Smoking Tips – How to Keep Brisket Temperature When Done
Brisket Temp When Done. Brisket is a primal cut from the lower chest area of the cow that requires fairly low temperatures to render collagen into luscious gelatin. It also requires a lot of time to melt down, giving the meat a rich texture and juicy flavor.
During the low and slow cooking process there may be a period where your smoker temperature may plateau around 150deg to 160deg F. This is known as a “stall.”[1]
Keep it low and slow
A brisket is a muscular cut of meat that takes time to cook properly. If you smoke it too fast or too low, the meat will dry out and become tough and chewy.
Generally speaking, a brisket will need to be cooked on a low temperature for at least 12 hours. This will give the meat time to tenderize and break down the collagen in the meat.[2]
When you’re shopping for a brisket, make sure it has a fat cap that is at least a quarter-inch thick. This will help the fat to be less likely to drip down onto the top of the brisket and wash away your rub or seasonings.
In addition to the fat cap, it’s also important to look at the surface fat (surface fat is the layer that dries and hardens on top of a piece of meat). Avoid a brisket that has a thick layer of hard, white fat because that’s often an indication that the cow was raised on hormones and antibiotics to get them to slaughtering weight more quickly.
When smoking a brisket, you can choose from a variety of different smoke flavors. Hickory is a safe bet for its robust flavor, but you can also try apple, cherry, or maple wood to add sweeter overtones. Or, try pecan wood for a rich and nutty flavor that complements most any rub or sauce.[3]
Don’t crank up the heat when you hit the Stall
A stall is a point in the cooking process where the meat hits an internal temperature of around 160 degrees Fahrenheit and then stops cooking. It can last for anywhere from 2-6 hours, but is typically around 4 hours.[4]
Stalls can be caused by many different factors, including the size, shape, moisture content, and type of smoker. However, the slickest way to get your brisket through a stall is to keep the heat low and slow.
The main reason for this is that it allows the moisture to slowly evaporate, which will help reduce a stall.
Also, it will ensure that the meat does not overcook, which can cause a dry or chewy end result.
Another benefit of letting the heat cool is that it will allow the wood to burn more evenly, creating a better smoke.[5]
Using this method is the best way to create a succulent, melt-in-your-mouth brisket that you will not forget. It will be the star of your next barbecue party and will be a hit with everyone at your table! Don’t worry if you do have a stall; just keep the heat low and slow and wait for it to pass.
Brisket Wobble
A beef brisket has two muscles separated by a layer of fat: the lean flat and the more bulbous point. Each muscle contains tough collagen that needs to break down into gelatin, which is how you get tender, moist beef. Once the brisket reaches 165degF, the muscles begin to tighten and force moisture to the surface. This process is known as evaporative cooling, and it can cause the meat to cool quickly and become tough. To avoid brisket wobble, raise the heat to between 280degF and 285degF when you hit the Stall and keep an eye on the brisket’s temp.[6]
Holding Brisket
Before smoking a brisket, it’s important to understand the brisket’s cooking temperature. A smoked brisket should reach a temperature of 200-205 degrees when done, but this can vary depending on your altitude and the type of brisket you’re cooking.[7]
When a brisket is fully cooked, it should be tender and not chewy or overly dry. To ensure that your brisket is done right, you’ll need to pierce it with a meat thermometer and monitor the brisket temp throughout the cook.
Once your brisket has reached the correct temperature, remove it from the smoker and allow it to rest for about 30 minutes. This will give the outer layers of the brisket a chance to cool down, which will prevent the inner layers from continuing to cook and will allow them to retain their moisture.[8]
During this time, you can also apply a binder or slather if desired. If you’re using a binder, you’ll need to apply it evenly across the entire brisket.
While it isn’t necessary, you can wrap your brisket in aluminum foil before placing it in the smoker. This helps to lock in moisture, which will help the brisket maintain its shape and flavor. Another method is to use peach paper, which is an uncoated butcher paper that allows some moisture to escape.[9]
How to Get Your Brisket Ready For Smoking
Brisket is one of the most famous barbecue meats in the world. The challenge with cooking it is that it needs to cook at collagen-dissolving temperatures to become tender.
This is where slow roasting comes in handy, allowing the fat to melt and render. It also helps the meat develop a stretching, juicy quality.[10]
Prepping the brisket
Getting your brisket ready for smoking can be a little daunting at first, but once you learn the process, it becomes much easier. First, trim off the excess fat and silver skin, which are outer layers of connective tissue. Then, season the brisket with a simple dry rub to highlight smoky flavor alongside the natural meaty goodness.
Once your brisket is seasoned, place it on the smoker, adding coals or wood chips as needed to maintain an even temperature. Then, let it cook until it reaches an internal temperature of around 190 degrees Fahrenheit.[11]
To help determine when the brisket is cooked, wrap it in foil after about half of the cooking time. This helps to preserve moisture and also steam the brisket.
When you start trimming the brisket, be careful not to lop off any thin corners or other hard-to-remove bits of meat. These can cause the fat to render down too quickly and create a tougher, less tender end product.
Once you’ve trimmed off most of the fat, flip your brisket over and take a close look at both the flat and point sides. The flat side is the leaner one, and has a thinner layer of fat covering it. The point side is the thicker, fatty one.[12]
When you are done trimming, use a sharp knife to cut the brisket into two equal halves. The flat should be a nice, uniform rectangular piece of meat; the point will be more knobby, muscly, and uneven.
