First BBQ brisket not great - need advice

[ynnad]

Hi all,

So I bought and cooked up my first Brisket on the weekend just gone. I was very excited! 2kg worth.

I was mostly following a recipe in an Australian BBQ book that I have. It didn't turn out the best and wanted to get some opinions as to why.

First, when my wife read the recipe (after the fact) she interpreted it differently to how i did, and that might have been the mistake. The recipe was giving instructions for cooking both in a charcoal weber and on a gas grill. For the section on the Weber, it said to put the brisket in a tray so that it could sit in its own fat. It also said to spray the brisket with beer every now and again to keep it moist (which i did not). But I think when the new paragraph started saying, for a gas grill, put it on the grill etc. it meant to do it in a tray, and i did not. I put it straight on the grill (indirect heat). I was initially a little unsure about this before i proceeded but googled images for brisket on a grill and saw enough photos of people putting theirs straight on the grill, i figured it must have been fine.

So I had the furthest burner going which was keeping my BBQ at about 125 degrees celcius. The recipe said 5 hours but I probably took it off closer to 4 after picking at it and seeing that it was definitely done and keeping it on for longer would have butchered it.

As for how it turned out, it was quite stiff. I initially tried pulling at it with a fork and that was not going to happen! So i got the electric knife out and it got through it ok, but my arm would have had a work out if i used a regular knife i think. I was expecting the meat to fall apart, but instead it was like eating a well done steak. Tasty, and not inedible, and I'm sure some folks who like their meat well done would have been ok with it, but not what I like nor was expecting.

So, is it possible to cook it straight on the grill. To do so was my BBQ too hot? Or is it much better / easier to cook it in a pan. Ideally I'd like a formula that has it falling apart in 5-6 hours. Is that possible? Or do i need 12+ hours?

Look forward to your suggestions!

Dan.

[Gumb]

You didn't cook it long enough and it should be indirect, not on the grill. That cut of beef needs time to break down all the collagens in it and if you take it out too early and don't give it time to break down it will be like an old boot. You should also have a meat thermometer so you can see what's going on inside so you cook to internal temperature, not time. Then it's rested in foil for a good hour. There are lots of posts in here about cooking brisket so just read through those and you'lll soon get the idea.

[magste]

It is a psychological hurdle you need to get over. It applies to brisket, pork and lamb shoulder, ribs and other tough cuts. You dont cook these according to the rare/medium/well done mantra. You must trust yourself to go way over the well done stage and beyond, until colleagen has broken down and the mest feels like its about to fall apart. Internal temp can be around 95-96C. When ribs fall off the bone or a fork glides through the pork shoulder like a hot knife through butter you are done. The mistake we all do in the beginning is panic qnd take the meat off after the well done stage but before the colleagen breakdown is complete. This is when you get the tough dry chewy meat...

[magste]

Oh, in regard to brisket time, have a search for the Texas Crutch...

[aussieant32]

all been there. Just took it off too soon. Its a hard hurdle to get past (forgetting the rare/medium/well mentality) but you will with time

[urbangriller]

This is the mistake: "The recipe said 5 hours but I probably took it off closer to 4 after picking at it and seeing that it was definitely done and keeping it on for longer would have butchered it."
For a start, stupid recipe....brisket is done when it is done....there is no time! When brisket is done it will be soft and hard to pick up, almost wobbly!.

Everything everyone else has said is correct, it's a leap of faith! Get a good temperature probe, don't even look at it till it gets to roughly 83C then test for tenderness....generally you will have to keep going to something like 93-95C. Trust this process, fight your instincts, when you test it up at those temps you'll know the "Butter Soft" texture we are talking about.

Cheers
Chris

[beaver]

ok so here goes, please not this is a guide based on my experience and others techniques may vary.


Time, Temp, Feel

There are three techniques required for cooking brisket

Time - 3-3.5 hours per kg
Temp - Cook to 195-203f
Feel - once you hit 195 do a poke test with your probe or a skewer to check doneness through to 203
Rest - rest for min of 30mins but up to 4 hours when wrapped in foil and placed in an esky. this is great for catering additional time on a cook and if its done ready your guests dont have to wait


The Crutch
The crutch is a method used to push through the stall as well as keep the brisket moist during cooking (for smaller briskets)
at 155f (or there abouts) wrap your brisket in foil (or use a tray covered in foil) you can add 1/2 cup of beef stock for additional moisture


Methods for different bbq's

Weber 57 snake - cook in the middle and use a snake method with waterpan underneath. not that for a 3+kg brisket you will need to replenish charcoal run pit at 225-250
weber 57 smokenator - cook on opposite side of the smokenator and be sure to top up water regularly (every 4 hours) run pit at 225-250
weber wsm - run a waterpan (or if proficcient with no waterpan) run pit at 225-250
Weber Q - Use a trivet to raise the meat off the grill and set bbq to 225-250. on some Q's getting the temp down to this may require feathering of the gas bottle.
Pellet Grill[/b] - Set Grill to 225-250f and place the meat on a low airflow and low radiant section of the pellet cooker. crutch is recommended as well as a waterpan due to high airflow of some of the pellet cookers
offset - run pit at 225 to 250 and place brisket away from high radiant heat. crutch method


there will be many here whom will chime in on their methods and i can tell you now, there is no right/wrong in bbq.
I would suggest getting yourself a weber 57cm off gumtree and give it a shot using the snake method. this will give you the best results with minimal investment.

