Brisket Flat, failed hard.

[lavaman40]

Doing a flat brisket today 5.5lbs for the wife and I. Injected it with beef none broth, salt and peppwr rub only, I set the pro 34 to 225 and let her rip. Something was wrong when it hit 5 hours and was still only at 125 degrees. I didnt have a grate ambient probe as I read to just go by the temp of the meat. Took 8hrs to hit 165, wrapped it with waygu talo in butcher paper and its still only 182 and its now on hour 10. When i took it off to wrap it was hard as a rock and dry on top (fat side down). I am no pro but I have made great brisket flat before but this is embarrassing. This is going to be a 15-16 hour cook for a 5.5lb brisket flat. It's definately ruined but i am comitted now, might as well finish to 203 and use for chilly or something, thats if it doesnt end up a boat anchor. Glad I had a backup, grilled up some steaks on the webber instead. Feel Defeated right now, no idea what i did wrong. It was my first attempt at a brisket on the traeger.

 

[lavaman40]

My guess is the temp was too low knowing this smoker is about 30 degrees lower than the set temp. Should have just used an ambient temp probe, pretty sure that was my problem. I was giving the pro 34 the benefit of the doubt. Never again, ambient probe will be a must moving forward.

 

[lavaman40]

Confirmed drier than hell, no bend, hard as a rock. Man, I need to turn in my man card lol.

 

[Parrothead1809]

I know the feeling and we have all been there with a failure or two. I’d get a temp sensor you can leave in the chamber and do some testing at various temp settings. I have a ThermoWorks Flame that is pretty accurate. As for the flat: chopped brisket sandwiches with BBQ sauce, some home made slaw & pickles are in your future. Lemonade from Lemons, my friend.
-PH

 

[lavaman40]

I know the feeling and we have all been there with a failure or two. I’d get a temp sensor you can leave in the chamber and do some testing at various temp settings. I have a ThermoWorks Flame that is pretty accurate. As for the flat: chopped brisket sandwiches with BBQ sauce, some home made slaw & pickles are in your future. Lemonade from Lemons, my friend.
-PH

Yup, I cut the fattiest parts and made a few sandwiches, was tasty. But the rest was brutal.

 

[Parrothead1809]

PS: My mom always said “…sometimes you just get a bad brisket and all the cooking in the world isn’t going to make it soft.” I find this especially true with the flats.

So maybe try another shop next time too.
-PH

 

[BobbyQ]

^^^^^^
Had that happen to me with a flat I was making into pastrami. Hard as stone but tasty. Sometimes you just get a dud. I’ve done briskets at 190-200 before wrapping but you need to be sure of the temperature. You can’t trust the controller setting.

 

[lavaman40]

PS: My mom always said “…sometimes you just get a bad brisket and all the cooking in the world isn’t going to make it soft.” I find this especially true with the flats.

So maybe try another shop next time too.
-PH

It was definately a crappy cut but i thought i could make it happen. Ill try another, but a full brisket.

 

[Manannan]

On this note can anyone recommend a good third party wireless ambient temperature probe I could locate close to the Traeger fixed sensor? My Meater probes provide meat and ambient temperature measurements but I would like a stand alone purely ambient temp probe to compare to the Traeger?

 

[RayClem]

One thing you got right was the smoke ring. That was awesome!

Once you wrapped the brisket in butcher paper, did you increase the cooking temperature. In order to achieve a final internal temperature of 203F+/- you have to have a cook temperature well above that temperature. If your controller was set at 225F, but the actual cook temperature was only 205F, it would take many hours to reach 203F in the brisket.

Once you wrap the brisket, you won't be picking up any more smoke. Since butcher paper does not seal completely, you will lose some moisture, unlike aluminum foil which should seal more tightly. I have never done a brisket, but I do chuck roasts, etc. I smoke them at an actual cooking temperature of 225F as measured by a 3rd party thermometer until the internal temp reaches 160F or higher. After wrapping, I will boost the cook temperature to 275F insuring the internal temp of the meat will reach 203F in a reasonable period of time. In fact, if you wish, you can transfer the meat to your kitchen oven to finish off the cook since no more smoke will be absorbed.

As for 3rd party temperature probes, either wired or wireless digital probes or even traditional analog thermometers will work. I have an inexpensive wired probe, a ThermoPro Temp Spike, and an analog thermometer. I drilled a hole in the lid of my Ironwood to install the analog thermometer such that the end of the probe is about 1/2" above the top grate.

Here is the analog thermometer I recommend. It has a large dial so you can see it from 20 ft away.

Amazon.com

While all three of my 3rd party devices are in good agreement, they always read lower than the controller temperature.

 

[Billy1947]

Doing a flat brisket today 5.5lbs for the wife and I. Injected it with beef none broth, salt and peppwr rub only, I set the pro 34 to 225 and let her rip. Something was wrong when it hit 5 hours and was still only at 125 degrees. I didnt have a grate ambient probe as I read to just go by the temp of the meat. Took 8hrs to hit 165, wrapped it with waygu talo in butcher paper and its still only 182 and its now on hour 10. When i took it off to wrap it was hard as a rock and dry on top (fat side down). I am no pro but I have made great brisket flat before but this is embarrassing. This is going to be a 15-16 hour cook for a 5.5lb brisket flat. It's definately ruined but i am comitted now, might as well finish to 203 and use for chilly or something, thats if it doesnt end up a boat anchor. Glad I had a backup, grilled up some steaks on the webber instead. Feel Defeated right now, no idea what i did wrong. It was my first attempt at a brisket on the traeger.

I cook my brisket flat at 275 until the internal temp reaches 165. I pull it and lay on a double piece of butcher paper and then pour 1/4 cup of melted Wagu Tallow. Then wrap it tight and cook at 275 until the internal temp reaches 200. Let it rest for 45 min to an hour. The trick to stopping the dryness is the Wagu Tallow.
Enjoy.

 

[Hogan]

I use (and swear by) the ThermoPro Dual Probe unit. Works like a charm. Has a clip allowing you to set one probe to monitor chamber temp, or use both probes in the protein. Set the transmitter (attached to the probes) by the cooker, and take the wireless receiver with you while getting more beer.

 

[lavaman40]

Added

I cook my brisket flat at 275 until the internal temp reaches 165. I pull it and lay on a double piece of butcher paper and then pour 1/4 cup of melted Wagu Tallow. Then wrap it tight and cook at 275 until the internal temp reaches 200. Let it rest for 45 min to an hour. The trick to stopping the dryness is the Wagu Tallow.
Enjoy.

I did Add Wagu tallow

 

[midwest]

If you are budget minded the Ink Bird is a great set up. Has 4 probes and is wifi so you can check it from anywhere on your phone. You can place one of the probes in your chamber then have 3 for your food. If money is not a concern the Fireboard is one of the best. My Inkbird is very accurate so I don't need the extra bells and whistles that come with the Fireboard.