seanwiley Posted October 26, 2009 Report Share Posted October 26, 2009 I've done 3 briskets on the Komodo which have come out great - tender, nice smoke ring, nice bark, flavorful and seem very moist.... up until the time I slice and serve. In the minutes between moving from cutting board to table it seems the individual slices dry out a lot compared to a roast, for instance. Any suggestions on this? I am wondering if I am not letting it rest enough before I slice it. For instance, last night I was running behind schedule and I let it rest for only about 30 minutes after I pulled it off the cooker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboy Posted October 26, 2009 Report Share Posted October 26, 2009 I've had the same problem!!! Until I tried Mguerra suggestion, high temp with foil method from the weber guys. Link: viewtopic.php?t=2961&start=60&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanwiley Posted October 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2009 Actually, I did try that method this weekend, along with the Coffee / Cardamon rub. In was kind of impromtu as I'd had a long night at the House of Blues and didn't wake up till 11:00 in the morning. So.... seemed like the right time to try the high temp method. It was great when I sampled it. But still didn't really stay moist when served. Am bummed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboy Posted October 26, 2009 Report Share Posted October 26, 2009 What cooking method are you using? Yea right, like I'm an expert or something..... Direct or Indirect? I use indirect. Hopefully someone who knows will answer. Could be I finally got lucky; I've only used the weber method once. Was also my first time not selecting the brisket myself!!! SAM's didn't have full packer cuts on display, so I asked the butcher, he brought one up from the back. I accepted it. In the past I look/feel for floppy brisket, left side, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted October 26, 2009 Report Share Posted October 26, 2009 try this Are you applying the technique correctly, tightly foiling when the meat is at 160ish? I forgot who, but someone recommended a quick cool down for briskets, right after pulling them off the cooker. His contention was that this causes the meat to stay more moist, as evidenced by much less juice in the foil. My high temp briskets have all been coming out very tender and moist. A brisket flat is never going to be as moist and juicy as a pulled pork, but you can get it close! One thing I have not tried, but I know they do at a pastrami place in New York, is inject the meat. We might have to give that a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syzygies Posted October 26, 2009 Report Share Posted October 26, 2009 I'm looking forward to trying this quicker method; I haven't. In my experience, the meat itself is crucial. The best brisket I've ever made was a phenomenal piece of organic meat; all I did was manage not to ruin it. The second-best was dry aged for over a week. I'd try a shorter aging next time, but it sure was juicy. In comparison to either of these, I've found any brisket bought on price to be rather grim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanwiley Posted October 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2009 Sitting through some excruciating conference calls, so did a little googling... Per http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/meatrest.html which seemed to be the most thorough: "In the book How to Cook Meat, authors Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby state that as meat proteins are heated during cooking, they coagulate and squeeze out some of the moisture inside their coiled structures and in the spaces between the individual molecules. The heat drives this liquid toward the center of the meat. In the book CookWise, author Shirley O. Corriher reveals a bit more detail: as meat proteins cook, they begin to shrink. Up to 120°F, the proteins shrink in diameter only and there is little moisture loss, but above 120°F the proteins also begin to shrink in length, which really puts the squeeze on moisture. By 170°F, most of the moisture will be squeezed out of a lean piece of meat. As meat rests, this process is partially reversed. The moisture that is driven toward the center of the meat is redistributed as the protein molecules relax and are able to reabsorb some moisture. As a result, less juice runs out of the meat when you cut into it. Willoughby claims that if you cut into meat right away, almost twice as much liquid is lost than if you let it rest before carving " The article goes on to say that you should let a brisket rest for 30 minutes. But that really seems to be tied to letting it finish cooking, not juice reabsorbtion. An australian site http://www.taste.com.au/news+features/a ... prime+time mentions "Always rest meat before you carve it to settle the juices and keep the meat moist. Cover with foil and set aside for 5 minutes per 500g." 500g is about 1.1 pounds, so an 8 lb brisket would be about 36 minutes. In my experience, after 30 minutes if it has been wrapped in a towel or foil, then it is still pretty warm, so I was thinking that maybe it had not reabsorbed enough yet. Or maybe I am going down the wrong path. I may not be getting the best cuts of meat. I pretty much take whatever my wife hands me. (not to blame her) Injecting seems like cheating though I have done that in the past for Turkeys. I wrapped this one at 172 then cooked just over 1 1/2 hours more. Stuck a fork in it twice to try to evaluate doneness. Was perfect when I first tasted it after the rest period so I feel like I pulled it at pretty much the right time. Hmmmm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 Regarding injection, don't forget that Finney won Grand Champion with injected brisket! http://www.komodokamado.com/forum/viewt ... light=toot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syzygies Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 Cheating As part of closing the deal for our new KK, Dennis coaxed Laurie over the phone to assure me that yes, cooking on a KK might be easier, but it certainly wasn't cheating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguerra Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 The Grand Champion injects... I just ordered: Professional Stainless Steel Marinade Injector Item # DRS-PSI-1 from turkey-frying.com I'll try it this weekend with Butcher BBQ brisket marinade, using the Weber Method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanwiley Posted October 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 Re: A Champs Secret.. One of the Chris Lilly brisket recipes uses beef bouillon crushed and rubbed onto the surface. I wasn't too impressed. I thought his other recipe as well as the coffee/cardomon rub provided a lot more flavor. Then again, I had other issues with that particular brisket and so maybe the error is with me, not the bouillon. I assumes the crushed bouillon is supposed to absorb fluid from the beef, but maybe if I pre-mixed the bouillon it would work better. Something I should consider. Having said that, on the weber thread that Doc pointed to a while back I see that sometimes they add Worchestershire, vegetables, etc. to the wrap. Sounds interesting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanwiley Posted October 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 Re: The Grand Champion injects... Cool! look forward to your results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzmisl Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 I was able to buy a stainless "Butterball" brand injector from my local Lowe's for $10. Seems to be well made but I haven't used it yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
