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Smoked Brisket - Not as Tender as Expected

by Bob Axel
(South Salem, NY )

I smoked a 8.5lb untrimmed dry rubbed brisket on the top grate of my New Braunfels Texas Smoker with a water pan on the bottom grate at 220f (avg) for 10 hours and the temperature got to 160- 170F. We then wrapped the brisket in foil over night (without refrigeration) and oven heated it the next day in the foil wrap at 220F for another 4 hours, which raised the temperature to 190-200F. We let the meat "cool" for for 2 hours and served.

But while the flavor was wonderful, the meat lacked the tender, pull apart quality we were expecting. Please advise what we need to do to achieve that tender pull apart quality we have enjoyed so much at numerous Texas BBQ joints.

Would steaming or boiling the brisket beforehand help?

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Smoked Brisket - Not as Tender as Expected

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Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Tender Brisket
by: smoki-licious.blogspot.com

Definitely not long enough or hot enough. Another problem may have been the cutting of the brisket. If you cut the brisket in half, you now have the "flat" thinner and leaner and the "Point" thicker, more fatty side. This will be two totally different sizes requiring different cooking times. If cooking at the same time, I would first sear or char the cut-end closed before smoking, this will help retain the juice.

Now you have two 10 lb. briskets, so time for 10 lbs. not 20. It will take longer for the smoker to reach cooking temp, but once at 225 degrees, cook for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours per pound. Your two briskets, cooking in the snowy weather, should have cooked for 12 hours or more.

Also, if you cook in the cold weather, or want to cook faster, try cooking your brisket at a temp of 325 - 350 degrees and cook for less time (about 45 minutes per pound)

I use a single stem, meat thermometer and only stick the brisket when checking internal temp.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		The brisket was 15 lbs.
by: Anonymous

The brisket was 20 lbs, it wouldn't fit in the smoker so we cut it in half and placed each half on a different shelf in the smoker.

So is this a 20 lbs or 10 lbs brisket for timing?

Don't know the internal temperature of the brisket, I guess I need to invest in a meat thermometer? Would I leave it in the brisket or just push it in each time I check the temperature?

It was snowing outside so this probably affected the cooking temp. The digital readout stated that the temp was 215 degrees, it was set to 225 degrees. It took it a while to reach that temp.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		A More Tender Brisket
by: smoki-licious.blogspot.com

You may not have cooked the brisket long enough, hot enough. You neglected to state how large the brisket was or what temperature the brisket reached.

As a standard you will want to cook a brisket at 225 degrees and for 1 to 1 1/2 hours per pound to reach an internal temp of 190 degrees, then the longer the brisket cooks at 190 degrees, the better. At 215 degrees, you would have had to cook much, much longer. Try cooking longer once the internal temp reaches 190 degrees. All the time the brisket spent cooking under 185 degrees, it was really not cooking at all. Don't worry about over cooking, if you fear it may dry out, simply wrap in foil for the last few hours. Remember to make sure you let the brisket stand a while after before cutting.

Also, as for the drip pan, don't worry about it overflowing, it doesn't indicate whether the juices came from the brisket, fat cap or condensation.

Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Similar Experience
by: Anonymous

I had a similar experience to the poster. Smoked the brisket for 7 hours at 215 degrees in the smoker. Didn't come out as tender as I thought it should.

We filled the liquid pan in the smoker half way with apple juice. It was overflowing from the juice of the brisket by the time we finished. The finished product was dry and not tender.

So how to retain juices in the brisket while cooking for a longer time to break down the meat? Shorter cooking at higher temperature or longer cooking at a lower temperature? Would like to retain juiciness of the meat. Basting in the last hour for instance?

Thanks for ideas.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Too easy
by: Anonymous

Simple answer. Cook it longer. Weather it be on the smoker or oven, a few hours more and it will be like butter.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Tough Brisket
by: Dan Bunner

I wrap my brisket in foil with the rub on it. Then I cook it in the oven for 5 or 6 hours at 250 degrees. Then I cook it in the smoker at 250 for another 3 to 4 hours. This is for 17 pound briskets. It seems like a long time to cook but in the end it is all worth it. I have people that rave about my brisket. Cooking times might vary with smaller briskets you might have to adjust for a smaller brisket. Good luck and most of all have fun cooking.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Brisket Not As Tender
by: smoki-licious.blogspot.com

No need to steam or boil first. There are a number of reasons why the brisket may not have been as tender. First of all, was the fat cap thick enough to last throughout the cooking process? Secondly, were there any knife or fork holes, that would allow the inner juices to seep out? Was the temperature gage reading a true heat? These are just trivial things. However, I feel the main reason for the failed tenderness, is that the brisket did not cook long enough at a high enough temperature.

An 8.5Lb. brisket should have reached a higher temperature in less time at 220 degrees F. At temperatures below 185 degrees F, you are basically "hot-smoking" or curing the meat, this is not hot enough for the meat to start cooking. At temperatures above 185 degrees F, the meat will start to cook, the cells and fibers will start to break down, producing a more tender brisket. It is at this higher temperature that the brisket needs to spend more time, the 4 hours it cooked at 190F - 200F degrees, was simply not long enough to break down a 8.5lb. brisket.

This is my opinion and I hope it helps.

Tony A.
Austin, Texas
smoki-licious.blogspot.com

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