Brisket
Brisket is full of connective tissue: the patience job of the barbecue.
Rare
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Medium rare
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Medium
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Well done
Rest time
Cooking helper: how long to go?
Check the core temperature of your brisket now and then. After two readings the helper works out when it will be done. Then start the rest timer.
1. Pick your doneness
2. Measure the core temperature
Measure every 5 to 10 minutes at the thickest point. Your readings are kept if you close the page.
3. Let it rest
Tip: large cuts rise another 2 to 5 °C while resting, so take them off a little before the target.
All internal temperatures in one chart · Resting meat: how long and why
About Brisket
Brisket is the breast of the animal, a muscle that carries its weight and is therefore packed with connective tissue. Raw, it is among the toughest cuts you can buy; cooked properly, among the most prized.
The whole process is about collagen. It begins breaking down into gelatine around 70 degrees, but that conversion takes hours. That is why people cook brisket to around 95 degrees and hold it there: not because the number is magic, but because the time needed to get there does the work.
A brisket is two muscles of different thickness and fat content: the flat and the point. They do not cook at the same rate. Measure in the thickest part of the flat, because that is the section that stays tough longest and dries out fastest.
The real doneness signal is feel, not temperature. When the probe slides in without resistance, as if into soft butter, it is ready. Then comes a long rest of at least an hour, wrapped and kept warm; that is not a luxury but part of the method.
Tips
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Most voted
Klaar is hij niet op temperatuur maar op gevoel: de thermometer moet er als door boter in glijden.
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