Stampede Brisket (post wrap) stays around 175 with probe

[GraysenKobi]

Hello All - I cooked a small 3Ib brisket 235deg with a probe inside, and after it reached 165, I wrapped it in butcher paper and put back on the grill to get to 203. The problem is it took forever to get to 175 and simply just stalled after that (I did verify temps with another kitchen probe). At this point it was already 6 hours in, while it’s supposed to be done at around 4.5 hours at 235deg. I don’t know if I reached the stall, or if that had come around 150deg before the wrap either. Or did I possibly put the probe in the wrong part of meat?

Happy 4th grilling!
G

 

[Buckeye1]

Sounds like the stall. It won't hurt to crank up the temp to 275 or 300 once its wrapped.

 

[GraysenKobi]

I did end up turning it up to 275. Would the stall be this late in the cook, even after the wrap?

 

[Jim6820]

Would the stall be this late in the cook, even after the wrap?

Yep! The stall point isn’t always the same temperature, though it usually occurs around 165 F. I’ve had briskets stall at 155 F and up to 175 F. If you wrapped based on temperature (165 F) instead of actually observing the stall point, you may have wrapped early.

How sure are you about the calibration of your “probe?” We’re you really at 165 F? And, how about the temperature of the RT-300? We’re you really at 235 F? And, how often did you “peek” during the cook? “If you are lookin’, it ain’t cookin’.” All of those things could be factors in a slow cook.

Since this was a “small 3 lb brisket,” it must have been just a partial; either a point or flat. I’m guessing it was the thicker point. They will take a bit longer due to the thickness. Still, I would expect a 3 lb piece of brisket to finish in about the 4.5 hours @235 F as you expected. I’m really wondering if your RT-300 was really at 235 F for the whole time.

You didn’t say, but how was the final result?

 

[GraysenKobi]

Yep! The stall point isn’t always the same temperature, though it usually occurs around 165 F. I’ve had briskets stall at 155 F and up to 175 F. If you wrapped based on temperature (165 F) instead of actually observing the stall point, you may have wrapped early.

How sure are you about the calibration of your “probe?” We’re you really at 165 F? And, how about the temperature of the RT-300? We’re you really at 235 F? And, how often did you “peek” during the cook? “If you are lookin’, it ain’t cookin’.” All of those things could be factors in a slow cook.

Since this was a “small 3 lb brisket,” it must have been just a partial; either a point or flat. I’m guessing it was the thicker point. They will take a bit longer due to the thickness. Still, I would expect a 3 lb piece of brisket to finish in about the 4.5 hours @235 F as you expected. I’m really wondering if your RT-300 was really at 235 F for the whole time.

You didn’t say, but how was the final result?

It had a good flavor, but was rather overcooked. I did confirm temps with a separate probe in the RT-590, but I think like you said I wrapped before the stall, whereas I should have waited. I think I also needed to probe in the center of the flat for most accurate temps. Thanks for the tips…I’ll keep practicing!

 

[cookingjnj]

Yeah every piece of meat is different. Using time and temp is a good starting point, but you need to let individual hunks of meat tell you what they are thinking.

 

[Waterboy]

It had a good flavor, but was rather overcooked.

Was it crumbly when you tried to slice it? At least you can make chopped or pulled beef out of it. I’d rather have a brisket overcooked than undercooked any day. My first two or three briskets were very average (I’m being kind to myself). Practice away!

 

[Jim6820]

I think I also needed to probe in the center of the flat for most accurate temps.

I’ve found that the best procedure is to use a instant-read thermometer as a “tenderness probe” as well as to do a temperature cross-check. When it slides smoothly into the meat, all the way to the center, the brisket is done—regardless of temperature.

You say you “…did confirm temps with a separate probe in the RT-590;” does that mean with a separate thermometer, or with just a different RT probe? If you just used another probe for the RT-590, the controller may not be correctly calibrated and substituting a different probe may show the same error.

I feel that it is important to have a completely independent reference source with which to verify temperatures. I like—and, use—a ThermoWorks Thermapen One or Thermapen Classic as my reference point, but there are some other good units out there as well. The key is to base the buying decision on known quality rather than on price.

 

[IPlayWithMeat]

Yeah every piece of meat is different. Using time and temp is a good starting point, but you need to let individual hunks of meat tell you what they are thinking.

I love it when hunks tell me what they are thinking!

 

[SmokeZilla]

I agree with the earlier posts. I‘ve done brisket many many times and no two are the same. Also, I usually pull at 190-195 depending on the brisket’s source because there is carry over of about 5 degrees and I hate overdone/well done beef. (As a tip, choice will usually come out tougher and dryer than prime, thanks to Costco, I don’t have to compromise during the purchase.) Another thing you may want to check is the way you wrap with the peach paper. I have had times where I didn’t wrap tightly and crush the corners to remove trapped air and it took longer to get to the desired temperature and I believe it allowed a dry pocket of air to circulate around the meet with negative consequences such as the prematurely dried the edges. Remember also that anything thinner than 1.5 inches, is a candidate for trimming as it just won’t cook as well as the rest of the flat and that the rough edge from the thermal cutting should be trimmed because it will be “case hardened” by the time you finish your cook. I also like to inject but when I don’t, I use Wagyu as my initial binder and also apply a generous amount to the flat and the paper when I wrap it. This allows the paper to soften and be more pliable when I’m wrapping. As an alternate, wrap the flat in foil shiny side out, several layers with a little hydration and that can stall the flat’s overcooking process. With a heat shield or a 1” firebrick under the flat, you can also keep the temp lower, (Note: You can tell if the flat is too thin or cooking faster than the point by probing in the flat and also in the point during your monitoring. I can usually get mine to track within 2-4 degrees during a 16 hour cook of briskets at approximately 15-16 lbs each (pre-trimmed weight).

Just my thoughts. Good luck with your future cooks.

 

[Dr.Floyd]

Yeah every piece of meat is different. Using time and temp is a good starting point, but you need to let individual hunks of meat tell you what they are thinking.

Speak to me Goose......brisket.

 

[Maule Guy]

I had an issue w/ a brisket taking a very long time after wrapping and realized that I had not wrapped it tightly enough. Air pockets in side the paper or foil act like insulators.

Tip I picked up along the way: When using butcher paper for the wrap put some liquified beef tallow on the paper before the wrap. I use one of those ketchup squeeze bottles and keep it in hot tap water to keep the tallow liquid, squirt a zig-zag on the inside of the first layer of paper then wrap tightly. It seemed to help.

 

[Greg Jones]

I had an issue w/ a brisket taking a very long time after wrapping and realized that I had not wrapped it tightly enough. Air pockets in side the paper or foil act like insulators.

Tip I picked up along the way: When using butcher paper for the wrap put some liquified beef tallow on the paper before the wrap. I use one of those ketchup squeeze bottles and keep it in hot tap water to keep the tallow liquid, squirt a zig-zag on the inside of the first layer of paper then wrap tightly. It seemed to help.

Good tips. The air pockets also allow the brisket to steam, which can kill a nice bark.

 

[cookingjnj]

Speak to me Goose......brisket.

Exactly!