On 27-Jun-2006, "43fan" > wrote:
> Thank you everyone for the replies. I figured as much... Not sure if I'll
>
> be able to find anyone around these parts that sell whole packer cuts or
> not. I know someone mentioned Walmart, but the one here has never had
> anything besides corned beef brisket. 
>
> Something else has me wondering too... the brisket that I am able to
> get...
> am I taking it to too high a temp then? I've been told(and so far, like I
>
> said, the tenderness is definitely there) that I need to get it to the
> 185-190 range for the collagen to break down and get the tenderness I'm
> looking for. With the trimmed brisket I'm getting, if I take it to say
> 165
> or so, would that be close to the same tenderness but possibly keep it
> from
> being so dry? Or am I just basically out of luck with what I'm able to
> get?
>
> I do think there's a butcher shop about 20miles from me(actually close to
> my
> home town) that butcher's their own beef, meaning I should be able to get
> them to cut whatever I want, period... that just might be my next move...
>
> Thanks again!!
> "43fan" > wrote in message
> et...
> > Ok... so I've tried three different ways of doing my brisket, all of
> > which
> > have resulted in extremely tender, very tasty... but also dry meat at
> > the
> > end... I know sauce is not used in the purist world, but I've ended up
> > having to use sauce, something light mind you, to give a touch of
> > moisture
> > back when eating it...
> >
.. . . . . . . .
You have a good thread going here 43fan. And as far as I can see, you
received a lot of good advice. Given that you have done your homework
and followed all the general guidelines for cooking brisket, it would appear
that the particular product that you are able to obtain, just ain't the
product
that you desire.
1. Packer cut briskets run 12 - 14 lbs and have 1/2" or more of fat on one
side.
Some folkes trim fat back to 1/2" as necessary, but others don't touch it.
2. What you are getting is most likely a well trimmed brisket flat. Fine for
corned beef, but pitiful for smoked brisket.
3. Piedmont offered a good suggestion. ( I think it was him). Fake out the
fatless brisket cut by covering the top with bacon to simulate a fatcap.
Remember that the fat side gets positioned toward the heat. That may
be on top or bottom depending on your cooker.
4. Avoid peeking during the cook. Surest way to dry out BBQ. What
happens is that you extend the cooking time unnecessarily with much
of the time at too low a temperature. You have obviously cooked enough
to have a good idea how long it's going to take. Don't peek at all until
you're 2/3rds of the way to finished. Avoid the urge to move your meat
around during the cook. For God's sake don't turn it over. Everytime you
move a piece of meat that is already at cooking temperature, you're
going to lose some juice. (You already know this, so I'm stating the not
so obvious for any newbies lurking about).
5. Lastly, try hard to find a source for packer cuts. Non of us care much
for trying to make BBQ Brisket out of flats. We do what we have to do,
but kick and scratch to avoid cooking crap.
Brick (Who would have guessed? A discussion about BBQ in a BBQ group.)