PLEASE HELP!!! Heart broke!!

What was the internal temperature of the brisket when you pulled it from the smoker? Briskets aren't done until the internal temperature reaches 185F to around 195F. Let it cook at 225F throughout the cook. Were you cooking a whole packer cut or just the flat?Read Smokin Okie's Brisket 101's for some really helpful advice. My briskets take upwards of 18 hours depending on weight. A Brisket will not be pink when cooked to 190 degrees or so. Sounds like it was underdone to me.

LT

I could be wrong but it sounds like the brisket was undercooked.

Set your smoker to 225 and try cooking it to an internal temp of about 195. Poke it with the temp robe at a couple of different points to see how smoothly it passes through the meat. This way you can "feel" the tenderness of the meat. If it still feels too tough then check again at say 200 or maybe even at 205 until it reaches the desired tenderness. Personally, I found that Tom's suggestion of 195 has always worked for me when cooking choice packer cuts.

Good Luck!

Yup, I'd bet it needed more time, mine over ten or twelve pounds take 18 hours or more at 225.

There is a magic point where the Brisket lets go of its inhibitions, and only then is it ready to consume. It is a tough piece of meat to begin with.

Here's something else, it is very important to carve the Brisket correctly, that is, across the grain. That would usually mean on the long side of the triangle, and thinner slices (but not so thing that they fall apart) are the order of the day.

Once that Brisket is done, however, and hovering around 195, a 30 minute minimum rest is best in my experience to let things get settled (this will stop any shooting juice) and the cut will continue to dissipate heat and break down toughness during this phase. Forty-five minutes or an hour might even be better, let it sit on the carving board and tent with foil.

Also, for the Brisket I recommend an electic knife to help you keep slices thin and intact for serving. You can get a cheap electric knife at Wally World for 15 bucks, but I might even spend a bit more to get a nicer one. This will make your carving chore much easier and offer the advantages listed above.

One last thing, you might buy a Labrador Retriever to eat any pieces of the Brisket that you are not willing to ingest yourself (there should be very few). Sometime my Labby gets a piece of gristle or fat (it helps her coat) and she's forever greatful for it.

Well thanks a million guys!! I read a few recepits (on here) that said to NEVER let it go over 12 hours adn it was done at 165deg. What you are saying makes alot of sence. I guess you live and learn. It was a huge brisket and it probably should have been 18-24 hours to cook. Thanks again, Now my confidence will be a little better after reading your posts!

Thanks for all the help
LT

In the words of the great BBQ guru, SmokinOkie, "It is done when it is done."

You are right that you live and learn. Get right back on that horse and cook another one as soon as possible.

Hang in there. It will work itself out.

I'm a little freaked-out that guys in CT are cooking the revered Brisket, the quintissential cut of BBQ for Texans, both at home and displaced (like myself).

Not only that, it sounds like the Connecticut crowd knows what they are doing!

Do you guys serve it with pintos, cornbread and pickled Okra?

One great thing about Brisket: call in the crowd to eat it, because there is usually plenty, especially if you're doing a 20 pounder. Heck, for that one, call in the first and second cousins, plus the cowboys on the ranch down the road!

Gotta love Brisket, although as a cut I would rate its success difficulty as "medium". Cooking a few changes that equation quickly.

Long live Le Beouf!

Having lived in Texas and down South while in the service, I was fortunate to have sampled all the brisket I could get my hands on. In the Carolinas though, ribs and pulled pork were two treats I learned to love. Any thoughts of duplicating those taste sensations were abandoned living in the vast, barren wasteland of BBQ - Connecticut, until I bought my Cookshack smoker. I've had fantastic results and never had to feed any to the dog. People in this forum have helped me quite a bit. I'm thankful to them and Cookshack.

CT-Q, great story.

C'mon, you've got to give a little to your dog.

Oh, he gets his alright, I'm a big softie. I just never had to give him any.

quote:

Originally posted by Lake Texoma:
Well thanks a million guys!! I read a few recepits (on here) that said to NEVER let it go over 12 hours adn it was done at 165deg.
LT

If they said that they were posts from people who quoted people who didn't know what they were doing.

Check out Brisket 101 for some basics.

Smokin Okie Guides

When you're first learning, briskets, butts, chicken a remote temp probe will give you greater success.

Those times and temps sound like they come out of the cookbook ,or the old recipe section.

As a young boy, growing up down around the Lawton area,I spent a lot of time fishing Lake Texoma.

The forum will give you a lot better guidelines,through Smokin's 101 s and the archives.

The Find section at page top has a great search function,if you open up all forums.

Here's a post I like from down in that area.

Darcy's Indirect Cooked Brisket

They say brisket is a hard piece of meat to cook, but I have my best results with it. I like to purchase packer trim cuts that weigh about 3.5 pounds with a 1/4 fat cap. Put your rub on the meat and place the meat(s) (fat side up) on the top shelves and work your way down if you have more than one. Place a small jar of apple juice right next to the fire box, have it touching if you want. I use one small piece of apple and one vey small piece of hickory. The apple should be about twice as much as the hickory. Put the meat in about 2200 hours and go to bed. Set the temp to about 220. Right before you go to church, put the brisket in a glass pan and add the following sauce (put some on and under the meat). 1/4 cup sugar, 1/8 cup each of catchup, honey and orange juice. Warm the sauce up before you use it so the sugar disolves. Cover the meat with foil and bump up the temperature to 250 and go to church. When you get home turn off the unit, set the table and get your sides ready. You will love this brisket. Everyone loves this recipe I use and the sauce is from the Cookshack cookbook. Save the sauce and give everyone a small portion of it to dip their meat in it. Good luck.

quote:

Originally posted by Papa-Pigs-BBQ-Barn:
...Place a small jar of apple juice right next to the fire box, have it touching if you want.

Boy I definitely don't recommend putting glass anything, especially a jar inside near the firebox or even in the smoker. If it works for you, that's fine, but I just don't think it's safe. I've heard of a case or two of someone trying a variation of this and the jar breaking.

If you like to add liquid that's okay, I don't think the small amount your adding really matters. The CS are so "humid" anyway, I think a lot of the time they are too humid for briskets (but that's just me).

And I won't EVEN go into the 4 letter work you used, starting with F, that's a whole separate topic.

But HEY, i'm glad it works for you, that's the key, find the right mix of tools that works for you and go with it.

Thanks for the post, I'm sure it will help some of those "brisket challenged" individuals

Smokin'

Smokin'Oakie,

I also use the F-bomb when I smoke brisket, it has many and varied uses.

I usually fashion mine into a hat to keep my brainwaves private, especially during a cook, which is when they are naturally at a fever pitch.

In emergency situations, I've also used it as an impromptu drip pan, but that never works very well, as I'm not skilled at folding it.

Besides, some animal always comes and licks it clean before I get a chance to clean it out. Could it be my greasy-faced Labrador? I mean, I let her out to go pee, and BAM! Greasy face.

Brisket is also "tough" if it is not sliced properly. I try to slice my brisket "thin", on a bias, against the grain of the meat. I know it sounds like a trivial thing but it makes a world of difference. Someone mentioned an electric knife and that is a good idea. I use a Forschner slicer and get pretty good results.

I small dice the unused scrap and freeze, to add to my barbecued beans for my next 'que. Excellent beans...

Jake!

That's a great idea for the beans!

Thanks.