How to ensure smoking brisket is tender?

[Anonymous]

DH labored over a smoked brisket half the day yesterday, only to have it turn out tough. We've done it two other times and it was much better -- maybe beginner's luck?

He closely monitored the temp so it hovered around 225, kept a pan of water in the bottom of the grill, stacked the coals on the sides so it didn't get direct heat... basted it with sauce on an hourly basis. Where did we go wrong?

[Anonymous]

*sorry, subject should have read "smoked"

[Anonymous]

I've never smoked brisket but I've done it in the oven a bunch. I always thought that toughness just meant it wasn't done and needed more time. Sometimes it takes longer than others.

[Anonymous]

Grill too close to the fire maybe? Try raising it higher. Make sure the water pan has plenty of water (or marinade) in it--don't let it run dry.

If you're using a water pan and keeping the temp low, you shouldn't have to marinate it. But marinating it wouldn't hurt.

Finally, make sure it's a hulking big piece to start with. It's going to be dry around the edges. If it's too small a piece, most of it will come out "edgy".

I've never done it on a charcoal kettle grill (what it sounds like he has). I used to do it all the time in a bullet-style water smoker. They sell one of those at Home Depot for about $80, I think. (Back in the day, it was $28 at Walmart.) It was pretty failsafe. It also had two grill levels and held a TON of meat--good for anywhere from just-the-family up to a party of about 30 people.

[Anonymous]

You can try two things - injecting it with an apple juice mixture before cooking and wrapping it in foil part way through and pouring a bottle of beer over it or apple juice. Both will help it retain moisture. We only do rub to start - no sauce - save that for the last hour.

[Anonymous]

Foil wrap to keep the juices in. Let it rest after you finish cooking.

[Anonymous]

Honestly anything I smoke, I smoke the night before. I remove it from the heat, baste it with whatever glaze I've made, wrap it in foil and put it in the fridge overnight. The next day, I warm it on the grill, still in the foil. It turns out to be mouth melting. I think just letting the and the meat settle overnight in the fridge does wonders.

Sounds like your DH did all the right things....I normally smoke everything at around 225-250(max) for a good 6-10hrs. However, I do use an electric smoker because of the temperature control. I know using electric is a huge violation for the purists.