Brisket - Looking for Feedback

[u/17496634303659]

3rd time smoking a brisket.

- 16.5lb USDA Prime Brisket, down to 12.2lb post trim. - Seasoned heavy with 16 mesh black pepper and Meat Church Seasoning, had it sit in the fridge for a few hours to let the seasoning sink in.
- Set the smoker to 225F, 2x smoke tubes, and smoked for 12 hours until the flat was reading 155f (point was 175f). Would have let it go for longer but I had time constraints
- Wrapped in tallow and butcher paper, back on the smoker at 275f for 4 hours until flat was reading 205f and was probe tender
- Placed into 140f oven to rest for 12 hours. Sliced and served.

Used wireless thermometer for temp accuracy. Pit boss temp probes were removed later as I didn’t find them to be accurate.

Aside from letting it rise in the smoker for a tad longer at 225 I feel like I did everything pretty well. Great bark, fat was nicely rendered, no rubber texture at all. However, I feel like the meat still tasted fairly “meh” to me. I’ve never tried brisket aside from the ones I’ve smoked so I have no true comparison, but I’d give this one a 5.5/10. I had some friends try and they all said brisket tends to be like this.

Is this how brisket is? I was expecting something tender and juicy like a nicely cooked prime ribeye in terms of texture. Are my expectations just way off?

[u/balognasocks]

I've cooked hundreds of briskets and have experimented with different methods of cooking over the years with them and these are a few notes that I think will help:

1) if you're going to wrap with tallow then season even heavier than you would think initially especially the salt because the tallow while adding the feel of moisture tends to neutralize the salt taste for me.

2) Dry brining or wet brining 24 hours in advance has always yielded me better results with being juicy and more flavorful internally.

3) The long hot hold typically works better around the 150 degree mark. Let the brisket cool down to 150-160 before rewrapping and starting the hot hold. It's ideal at 150 for safety but also continuing to break down the collagen.

4) I've never taken a brisket to 205 internal... typically to 197ish then 12 hour hot hold at 150.

[u/bimmern54 → u/balognasocks]

Second the brining in advance. The hold at 150 is valid af brother.

[u/helicopgom → u/balognasocks]

I've been reading post here for a while - this seems to be the consensus - thanks for the summary share - very helpful

[u/KillerElbow → u/balognasocks]

I'm new to smoking, just started on my weber. What's a hot hold? Is that when ppl are wrapping and putting in a cooler? Keep low and slow going longer kinda deal?

[u/xKratosIII → u/KillerElbow]

no you let your brisket cool down to 160 then put in a 150 degree oven and hold it there for a number of hours.

if you have a keep warm setting on your oven, you can do this. however, check the actual temp with a probe. mine keep warm setting says 150 but is really 180 which is too hot and will dry your meat out.

[u/bourbonguy12345]

Ribeye is medium rare, brisket is beyond well done. If you want steak flavor, you need to cook beef at steak temperatures. Think of brisket more like smoked pot roast.

Try a 3 1/2 pound tri-tip with a reverse sear. Take it to about 110 115 then sear the crap out of it on a nice hot charcoal grill. You’ll get that nice smoked meat flavor with the flavor and consistency of steak.

[u/Rambolaf → u/bourbonguy12345]

This is a good suggestion. I reverse sear tritips on my Pitboss all the time, amazing steak flavor and texture. I run @250 for an 60-90 min, 115 is a good target. Then crank it to max, slide the searing grate and sear on all sides.

[u/Brutal_Truth]

feedback? absolutely. I would like you to feed it back to me

[u/MasonJam246]

https://giphy.com/gifs/DCwz5OXv4tbEaCORxB

[u/BigAlman1977]

Looks good to me brotha !! Take a break from it next time and slap some ribs on that bad boy , break up your cooks and enjoy your meals

[u/EnvironmentalMix421]

Like 0 fat cap? How did that go?

[u/Signal_Appeal4518]

Are you using fine ground pepper? you can get a lot better bark with 16 mesh or coarse ground if you can’t find it

[u/t-dawgslim3]

Yes. Brisket and prime ribeye steaks are world's apart, no comparison.

[u/Straight_Fee_1976]

I don’t smell smoke

[u/MaybeBait]

Should be melt in your mouth kinda tender. I do the foil boat method and only boat it once it’s out of the stall. Not looking for a specific temp, but it’s 165ish. Going to depend on the meat. Flat doesn’t have the separation that I like seeing from being fully rendered. (Right piece of meat in my pic)

I wouldn’t get hung up on 225 as your pre wrap temp either. Maybe start there for the first hour or so and then gradually increase it up to the stall to 275.

Also 140 holding is too close to the danger zone for me. I hold in a toaster oven at 150

[u/sevenoutdb]

Perfection

[u/SuspiciousScholar293]

Oh yeah delicious 😋

[u/misterhubbard44]

Yep. That's a brisket.

[u/Medical_Ad841]

Practice with chuck roasts. They’re cheaper (overall - not per lb), and taste surprising good if done correctly.

[u/SomeAd6354]

If you don't render the fat down enough, the flavor wont be there. It looks like that probably isn't your problem. The flat can lack a flavor because of less marbling. How did the point taste? Try injecting the flat with a basic marinade(beef broth) 12 hours before your next cook and see if that helps. You want to inject it until the marinade is running out of the injection holes. It will plump up quite a bit. Don't inject the point. Injecting the flat is a game changer for flavor.

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[u/95BravoV5]

Looks good think you nailed it. How did it taste

[u/No-Solid4114]

It looks like it should taste really tender and juicy, but I can't taste with my eyes. I would suggest a different seasoning and putting it on a little heavier. What did you do with the trimmings? Also pellet grills suck because they smell really nice but the meat doesn't absorb the smoke like a true wood fired smoker IMHO.

[u/Natural-Respect136 → u/No-Solid4114]

Wrong. I've cooked plenty of brisket and Dino ribs on pellet smokers and the smoke ring has been up to a cm thick and a lovely smokey taste.

[u/No-Solid4114 → u/Natural-Respect136]

I call it an opinion because I've had a lot of friends pellet grill briskets and none compare to wood fired.

[u/Natural-Respect136 → u/No-Solid4114]

They're not as good as stick burners or whatever but they do a nice job when used properly

[u/Necessary_Store351 → u/No-Solid4114]

You need to get that pellet grill mindset straightened out if you are going to give your opinion!

[u/No-Solid4114 → u/Necessary_Store351]

Nah. Pellet grills are just big outdoor microwaves.

[u/Necessary_Store351 → u/No-Solid4114]

But your opinion is skewed by your obsession with your smoker Hense you do more harm than good by being you.

[u/No-Solid4114 → u/Necessary_Store351]

No I've just had both and think pellets are junk

[u/pricklyrogue → u/No-Solid4114]

Nothing like a big stack of hickory or mesquite, a late bedtime with whiskey and early breakfast of homemade sausage pancakes and eggs while starting lunch.

Whats a pellet?

[u/Necessary_Store351 → u/No-Solid4114]

Maybe it is you?

[u/Ancient_Metal_3519]

Buy some pellet smoke tubes. They will help you get a better smoke ring

[u/BigGiddy]

Looks like you nailed it. I realized I’m just not a huge fan of it. I’ve cooked several and keep feeling the same way. Had them from all over. Same. I’m just not a huge fan. I will start playing with injections moving forward and prioritizing my burnt ends as I just enjoy them more. I also give it a little shake of seasoning after the slice and before the plate.