisket being to done on the bottom try raising the rack up one notch to get away from the heat. I cook mine at 200 at night before I hit the rack then 225 when I get up and I have had great success.

Let us know how it turned put. Jimbo

Well- the brisket came out great.

It took a little over 8 hours to reach 185 degrees. I let it sit for about 15 minutes, and if the picture I took of it displays, it tells it all!


Mike- from what I know about brisket cooking, it is the breakdown of collagen (the connective tissue between the muscle fibers that needs to cook to add to tenderness) that is occuring when the plateau is reached during the cook. Collagen is abundant in brisket and pork butt. When this is accomplished, the meat continues to cook (lose moisture) and the temperature rises. This explanation is a little different then the rendering of fat that you mentioned.

In the case of the brisket flat above, it took over 3 hours for this to occur. The meat was not as tender as I would have liked it, but it had excellent texture, taste, appearance and aroma! Next time I will try to find a packer-cut.

Smokin- hope the picture came out. I right-clicked on the enlarged Ofoto picture, copied the .jpg address and inserted it between the UBB code. Photopoint is still down- hope it is not another dotcom victim. From what you said above, this may not be a cockpit error on my part, but related to an Ofoto problem? Bear with me while I learn. I think pictures are a wonderful way to show things on a forum.

Hey,Bobby Que....You were right to pull that flat at about 185�,as they can dry in a heartbeat. ...A sugestion on those flats would be to foil them ,wrap in a towel and place in a dry cooler for a couple of hrs....It will rise a few more degrees,tenderize and stay moist.

OK everyone- Photopoint is back up and I am trying to post the last picture that did not display at all.

This was the one of the brisket after it came out of Lil-smokey yesterday.

Hope it comes out, and if not, bear with me!

Hooay
Horay
Hooray

Smokin- I hope Photopoint has solved thir problems.

This is the falt that was my first cook on my little smoker yesterday.

Congrats on the Photo finally showing up. That's the problem with depending on other servers. If they're not reliable, just email them to me and I'll give you a good URL (that's also good so that if the photo is out there for the life of the forum, it won't "disappear" again).

Looking at your brisket, it's hard to tell in the photo, but it almost looks pink, as in Medium rare. Is it?

What temp did you cook it to and were you happy with the results (taste & tenderness)

Smokin'Okie

Wow! Great pic, Bobby Que! Acarriii

Smokin-

The brisket was not pink. I mentioned it was a flat that I cooked to 185 degrees internal. Then, I let it sit in foil for about 15-20 minutes.
I would have graded it as follows:
Appearance= excellent.
Aroma= excellent
Taste= excellent
Tenderness= not as good as I would like
Texture= good.
This was my first CS effort, and I wanted a packer-cut but couldn't find one. It cooked for about 8 hours for a 5.46# fatty flat. It plateaued for about 3.5 hours at 167 degrees. I figured that pulling it at 185 and waiting about 20 minutes with it in foil would let it get another 10 degrees. I did not do a fork test on it, and next brisket I will do this. All in all, it was very good but could have been more tender.

I'm not sure what you mean about Emailing pictures to you instead of using an ISP like Photopoint. Do you mean sending you an attachment and then you will place it in the post? How is this coordinated when one posts? I know what you mean about the pictures coming down from an ISP like I use.
Appreciate your attention to these details, and hope that others are benefitting from my newbie experience on your terrific forums.

Thanks

Bobby, am sure you probably know this..if a brisket turns out a bit tough. Let it cool. Put it in the fridge. Take it out cold and slice wafer thin. Put slices on a platw with a few drops of water on them. Cover plate with plastic wrap. Put in microwave on reheat setting. Heat for about 15-20 seconds. Should be fine.

Regards, Mike

I tell you what: Same thing has happened to me (several times), and now I will not take brisket out at 185... it ned to get to 195 for slicing, 200-205 for chopping (since it will be too tender to slice). Still, I take it out and foil wrap and sit for a while. That simple. Another 20-30 minutes in the smoker would have given you the 195, then the foil and sit. It will be perfectly tender.

I agree 185 is usually too soon. I take mine out at 190 and don't wrap in foil like many do. If you leave it in foil, it will continue to cook, but I wouldn't imagine it increasing more than 5degrees. Just check the temp.

Michael is correct with the fork test. The old time brisket cooks never used a thermometer, they did the "stick a fork in here she's done" routine.

That why it's an art, not science. Each brisket will behave differently.

I always suggest keeping great notes (which you're doing) and learn your own lessons and you'll develop it to your preferences.

Smokin'

Woodburner, not that we're taking a vote, but your numbers are just about what we've used for quite some time.

However, each cook has a different perception of how he expects his food to turn out and what he's seeking...especially with Q. Thus, Smokin's advice is spot on..keep notes. As an inveterate experimenter, I'd be lost without them.

Yet another great feature of CS cookers is that there is no need to keep ambient temp and weather condition notes.

Regards, Mike

Hey, Bobby Que.....Like Smokin' said,I figured you might get another 5� to 7� out of that flat in the cooler and that would get you to slicing stage.....I rarely do flats,but I have left probes in 10lb. packer cuts and gotten as much as a 10� rise with 2 of them in the foil/towels/cooler.Hope this helps and you seem to have a good grasp on this already.

quote:

That why it's an art, not science. Each brisket will behave differently

Smokin', trust me when I say that it's no art when I do it.

But, what you said is totally correct. Brisket is the toughest cut of beef..and the most unpredictable.

Have cooked it twice with CS and am amazed at how it brings brisket to it's knees. That's why I was so excited when the CS nailed the brisket the first time out. I'd have bet against that happening. Even the 2nd time with the flats, amazed me.

If newbies here will take a moment, go to alt.food.barbecue, or join another email list, they will see people speaking of brisket in reverence and that the Qchef has some kind of magical influence over the meat.

Stick it into the CS. Stick a Polder probe anywhere except the fat. Set pit temp to anywhere you like from 200-275 or so (we have used 200-225 so far). When the Polder reads about 190 (or whatever you like), take the brisket out. Set it on counter for a while. Slice it and drool.

Pretty simple magic, thanks to the CS. It's not only easy, it's foolproof. No magic fork necessary. The only variable will be your cooking time.

Regards, Mike