as another note, i generally try not to cook briskets under 3-3.5 kg as they tend to dry out before they are done due to rushing through the process of collagen converting to gelatin @ ~170f

[Bentley]

I cook all my briskets straight on the grill...now, will I pan, add liquid, foil it and finish it...yes

Forget the time...you need to cook brisket to feel and smell, and the only way to get there is with knowledge of its internal temperature. Folks will give you good help here and cut your learning curve drastically, but there is no substitute for experience.

My 1st BBQ Competition I finished 16th in Brisket...there were 14 teams!

it said to put the brisket in a tray so that it could sit in its own fat.
So, is it possible to cook it straight on the grill. To do so was my BBQ too hot? Or is it much better / easier to cook it in a pan. Ideally I'd like a formula that has it falling apart in 5-6 hours. Is that possible? Or do i need 12+ hours?

[beaver]

bentley, the biggest problem we have here in AUS is the "tiny" briskets we have and they are primarily grass fed (no grain)
its for this reason that many whom start tend to fail without knowing how to really baby these briskets.

dont get me wrong, grassfed is a superior taste but size wise and fat wise they just cant compete.
As a general rule i tend to not cook anything below 3kg due to the tiny ammounts of intramuscular fat in our briskets they just cant handle the heat.

if you ever make it to this side of the pond id love you to give a cape grimm a try. its not the easiest brisket to cook but its definitely one of the tastiest you will ever try

[magste]

Out of curiousity, what are your tips for small briskets? More foil time?

[josh]

Hmmm ive just bought a rather small and thin brisket from la manna to see how it goes. its around 600g. Should I bother trying to bbq or braise it or just make it into mince?

[Buccaneer]

The term "Brisket" is NOT interchangable with the American term "Brisket", so you need to know what cut it is when you buy it.
If you ask an Aussie butcher for brisket you are getting a part of the American brisket, not the full American brisket.
I agree with Bent & Chris, forget everything, don't bother with a thermometer, just be patient and use a probe.
When there is no resistance and it bends and is gelatinous, then it's done.
I have had briskets hit perfect with 30 degrees between them, same provider, same herd.

[beaver]

to be truthful i havent been able to successfully cook a brisket under the 2.5kg mark to the point where im happy with the results (maybe my standards are too high)
if you foil early you loose out on a nice bark/smoke flavour
if you foil late you run the risk of drying it out.
if you are in a high airflow pit it will dry it out


My suggestion is to bulk up the mass with injection. Low salt beef stock and even a little butter.
i would be foiling early and going with the least amount of radiant heat on a single area as possible.
use a water pan to further stop evaporation

start the pit out super low (180-200) and then bump it up to 225F half way through the cook.
The biggest issue is if you get a very thin piece it will dry out super quick. you wont be able to do this the normal way and as such maybe rolling it? its not going to cook like how we go american style but you will have a better shot at a slow cook.

600 grams though, if that the size of a full point then i suspect its veal. thats a VERY small brisket.
i would cure it and turn it into pastrami at that size

[Buccaneer]

to be truthful i havent been able to successfully cook a brisket under the 2.5kg mark to the point where im happy with the results (maybe my standards are too high)
if you foil early you loose out on a nice bark/smoke flavour
if you foil late you run the risk of drying it out.
if you are in a high airflow pit it will dry it out


My suggestion is to bulk up the mass with injection. Low salt beef stock and even a little butter.
i would be foiling early and going with the least amount of radiant heat on a single area as possible.
use a water pan to further stop evaporation

start the pit out super low (180-200) and then bump it up to 225F half way through the cook.
The biggest issue is if you get a very thin piece it will dry out super quick. you wont be able to do this the normal way and as such maybe rolling it? its not going to cook like how we go american style but you will have a better shot at a slow cook.

600 grams though, if that the size of a full point then i suspect its veal. thats a VERY small brisket.
i would cure it and turn it into pastrami at that size

I'd make Pho...yummy yummy Pho!

[Bentley]

Maybe I need to get on the same page so I don't Wank members around...Buc & Beaver got me thinking. Are there "packers" sold in Australia? The 2nd photo shows about where the Point & Flat separate. To me, a 2.5kg would be tiny...actually the smallest Brisket I have ever cooked was about 4.3kg and they are hard to cook, I cant imagine trying one half that size...or...

Are you all just dealing with flats? Even harder to do, I quit trying to cook them years ago! If you all can cook em and do well, you are better PitMasters then me!


Those 2 in the photos are about 7-8kg.