Please help me with my brisket problems

Well,a little more info could be helpful.

What kind of "electric smoker",and have you checked the actual temps at the cooking surface?

Does the temp stay consistent?

Have you checked the accuracy of your therms?

What grade was the packer?

How long did it take to reach 160º,and 180º?

Was there a reason you would take it out at 160º,as it was just in the plateau,where it was breaking down collagen,and rendering fat.

180º would be cooked a lttle more,but too tough to slice,without an electric slicer,and too tough to chew.

quote:

Originally posted by shantrivialand:
It was at 160 degrees then and seemed noticably dry...I decided to just let it go until it reached 180 degrees. At 180, it still was dry...

Yeah, what Tom said, need those details.

Also, how do you mean "dry" by how it looks?

I have a Southern Pride sc200sm (commercial). I know Cookshack has a comparable model (I don't prefer one or another to be honest, it came down to price)

Anyways, it took about 8 hours for it to reach 160 degrees and it stayed there for a good 2 1/2 hours....
I got the brisket from Wal-Mart.

Thanks very much....I appreciate it..

What about the answers to Tom's questions.

Have you verified the smoker temp itself? Just because an indicator says xxx, doesn't means it's xxx

When you say noticeable dry, what does that mean, just the outside. FYI, you can't tell, as a newbie, how it's gonna come out just by looking at the outside.

Cook it until 170, wrap in double aluminum foil and cook until the internal temp is 195. The slice CROSS grain and see how it comes out.

Also check out brisket 101 and read through the other brisket threads.

you're in the right place, so we'll help you through it.

Best bet would be to carefully read Smokin'Okie's Brisket 101.

That is 90% of your basic answers.

SP makes some good cookers,so we are talking technique and quality of raw product.

After reading Smokin's Brisket,and reading the brisket forum,you probably won't need us.

Cook a couple more,and ask a couple specific questions and you should be off and running.

Hope this helps a little.

Thank you guys............at 17 bux a pop I hate to screw it up LOL

By noticeably dry, I mean I sliced a little piece off and ate it and it was dry.

What temp should I be taking the brisket too?
I like my brisket so tender it shreds...is that like 195?

I think I may be pulling the brisket too early AND opening the door too much.

I pulled it at 180 degrees...

I don't get it.....I can cook a mean pork butt, but brisket has got me going crazy!!!

Next time, I am going to let it go until about 195 to 200 degrees....

Take it to 195-200 & leave the door closed. Follow your own advice. Do try to find choice brisket if possible. Take good notes & keep it simple!

Wheelz is right on. Try to avoid the Select cut and look for a Choice cut brisket. The extra marbelling should help make it more moist.

quote:

Originally posted by shantrivialand:
What temp should I be taking the brisket too?
I like my brisket so tender it shreds...is that like 195?

I mentioned it in a post above this, guess you missed it.

So, it is normal for it to "seem" dry or tough at 180 because it hasn't been cooked long enough...

Smokin',I did see that you mentioned that. I just wasn't sure if there were other factors involved as well..

I read brisket 101 and I do believe that is the problem....

You're making it too hard. Don't try to cut off a piece and check, the outer portion will have bark, and bark can appear dry.

Put the meat in the smoker, fat down, until it hits 195 in the thickest part of the brisket.

Since you haven't cooked one successfully, don't try to short cut it, go with our procedures the first time.

Next time, if this one is dry (in the middle) then I'd say foil, but try without it the first time.

Smokin

Why fat side down versus up?

The fat acts as a barrier to the direct heat from the heating element. You'll render the fat and the fat that's left will be tasty IMO.

It's not hard. Forget all those pit bosses on TV that act like they've got a secret.

Step 1:Rub brisket with garlic salt and pepper. Do it 10 minutes before you put it in or 10 hours before. I don't care and it won't make a noticeable difference either way.

Step 2:Put the packer brisket in untrimmed and fat side down. Probe it at the thickest point being sure to have probe in meat and not in fat vein between point and flat. Set smoker to 250-275*. Close door. Do not open door unless your life depends on it until therm beeps at 195*. (If 250-275* is too vague for you to feel comfortable with, lets call it 263* exactly, or 300*. They'll all work fine, but lets go with 263*)

NOTE: If you're so anal that you must know what's going on inside your smoker, turn your home oven on to 250* and when it reaches temp stick your head in there without turning on the light. What you see is largely representative of what your brisket is seeing. Happy now? I bet Schrödinger's Cat really messed with your head. (Sorry. Obscure non-BBQ reference that seemed appropriate)

Step 2A:If beep happens in less than 8 hours, open door and reset probe position because you got the probe in fat. Close door again. Wait for beep at 195*

Step 3:Wrap brisket in aluminum foil (plain foil from the store. Not gourmet gold foil, special brisket foil from Texas, lead foil from a legendary pit boss in Arkansas, etc) and cooler for 2-4 hours. Foil can be shiney side in or shiney side out. Again, I don't care and it won't make a difference. Difference in cooler time depends on when you want to eat. DO NOT!!! cut off a piece to taste for at least 2 hours or all the juices will run out of the cut!

Step 4: Sauce if desired. Eat. Enjoy. See someone about your stress.

Todd,
Have you ever thought about hosting a Comedy - Smoking show on one of those food channels?

Nah, won't let him, I'll just steal his best lines and add it to the updated Brisket 101 (but give him credit).

I especially like the stick the head in the oven idea

quote:

Originally posted by Pags:
Smokin

Why fat side down versus up?

Todd is correct, as a heat barrier. I'm NOT a firm believer any more of the "put the fat up so it will drip down through the meat and keep it moist" method. I find up or down seems to have little effect, it's the intramuscual fat/marbling that does that