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

[Huntindad]

I went and got the maverick dual thermometers. One for the pit and one for the meat.

Finally got a chance to test it this weekend on a small brisket. About 7.5 pounds. I did the rub the night before and come Saturday morning, got the pit heated up good and put the brisket in and stuck the meat probe in. Temps for the pit ranged from 200 -300(extremes).
But... mostly stayed around 230 ish. The meat temp would not get about 170.

Finally pulled it off the grill that night... way later than than I thought I should. It was on there 12 hours. I figured it should have come off around 8-10 hours...

It came out black as can be and a hard crust on it. Cut it open and it was dry...go figure.

My biggest question is why didn't the internal temp rise higher. I thought it was supposed to get above 190.

May as well go back to the hour/pound school of thought.

y'alls thoughts...

[LWD]

I'm old-fashioned. I just stick a quality analog thermometer into the meat every hour or so. That sounds like you could have a thermometer issue either with setup or the way it reads. Next time you cook, double check the thermometer with a good traditional one.

LWD

[scdavis50]

Did you have a water pan? couldn't tell from the description of your set up. Probably cooked too long for that size. Sucks to invest that much time and not have it turn out.

[Chadroe]

Man that sucks. Maybe a faulty thermometer? I know when cooking brisket, it will go through a plateau period, but that doesn't seem to be the case here. Granted this is coming from someone who has cooked one brisket. Mine didn't turn out but I can't wait to try again.

[curtintex]

The internal temperature will stall while the fat is breaking down within. Though the temp may be theoretically rising, as the juices from the fat is rendering it cools the inside down a bit. IT IS STILL COOKING. Because of this, the Plateau as it is called, makes it tough to always rely on an internal thermometer. I go by smoker temp and time. There has been lots of BBQ cooked on this earth before digital thermometers….of course I don't use fancy scent killers to hunt deer either.

Good luck and try again.

[banzai]

I just cook mine 1.5 hours per pound at 200 degrees. When time is up, it is done. Usually it sits in a cooler wrapped in foil for a few hours until serving time. It is always good. Thermometers stress me out and don't always tell you when it is done.

At work for me it is all engineering and data, but when it comes to the pit, I'm just time and temp.

[Smart]

You were at the stall and it would have eventually broke. It happens on briskets and pork butts so you just have to be patient.

If you want to push through the stall due to time constraints, wrap it in foil and it will break that plateau quicker. It is what it is. This is why it is so important to cook via internal temperature instead of a time limit per pound. Time per pound is merely a guideline that rarely comes true for me. I've had them go from 50 minutes/lb to 2 hours per pound. Briskets under 9lbs usually give me the longer times per lb for some reason.

[curtintex]

You were at the stall and it would have eventually broke. It happens on briskets and pork butts so you just have to be patient.

If you want to push through the stall due to time constraints, wrap it in foil and it will break that plateau quicker. It is what it is. This is why it is so important to cook via internal temperature instead of a time limit per pound. Time per pound is merely a guideline that rarely comes true for me. I've had them go from 50 minutes a lb to 2 hours per pound. Briskets under 9lbs usually give me the longer times per lb for some reason.

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.

[Muddy Bud]

12 hours is way to long for 7 lb brisket. Something that small maybe 6 hrs. I never use a meat thermometer. I just know when it's done. A good easy way to cook a brisket is wrapping it in foil. Brown it first to where the meat looks almost cooked from the outside. Pull it off, rub it down in butter, then wrap it and place it back on the pit. The fire temps you mentioned are good.

[twobittxn]

Yup, you hit a stall. I'm a big fan of www.amazingribs.com. He explains what a stall is and how to get through it.

[Smart]

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.

He stated that he might as well go back to cooking by time per lbs....but really that was a general statement by me not aimed at anybody .... thanks for "unclarifying" it for us......

[chancito1]

I use gauge on pit cook it roughly 1 hour per pound at 225 to 250. Smoke it for about 4 hrs then wrap it in foil for rest of time.

[curtintex]

He stated that he might as well go back to cooking by time per lbs....but really that was a general statement not aimed at anybody .... thanks....

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!!!

[Huntindad]

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.

[Huntindad]

I was hoping to use the internal temp as a gauge, but didn't turn out that way. I was also not wanting to wrap it. I did put it in foil after taking it off the grill and place it in a cooler to let it set.