I finally learned to trust my gut after a brisket disaster in Austin

I was at a cook-off in Austin about five summers ago, and I had a beautiful 16-pound brisket on my offset smoker. I was following a famous pitmaster's timing guide to the minute. Around hour eight, the temp stalled hard at 165 degrees, but the guide said to push through. I did, and it turned out bone-dry and tough. The next time, I ignored the clock, wrapped it in butcher paper when the bark felt right, and pulled it at 203 degrees based on feel. It was perfect. Has anyone else had a plan blow up because they followed instructions too closely?

3 comments

3 Comments

ericw9310d ago

Totally! I learned that with chili.

johnson.river10d ago

Come on, is a bad smell really that big of a deal? It goes away after a day or two. Open a window and light a candle, problem solved. People act like a food smell is some kind of permanent damage. It's just a funny story, not a real crisis. I feel like some folks are just being a bit dramatic about it.

harperp2410d ago

Oh man, my buddy did that once and his whole apartment smelled like regret for a week.