Brisket gurus... what did I do that was so wrong???

[Smart]

I don't think it was at the plateau. The temp hit 169 after 12 hours. During the course of the day the meat temp would actually drop a couple degrees at times. I put the probe in the point end... wandering if it should have gone in the flat.

I am using a lyftyme smoker, which is great for BBQ'ing, but had issues trying to keep the pit temp stable.

The new temp gauge was about 50 degrees cooler than the old round gauge that is screwed into the lid. I put in an oven thermometer and it agreed with the new electric one.

I had a 7.2lber take me almost 14 hours the other day. It hit two stalls...one at 153 and one at 168 12 hours in. It backed up twice in temps. I pushed it through to 195 and it was great. It happens. Normal stall plateau on a brisket for me is 160-170 deg.

That being said...I'm just giving you a few of my experiences. I was ticked at that one. Dinner was supposed to be served at 7-8 and I took it off around 12:30- 1 am. Needless to say it was lunch the next day.

[Raypo]

He DID use internal temp….he couldn't get through the stall according to the thermometer. That's why he left a small brisket on for so long and ended up with a burnt chunk of meat.

Great now I'm confused . I often have the same problem and if I start to question whether I'm drying out the meat or under cooking, I will pull the meat and wrap it for an hour or two. I cheat though and have resulted to an electric smoker...

[Smart]

I tell you what. You cook me a brisket your way. I'll sit in my recliner my way. Mail me your brisket and I'll save myself from lighting my pit. Deal? Good!!!

Hey man if you want to eat a tough brisket at 170 go right ahead.. I like chopped beef too...

Hi Curt..

[Huntindad]

I had a 7.2lber take me almost 14 hours the other day. It hit two stalls...one at 153 and one at 168 12 hours in. It backed up twice in temps. I pushed it through to 195 and it was great. It happens. Normal stall plateau on a brisket for me is 160-170 deg.

That being said...I'm just giving you a few of my experiences. I was ticked at that one. Dinner was supposed to be served at 7-8 and I took it off around 12:30- 1 am. Needless to say it was lunch the next day.

pretty much exactly what happened to mine. My wife did cut the crust off.

Was yours dry when you cut into it?

[Smart]

[/b]

pretty much exactly what happened to mine. My wife did cut the crust off.

Was yours dry when you cut into it?

No sir... it was very good.

[Huntindad]

hmmm. I am thinking that my downfall may be the meat probe location. I had it in the point, and that end was the end towards the heat source.

I will try again in a couple weeks and see how it turns out. I'll take pictures next time

[chief262]

Might check your thermometer in a pan of boiling water for accuracy.

[bcmuzzy]

For that size brisket probably didn't have a lot of fat that needed rendered for that long of cook time.

[glen]

David- putting way too much thought into cooking brisket

salt until white- pepper until black. Set it on counter for a fwe hours and let it get close to room tempature. Throw it into the smoke until it hits about 180 and then pull wrap in a towel and let it rest.

[Huntindad]

Glen , that was part of the problem... it never reached 180, much less 170.

[glen]

I bet your fancy thermometer is the problem. just get one at HEB and I would have checked it at about 8 hours.

[Keith]

I have an electric smoker and planned to smoke a brisket over spring break. I went to Costco to buy a brisket, but all of theirs were way to big to fit in my smoker. I asked the guy at the meat counter if I could buy one and cut it in half so it would fit, but he did not recommend doing that. What do you think, can I cut a big brisket in half or do I need to find a smaller one? Would I lose a lot of the juices by doing this?

[Smart]

huntindad......boil water and at the boil stick the meat probe in the water without touching the pan and prove it's not the "fancy" thermo. Mine and my smoker's dial thermo were 212 straight up. Haven't read or seen where a Maverick was off.

[KingsX]

I agree that you hit a stall and didn't push through it. I've cooked for years on a stick burner and brisket has a mind of its own. Most people wrap it in foil when they get impatient and push through the stall quicker. Been awhile since I've used a wood burning smoker but brisket always seamed to be the toughest to time per pound and most the time they take longer then expected. Recently I've started using a USD smoker and so far it's cooked too fast for the charts but making good BBQ. I haven't figured that out yet other then the direct heat aspect of it maybe speeding things up compared to indirect heat like a offset smoker.
Next time either wrap in foil or just wait it out until it breaks the stall. After it hits done internal temps wrap it up in foil then a towel and place in a small ice chest "no ice" to rest it bringing back out the moister and juices that are still in the meat. I maybe telling you things you already know but just in case this is what I've always done and most people do.
Better luck next time!

[Huntindad]

hmmm... if i had hit the stall...why was the meat so dry and outside crusty black? If it was truly at 170, shouldn't it have been more tender?

I will test the thermometers to see about accuracy when I get home this evening.