My first Brisket.

Dano11

Dano11

New member
It wasn't feeling like a warm knife through butter. I slow smoked at about 170 - 180 degrees should I have cooked at a higher temp?

Thanks.

Dan
 
sparky

sparky

New member
nice brisket partner. well done luke. may the force be w/ ya. now i see a pork butt in your future.
 
F

firehouse_bbq

New member
When I cook brisket, I like to start them at 180 for about 4 hours then cook at 250 until done. Done could be anywhere from 190-210 degrees internal temp. It really is all about how they feel more than a set temp!
 
H

HoDeDo

New member
How did you get to 205, if you were cooking at 180? Yes, You might try cooking a little hotter, but some briskets just take longer to finish than others. I have had them finish as low as 185 internal, and as high as 212 internal. So you never really know, until its done!

Did you inject or marinade? The Sliced face of the flat looked as if it had dark blotches in it and areas that were pink/reddish. interesting coloring.... was it just the camera/lighting? or what gave the brisket that coloring?

I think a little more time and you would have gotten there to the tenderness you wanted.
 
Dano11

Dano11

New member
I turned up the heat at the end to reach the temp I was looking for at the end, this is how I managed the 205 temp.
The camera lighting was what was causing the darker areas. I didn't use any marinade or injections. I made an espresso bean and brown sugar rub with powdered garlic, corriander, cumin, onion powder & salt, pepper. I used cherry and a little hickory for cooking. I just added a little BBQ sauce tonight and nuked it at half power and it was just melting in our mouth.
 
Dano11

Dano11

New member
I just looked closely At my finished photo the darkness is my hand blocking the back lighting, sorry it was a very nice coloring throughout. The different coloring on the smoke ring is interesting I'm noy quite sure how it happened? I did moisten it with apple juice / water spray during cooking.
Dan
Sparky yes your right I have already been reading up on pork butts! Stay tuned. :)

Dan
 
TentHunter

TentHunter

Moderator
firehouse_bbq said:
How did it "feel" when you took it off?
Click to expand...

That's the question right there! :cool:

It looks nice and juicy from what I can tell!

I've seen the same thing that Firehouse & Andy (HoDeDo) both mentioned; Briskets can finish anywhere from 190°-210+°. I don't even pay attention to the final temp anymore. Instead I go by the feel because that never fails.

I like to think that the brisket's in charge; not the thermometer. ;)
 
H

HoDeDo

New member
Dano, sounds like you did a "two stage" cook, with the first stage being just a little longer than most. You really need a little higher heat to fully break the callogen down. Starting at 180 is fine... but I would say after a few hours at the very low temp, you will want to kick up to 225.

#1. For health safety.... you dont want the cut of meat sitting in a 170 cooker for 10-12 hours.... depending on how long it takes to get from sub=40, to 165+ means it is in the "danger zone" for quite a while. You will want to kick the temps up a few hours in.

#2 The slightly higher temp also gives you the thermal "oomph" you need to break over that last stall and get to the tender brisket you are looking for.
 
Dano11

Dano11

New member
Thank you everyone for the help! I will take this all into account for the next try!

Have a great 4th.

Dan
 
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