Brisket fail, where did I go wrong?

[Barbacoa]

Purchased a 7kg brisket from Costco, trimmed and put into the BGE. Based on online research, cook time should be about 2 hours per Kg so I thought this sucker would cook for around 10-15hours worst case. The grill temp was between 250-275f dome read somewhere close to 300.

I put it in at 8pm thinking this would go overnight and be ready for lunch including time to rest. Boy, was I off. By 1:30 am, internal temp alarm went off, 200f. Thinking it was a mistake or bad dream I left it for another 30min. So total cook time was about 6hours.

I foiled/toweled and put into a cooler until the morning. The result was a very sad and dry hunk of meat. I was able to make it edible by saucing it up a bit with a burnt ends recipe but i was really looking forward to some delicious slices in a sandwich. I'm also going to make some brisket chili so no loss but still, a bit bummed.

Any thoughts or recipes I should be following instead?

[hoddo]

A couple of thoughts, how hard did you trim it? A bit of fat is good to help retain moisture. When I do brisket or ribs in a kamado I shoot for 225F, could be you were running a bit hot hence the short cook time and dryness. Lastly not all brisket is equal, have heard mixed reviews on the cosco brisket, shame it was deckle off, thats a nice bit.

[Mainey . . .]

Maybe the temp gauge is 'faulty' ???

Just looking at the meat I would suggest it has dried out, caused by temp too hot for too long

Cook for a long time at lower temp and it would be ok I'm sure

[titch]

As mentioned.
Looks like too fast too hot to me, was any Liquid laying in the bottom of the Esky?

[Barbacoa]

Yes, I may have gotten carried away on the trimming. did leave some but I took a lot off. I did fat cap down.

There was some juice in the foil but not much.

So in summary, I'll try this again and do:

- Check my thermometers in boiling water
- Trim less fat
- Fat Cap up or down??
- Shoot for 200-225 temp at the grill level. Is the 2hrs per Kg estimate fairly accurate?
- Use foil or butcher paper at the half way mark to keep juices in?

[Davo]

No more needs to be added to that.......that briskie looks sensational Titch

[Bob S]

Do you have a digital thermometer? The thermometer which comes with the grill is probably pretty far off. The best digital thermometers have two probes, one to get the grill temp, and the other for the meat temp. Without a good digital unit, you really don't know what the temperature is. For brisket, I'd shoot for a cooking temperature at the meat level on the grill of 225-250F for an overnight cook, which I would normally start around 11 PM. Fat cap down is a good way to go, the fat cap will insulate the side nearest the fire. As to trimming, take a look at this video to get an idea of what to do:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaMgt1Altys

Brisket is the most difficult meat to cook, as it can get dry pretty quickly if overcooked the least bit. To prevent it, my brother often mixes a can of beef broth with a packet of powdered gelatin and injects it into the brisket prior to cooking. I just watch my temps closely. Both methods work. Don't let the meat temp go higher than 205F or you'll risk it coming out dry. Generally speaking, trimming the fat cap has no direct effect on how juicy your brisket will be, but does provide useful insulation. Finally, don't slice it until just before serving. As soon as you slice it, it will start drying out.

One more thought. Are you using a diverter? It is impossible to cook a good brisket without one.

I hope you find this helpful. Good luck on your next attempt.