Prepping your cooker for smoking
Most people will tell you that you need a dedicated smoker in order to create the perfect smoked brisket. But, if you are willing to put in the time and effort to get the recipe right, there is no reason that you can’t have a delicious brisket cooked at home.[13]
The first step in smoking your brisket is to preheat the smoker to its optimal temperature (usually around 250 degrees). This helps ensure that the meat will cook evenly and doesn’t dry out.
You will also want to fill your smokebox with a good supply of wood chips and refill the water pan occasionally so that you have enough vaporized water to produce smoky flavor. When you begin smoking, place your brisket fat side up so that the meat will drip its juices into the smoke box.
Leaving the brisket fat side up will also help to keep the moisture of the brisket from drying out. This is because the fat does not melt away when it comes into contact with the heat of the smoker.[14]
Another great reason to leave the brisket fat side up is that it will retain much of the seasoning that you put on it. This will make the brisket look more appetizing and delicious as it cooks.
If you are going to be smoking your brisket for a long period of time, it is essential that you turn it every hour. This will help to prevent it from drying out and making your brisket too tough.
Smoking the brisket
A brisket needs time to cool down before it can be cut. This is known as “resting.” When the brisket rests, it will slowly cool down to around 200 degrees, making it easier for guests to eat.[15]
You can keep the brisket warm until you’re ready to serve by placing it in a cooler without ice. This will help prevent the meat from drying out too much during the resting process, which is called “carry-over cooking.”
To get started smoking the brisket, place it fat side up in your smoker. If your smoker sends its heat downwards, you should put the brisket fat side up so that the moisture soaks down and through the meat.
Once the brisket has cooked for an hour, remove it from the smoker and let it rest on a cutting board or aluminum pan to allow its juices to redistribute. This is important to ensure that the brisket remains juicy and tender.
Depending on your taste, you can season the brisket before it is done by applying salt and pepper. A 50/50 blend of Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper is ideal.
Once the brisket has reached an internal temperature of about 200 degF, remove it from the smoker and wrap it in foil or butcher paper. Once it has cooled down, remove the foil and transfer it to a cooler (without ice). This will give the brisket a chance to relax and recover its juices before cutting it.[16]
Low and slow
The brisket is a tough cut of meat and needs to be cooked low and slow to get tender. This can be done in a traditional oven, or using your slow cooker.
Start with a 7-10 pound brisket and trim the fat cap to 1/4-inch thickness before marinating overnight. You can use a commercial dry rub, or mix your own. Be sure to coat the entire brisket with the dry rub, especially on the outside.[17]
Next, score the brisket in 3/8-inch squares so that the fat, spices, smoke, and heat can penetrate the meat. Wrap the brisket in foil for half of the total cooking time, which will preserve moisture and also steam the meat to make it more tender.
Place the brisket into your smoker and slowly smoke it until it reaches 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow about one hour of cooking time per pound of meat, so a 10-pound brisket will take about 10 hours to cook.
Once the brisket is fully cooked, remove it from the smoker and let it cool to room temperature before refrigerating or freezing it. It will keep in the fridge for a day or two, but will only last up to two days in the freezer when served dry.
The slow-cooked brisket will become a bit tough when it cools, but you can easily reheat it. It takes about 20 minutes to reheat in the microwave, or 30 minutes to reheat in the oven.[18]
Mind the stall.
A lot of BBQ cooks, especially those who are new to smoking low and slow, get anxious about the dreaded stall. This happens when the internal temperature of a brisket or pork shoulder stops rising in the smoker, and it can last for hours.
This stall can be an extremely frustrating and scary experience for barbecue cooks, and they are often left wondering what the reason is behind it. Some pitmasters believe that the stall is caused by protein denaturing, while others suggest that it’s due to gelatin formation.
The truth is that the stall actually involves evaporative cooling, which occurs when water tries to evaporate from the meat’s surface. However, there’s a way to prevent this from happening.[19]
Using aluminum foil to wrap your brisket is one of the best ways to stop this from happening. The foil will prevent the water from evaporating and cooling the surface, effectively stopping the stall in its tracks.
Another thing that can affect the length of a stall is the humidity outside and inside the cooker. Dry days will usually have shorter stalls than sticky ones, since moisture is easier to evaporate from the air on a dry day.
The length of a stall depends on the size and shape of your meat, its thickness, cooking temp, and amount of moisture. But in general, you should expect to have a stall lasting for about 2 to 7 hours.[20]
Test for doneness.
As with any meat, the safety of a cut of brisket depends on the internal temperature at which the collagen in the meat breaks down. As a result, you will want to use a food thermometer to determine the proper temperature when cooking your brisket.
According to health and safety experts, a perfectly cooked piece of beef should reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the minimum temperature that connective tissue can break down and ensure safe consumption of this cut of meat.[21]
A brisket, however, is a much larger cut of meat than most other cuts of meat, and so it will take longer to reach that perfect temperature. That’s why it’s important to be patient and continue to check the brisket for doneness.
One way to test for doneness is to poke the brisket with a toothpick or probe. The point of the brisket tends to read higher than the flat, so be sure to poke the point every 30 to 45 minutes until it is tender.
You can also test for doneness by using the hang and pull test, which involves allowing a slice of the meat to hang from your fingers. If the brisket dangles easily from your finger and does not fall apart when you pull it, then you know that it’s perfectly cooked.[22]
You can also wrap your brisket in butcher paper, which can help keep the moisture in the meat and ensure a crispy bark. Many professionals will use pink butcher paper, which is heat resistant and sturdy. This can also help prevent your brisket from drying out too quickly, which can ruin the bark.
