What am I doing wrong?

Welcome to the forum, sorry to hear about the brisket. I would guess the forum experts may need a little more info to truly understand what problems you had, but until they come along maybe I can take a stab at some problems.

The "HI" reading on your probe will happen when it hits a temp of 199*, now I've had a few briskets done at this reading and have a had a few that would have been dry at this reading.

I would guess that a 21* difference in reading could be possible on some briskets, so I really don't pay much mind to temps. Like how you knew that PB was done, a cook will learn the feel of the brisket. I use the end of the probe and insert it in a few different areas until I get a nice tender feeling.

As far a bark formation, that could have to do with the rub. I've heard that some Texan's don't use sugar in their rub, that may have some part to the equation and the amount of rub wasn't given by you.

Like I said, I'm not even close to a brisket expert, but another couple hours may have produced a better finished product?...and then sometimes the end product can be attributed to the quality of the starting product.

Don't give up!

Thanks for the info. Thats another question I had maybe i didnt use enough rub or should I use a water pan? I did add brown sugar but only a few tbls full. I was also wondering if maybe I didnt buy a good brisket. I bought one for around $38 bucks but they had angus ones for $75 with more fat and I know fat is good when cooked down right but I wasnt sure it would fit in my smoker. I knew I would mess up a few before I get it right. But everything else I did sausage, wings, pork butt came out great. I wont stop until I make the perfect brisket thats just how I am.

Briskets are one of the toughest items to master. You shouldn't use a water pan in a Cookshack since it already produces a pretty moist environment as designed. I'd be more concerned with getting a "choice" brisket vs "select" to produce a more tender, moist brisket. Once you've got a "choice" brisket, I'm not sure Angus makes much of a difference.

Maybe one of our resident beef experts can add to this.

As you can see I don't own an electric cooker. But others have posted on here that they are a very moist cooking enviroment. Some have posted about opening the door to dump some of the moisture. That could help provide a little more bark.

But dry meat I would thnk comes from over cooking the meat. If the probe said it was over 200 degrees, it could have been well above that. I would get a seperate meat probe to check the final meat temp. I am a firm believer in the temp of meat. I shoot for the 195 as a max. And every piece of meat will vary.


RandyE

Get Em I'm with Randy. The meat was likely over done.

I wouldn't get too fussy over the rubs...I prefer low sugar/no sugar rubs for brisket...and get good results with a simple dusting of cracked pepper and Kosher salt.

Did you cook fat side up or down? I find the electric smokers will form a better bark, fat side down.

A phosphate based brisket injection such as ButcherBBQ will help hold moisture. Still, briskets vary. I find Angus beef to be highly over-rated these days. Find a good supply of Choice packers and keep notes. You'll find the comfort zone after a few trys.

Hope you saved the dry brisket for chopped meat Que or chili.

THe few times I've tried Angus briskets I wasn't happy with the results. Get me a fat and thick Choice and I don't trim it one bit. Slap my cowboy rub on it and in she goes fat side down, middle shelf for about 12 hours at 225 - or the BEEF setting on my SM150 controller. Let it run overnight, in the morning I check internal temp with a digital quick read thermometer, never fuss with the one Cookshack makes. It comes out into foil for about 15 minutes, then I pull the tip off the flat and reseason the tip with more rub and she goes back in about 90 minutes. The flat gets double wrapped in foil and a towel and left to redistribute its juices an rest. I know my brisket flat is done with the meat has that stringy look, the fat has really rendered out nicely. Bust up that flat into cubes and hit it with a tiny amount of sauce and cheap brandy and into the smoker 20 minutes more to get the sauce setting - I don't like a lot of sauce, just a hint. The brandy cooks off but leaves a very subtle perfume if you will. Onto some cheap rolls and MAN that is a sammich

Keep plugging away. The brisket is the toughest cut to cook. But once you hit it on target man will you be happy. Rome wasn't built in a day, either is your skill sets on a smoker. But Rome still stand.

Enjoy yourself and keep good notes. When you chance something, change just one thing. Then if you want to try something else do that the next time. Hard to figure out whats going on if you make multiple changes to your recipe.

I have had some success with briskets in a few comps. And I really like the Cookshack Brisket rub. It has everything brisket needs. That and some Butchers injection.

Got me a first in brisket, at our last comp.

RandyE

I cooked it fat side up only because thats how Ive seen it done on wood smokers. I thought it would help keep it moist and I didnt trim any fat. I will try fat side down next time and a little more seasoning. Ill also try a choice brisket Im sure what I bought was not choice. I like brisket that just falls apart not the slicing type. What internal temp should it be to almost be good for pulling? The only part of the brisket that came out good was the really fatty peices I used to make burnt ends.

If the meat was over done it would have been crumbling and dry, under cook would have been tough and dry, IMHO!

It was solid brown all the way though now pink or red at all so Im guessing I over cooked it alot. I left the probe in one spot the whole time as well I guess I should try a few different spots next time

Thanks for all the help everyone

If it had been under cooked then the fatty piece would have been the most under cooked. And he said it was the only part that came out good. If the rest of the birsket was under done, then the point would have so under done it would been very hard to eat.

But Cal does bring up a good point. Did it crumble when you cut it?


RandyE

Good stuff guys. I like that Brandy touch on your brisket Big Mike.

As we were discussing, you really didn't give us much info to make an educated "guess" on where you went wrong, so I'll just recap what a young cook should make an effort in doing.....

1. Buy a whole packer in the 13-16# range that has marbling in the flat, evenness in the flat wouldn't hurt.

2.Taking notes will be right at the top of the list and if a cook needs to make changes, one at a time.

3.Fat side down when cooking.

4. One probe in the thickest part of the flat.

5. When the brisket gets to 190*, open the cooker and use the probe to stab the flat in a few areas to get the feel of it going into butter. Rearrange the probe to the tuffest part of the flat.

6. Repeat step 5 until the probe goes into the flat like the feel of going into butter, probably at 45 minute intervals, just depends on the brisket...experience will teach this.

7.FTC the product for a few hours, when step 5 and 6 is achieved.

8. when the brisket has been allowed to cool a little, slice perpendicular to the grain, if not it will still seem tough.

9. As in a good bottle of wine, seems a brisket cook gets better with age and experience.

Here's your chance to ask questions about the above steps, don't let this pass you by!!!

PS... above all have FUN!

Good tips from all the experienced cooks above.

The word "Angus" on a hotdog or anything else has the same influence as going to a wrecked car yard and looking for the word Ford.

^^^^^^^ He was the resident beef expert I had in mind.