How do you "firm" up your brisket?

[Bubba D]

A little advice for a soon to "not" be a newbie. When I cook my briskets, I put them in the frig overnight and cut them up the next day. I can currently cook three to maybe five briskets at a time on my current pit. If I don't cut the meat up when cold, it breaks apart and sometimes shreads. What am I doing wrong?

I want to be able to cook my briskets, let them cool, then cut them up without shreading the meat. I know it has to be something I am not doing correctly so I figure I will ask while I am still a "newbie" and not a seasoned professional. :)

[JJ]

Since I am pretty new to all this, I will try and answer and see if I'm close to being correct.

I don't think you are doing anything wrong except maybe cooking the meat to an internal temperature that is higher than needed for slicing the brisket. From what I have heard here, I think if you cook it to around 170-180 internal it will slice good and if you take it up to 190-200 internal it will more than likely shred.

[Texana]

JJ, from my experience your right on the money. I love the taste of the 190 brisket but slicing it sucks.

[texasbill]

OK you are all right. But since Bubba D is getting ready to graduate and has asked this question here goes.

Texana and JJ refer to an internal temp in the 170 degree range. No problem, the meat will slice in thin slices nicely but the meat can be a bit chewy. For a brisket that has been taken up to the 190 degree range, first take the brisket off of the pit and if possible let it sit and rest for up to 1 hour. This will allow the brisket to come down in internal temp and it will cut much better. Now, Bubba sounds like you may be cutting the dang brisket wrong. You have to cut it across the grain and you have to use a sharp knife. I also cut it at a bit of an angle to make it pretty. You can cut these type slices in about 1/4 slices. Now if the brisket is really cooked well all you have to do is make the slices a bit thicker. Say go to the thickness of a # 2 pencil, that is typical judging brisket slice size at contests here. The brisket will hold together much better with a bit thicker slices. Cutting a brisket is an art all to itself. Takes alot of practice.

OK Bubba I guess you are getting ready to graduate from Newbie. Good job sounds like the brisket is perfect to me.

Bill Cannon
Texas BBQ Rub

[farmboy]

Now guys don't take this wrong. But there is no professional when it comes to cooking brisket, I have nown guy/girls that are 20 yrs my age still learning about this fine meat. Any way on to your question. Are you wrapping when you are half way threw,or are you leaving it unwraped. If wraped the last 30 min of your cook take it out of the wrap. This will let the heat and smoke frim it up a little. I take mine off at 190/200 I then let sit for 1 hour before slicing up. Rember to cut across the garin of the meat and have a nice thin slice. You want to cut across the grain so the meat fibers are kept very short. With them kept short you will have a nice tender cut of beef that your friends will love beacuse it will take no effert to chew, and they will be begging you to cook for them next weekend. Just my two cents. Colin

[Bubba D]

What is everyone using to get the temperature of the meat? Are ya'll using a probe which stays in the meat the whole cooking process or have a portable probe you poke in the meat every so often.

[texasbill]

BubbaD:
You are trying to graduate today it looks like. That is cool.

As for measuring the internal temp of the meat there are a bunch of different devices you can use. The least expensive of them is an meat thermometer. You can get one with a gauge or one that is digital. They cost about 5 bucks. YOu just stick it in the thickest part of the meat whenever you want to get a temp. YOu can get these at Wal-Mart.

Then you can go all the way to around 100 bucks with probes that measure all kinds of things and they stay in the meat during the entire cook. These are pretty cool and give you alot of info on the meat temp, the pit temp, they have one that will alert you when the pit temp gets too low. We have some posts about those on the forum, just do some reading.

As for me, I cook a brisket by look and feel. First I cook the brisket unwrapped till I get a real pretty color to the meat. In a 14 hour cook this could be around 8 hours or so. Once I get the right color I wrap the brisket and let her go. I can feel how tender the meat is by touch of the brisket. So just keep learning and cooking and it will come to ya.

Bill Cannon
Texas BBQ Rub