Keep seeing people ruin brisket by pulling it off too early based on temp alone

I was at a backyard competition last month and watched three different guys wrap and pull their briskets the second the probe hit 203. Every single one of them was tough as leather. You gotta go by feel, not just a number. The probe should slide in like warm butter, no resistance at all. I learned this the hard way after ruining a $80 prime packer on my first attempt. Has anyone else dealt with this at a comp or just me?

4 comments

4 Comments

fionam1112d ago

Yeah, 203 is actually a bit high for most briskets I've cooked. I've found that if you wait until the flat hits 203, you've probably already overshot it. The whole "203 is the magic number" thing comes from Franklin and a few other big names, but they're cooking at specific temps and humidity levels. Most backyard guys are running different rigs. I pull mine now when the flat is around 195 to 198 and the probe feels like it's going into room temp butter. That last little bit of carryover cooking is what pushes it over the top. If you wait until the thermometer says 203 on the pit, you're already in the danger zone for that dry, stringy texture.

mark_chen6212d ago

Drove three hours last spring to pick up a brisket from a guy who supposedly had the secret. Turned out his "secret" was just cooking it in a cardboard box filled with sleeping bags when it was done resting. I pulled mine at 197 that day because I got impatient and wanted to eat. It was the best brisket I'd ever made. Probe slid in like a hot knife through butter on the flat and the point was like jelly. Never looked back at that 203 number since.

olivia_lopez9812d ago

Wow, you guys really take brisket temps seriously huh?

hannah_wells12d ago

Saw a video from that Meat Church guy where he said the same thing, pulled one at 197 and it was perfect. He swore the carryover is what does the final work, not the pit temp.