My brisket went from dry to juicy after I stopped opening the smoker

I used to check my brisket every hour on my old offset, and it always came out tough. Last month, I decided to just trust the thermometer and only opened it once after 6 hours to wrap. The difference was huge, it was so much more tender and held way more moisture. I think I was letting all the heat and humidity out before. Has anyone else seen a big improvement just from leaving the lid closed?

4 comments

4 Comments

singh.elizabeth1mo ago

Oh man, is that ever the truth? I did the exact same thing with my pork shoulder last summer. I was so nervous it would burn, I kept poking at it and spraying it. It turned out like a dry sponge. The next time, I just set my probes and left it totally alone for like 8 hours, only opening to wrap. It was a completely different piece of meat, just fell apart. I finally learned that smoker is not an oven, you can't keep looking. That heat loss really messes everything up.

dylan4631mo ago

Remember my buddy who kept peeking at his brisket?

aaronm551mo ago

My first brisket was the same story. I must have opened that lid ten times in the first three hours, just worrying about the bark. Ended up with a tough, chewy mess that took forever to cook. The temperature swings from all that checking really do ruin it.

the_jenny20d ago

Used to think you had to baby a brisket the whole time... then I ruined one by constantly mopping it. Left my last one completely alone for the first six hours, only opened to spritz once the bark was already set. The difference in the smoke ring and how juicy it was... completely changed my mind.