??????? about brisket

[SmOkInArMy]

I have been Smoking 10 months ,so im still in the rookie era.I have gotten pretty good at the brisket so i thought,i learned how to smoke from the internet,i used to smoke my brisket to an internal temp of 160 to 165 and turned out amazing.Well i read somewhere you should try for 180 to 185 for better tenderness.So tell me what i did wrong.I put my rub on let it set for about 45 minutes,got my smoker up to 220 then i put it on ,i applied a mopping sauce every hour for about 8 hours after 8 hours i had an internal temp of 170 so i wrapped the brisket in alum foil for an hour after an hour the internal temp was 182. so i pulled it off and let it rest for an hour then sliced it ,well it tasted pretty good but it tasted more like it was cooked in the oven,hardly any smoke ring i have gotten bigger smoke rings smoking smaller briskets shorter periods of time.and the brisket was way darker then usual so i was wandering if any one could tell me what i did wrong . the only thing i did different was wrap in foil and shoot for 180 degree internal temp ANY I DEAS OR ANY ADVICE THANK YOU

I am a soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight.
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[SoEzzy]

The use of foil is more to hurry things along if you're short of time, if you're not short of time don't worry about it and cook it without foil, if you are basting or mopping every hour, I'd give it 2 or 3 hours to set the rub before you do though.

You don't say what you are cooking on, if you have a water pan in there make sure it stays full with hot /boiling water, if it's a UDS you can also pick fat up or fat down to change the cooking characteristics of the meat.
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[SmOkInArMy]

COOKING ON A CHAR GRILLER SIDE FIRE BOX WITH A WATER PAN AND FAT UP,THANKS FOR THE ADVICE ABOUT THE MOPPING AND THE FOIL





I am a soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight.

[day_trippr]

Greetings, SmOkInArMy, and welcome to The 'Ring!

I doubt foiling at 170°F contributed to the lack of smoke flavor or smoke ring. The smoke ring stops forming once the meat exceeds around 140°F anyway, and eight hours exposed to smoke should easily have provided plenty of flavor.

So, I would compare your methods between your previous brisket cooks and this one. For instance, was the hourly mopping thing different from your usual method of smoking a brisket? Did you use a different wood species? And did you have "good smoke".

I've always wondered about mopping early and often (I've never mopped anything after all these years of 'queing so I really don't know). Seems to me that if one keeps applying a coating over the meat that it must cut down the exposure to the smoke, but I could be wrong...

Cheers!
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[SmOkInArMy]

Now that you mention it seemed to be less smoke then usual,any ideas why this could be i use charcoal and add dry and wet wood chucks to it periodically about every half hour i add charcoal and wood chunks other methods to creat more smoke so one so forth thanks thus far for the advice, should got on here 10 months ago and 2 ruined briskets and 3 burnt ribs and 5 black chickens ago



I am a soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight.

[RollinontheRvr]

Welcome to the Ring SmOkInArMy, fellow soldier here as well, '81 - '86, Army Infantry.

I am cooking on a Chargriller to, I love it for the stage I am at currently. I just did an 11 lb brisket for a get together at work that turned out better than any I have ever done. I had initially planned to brine it but time got the better of me and I ended up injecting it instead and putting a rub on it. I did a 3 hour pre-cook the night before with a quick cool down and then into the fridge. 0630, back on the grill at work and smoked for another 8 hours. I used apple wood the night before and then maple the next day. I smoked it until it hit about 170° I believe it was and then foiled it for another 90 minutes. I used a drip pan underneath the brisket with water for extra moisture. When I carved it up, I cut across the grain (just learned that technique) and it ended up fork tender. My sauce that I injected was the Jamaican Jerk recipe someone posted here on the Ring in the recipes section. It sure was good.

Good luck on your next brisket.


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