Stampede First time brisket

[Jwood]

New to smoking and cooked my first brisket this past weekend on my 590. Turned out ok but had a couple of issues and hoping some of you seasoned pros could help. Cooked at 225 using lumberjack oak mesquite mix. The brisket was an 11.5lb (pre trim) prime from Costco.

I put it on at 1am wanting to make sure it got done early...well, it was done and in the cooler by 9:30am! Looking at my temp chart, it reached 165 and stalled in about 3 hours, which seems really fast from what I’ve learned. Woke up at 5:45, wrapped it in foil, and it was done at 9:30.

it was decent but the slices needed a good tug to pull apart. Not sure how it cooked so fast. Also, there seemed to be a large amount of ash as well as soot deposits on the bottom of the drip pan.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[Uncle Bob]

The conditions you describe indicate undercooked. You didn't say what marker you use to determine it's done and time to go in the cooler, so can't exactly help without that info. Most newbs who've done some homework have seen where 203 degrees is the "magic" number, but that's not always true. And where that temp was measured may not have been the correct spot, that might have been the hottest spot on the brisket. That said, it's better to probe in multiple locations looking for the "soft as butter" feel that most look for. Sometimes that's at 195 indicated temp, sometimes it's at, say, 206 indicated. Each piece of meat is different, and published "tips" should be considered guidelines, not absolutes. As one example, lots of folks will get great results at 250 or 275 pit temp, it's all in what works best for you, and yes, it does take practice.

Lastly, I'd suggest you verify the temps that you had reported to make sure your measuring device(s) are accurate, whether it's the pit provided or other.

 

[Mike]

@Jwood I would agree with everything that @Uncle Bob just laid out. First check that your temps are accurate and a good way to do that is to follow the steps laid out here - How to calibrate meat probes or thermometer.

I will also second the statement that every piece of meat is different. I'm no expert by no means, but have cooked several briskets so far on my Rec Tec Bull. All of them have been within 2-3 pounds of one another and all have them have been very different.

The tips most people suggest, such as temp, time, etc are just that - tips. They are not 100% sure fire methods. Again each brisket is going to be different.

 

[Jwood]

Thanks for the responses! I will definitely check the temps. I probed for tenderness at just over 200 and the flat felt tight...let it go to 208 and pulled it. It felt better but not like "butter". It sat in the cooler for about 3 hours before I sliced it (for lunch instead of dinner). Have you ever experienced the ash / soot that I described?

 

[Jwood]

I should also say that I verified the internal temp with my Thermapen in several spots, so I'm confident that was accurate.

 

[Uncle Bob]

The additional info helps to narrow the guesses, thanks. It could be that it was just a really tough (some would call bad, but.....) hunk o' meat. You're probably thinking "but it was graded prime!" Well, the inspectors don't inspect every cut on the steer when they grade, they only look at the cut we call rib eye and then stamp the whole side as whatever they perceive it to be. It is a judgement thing, so not all eyes are equal. It could be, as an example, that your steer ate well and marbled up the rib meat well, but also "worked" a lot and toughened up the muscles that form the brisket. Sometimes it happens, as you'll often hear from some of us, each piece of meat has it's own mind.

 

[Jwood]

Thanks for the feedback bob. I checked the thermometer and it was only off 3-4 degrees so I think you’re probably right. Doing a pork butt tomorrow so we’ll see how that goes