How Did My Brisket Cook So Fast

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Here we are going to look at why it is that your brisket has finished cooking so fast. We will explain the possible reasons why and what you may have done that could have caused this to happen. This is obviously not a good thing if the brisket has finished cooking, but hasn’t been given enough time to become more tender; because the collagen in the brisket hasn’t broken down enough. So we will need to change something that we are doing when cooking the brisket to prevent this from happening again. We will also give our advice on what you can do if the brisket did cook too fast.

First thing to note is that there really isn’t a given general amount of time that it takes for a brisket to cook. The only thing generally told is that a brisket should cook slow and at low temperatures, which is true for the best results. Every brisket is different, with some being thicker and weighing more than others. This means that the best way to check a brisket’s internal temperature is to use a probe or a food thermometer. Never judge a brisket by how cooked it is by looking at it or feeling it.

However, there are ways to cook a brisket faster, but it doesn’t mean that it will be as tender as it should be when it is done cooking. One of those ways is by wrapping the brisket while it is cooking with butcher paper and aluminum foil. Some individuals do not do this when first cooking the brisket, but it can certainly be done at the very beginning too. This will cause the brisket to possibly cook faster than what it would cook if it wasn’t wrapped. It will make the brisket climb in its internal temperature, past the stalling point, which usually is around 150 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. However, doing this will possibly not allow a good bark to form on the brisket.

If the brisket is immediately wrapped at the start of cooking it, this could happen instead of the brisket slowly climbing or staying at the same internal temperature for hours. It can cook the brisket faster and even still allow the brisket to finish cooking with a tender texture and a juicy finish. This is ok, as long as the end result is good and to your personal preferences.

Temperature Too High

On the other hand, if a brisket is cooking faster because it has been raised to temperatures that are too high, then this isn’t good. This could possibly cause the brisket to cook with extremely tough parts, because the collagen hasn’t been given enough time in the brisket to break down. Higher than normal temperatures for a brisket can also cause a brisket’s muscle fibers to tighten and become tougher from overcooking.

Overcooking a brisket isn’t just about the amount of time that the brisket has been cooking. Overcooking can occur when the temperature is just too high and the brisket’s meat cooks at those temperatures for too long. In this case, the temperature for cooking the brisket needs to be reduced. It is ok in most cases to cook a brisket at even 200 or 225 degrees Fahrenheit, just to be on the safe side. 250 degrees Fahrenheit is the normal average for a brisket.

A lower temperature when you think that you are seeing a brisket at too high of a temperature, is better than setting it at a temperature that you might think is too high. Briskets just cook better with better results in the end when they are cooked at low temperatures for a long period of time. Some people even cook their brisket at temperatures lower than this for the entire time while they are sleeping before resting the brisket for another 12 hours more at internal temperatures around but above 145 degrees Fahrenheit.

Thickness Of The Brisket

A brisket being smaller or weighing less than a whole brisket can possibly cook faster than a whole brisket would cook. The thickness of the brisket matters when trying to figure why a brisket is finishing its cooking faster. The thicker the brisket is, the longer it is going to take that brisket to cook most likely, considering that it is cooking at appropriate temperatures. A thinner brisket is going to cook faster, since it is easier for the temperatures to reach the center of the brisket. Also, a less fatty brisket (the flat part of the brisket) will also cook faster than the thicker end.

What Do I Do If I Cooked A Brisket Too Fast?

If you cooked your brisket at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (higher than recommended temperatures) and it is now finished cooking, there are a few things that you can do to try and fix the problem. The problem being that you would now have a brisket that is possibly less tender and possibly less juicy than it could have been. We have already covered what you can do to fix tough brisket, but it is also possibly to cook the brisket for longer, but at lower temperatures.

A brisket can be edible and fully cooked and turn out ok after cooking it at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for a few hours. It isn’t recommended to cook a brisket at these temperatures, but it certainly doesn’t need to be thrown out as if it was trash. However, it would yield better results at lower temperatures, cooking the brisket for longer times.

Certain parts of the brisket will be tougher than what they should be, but it is certainly still good and safe to eat, as long as the internal temperatures of the brisket has reached what they should (over 180 degrees Fahrenheit and no more than 205). The food safe internal temperature of a brisket is 145 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you want to try and make a brisket that has been cooked too fast like this to be more tender without losing its juice too much, then wrap it in butcher paper and cook it longer, but at low temperatures that keep the brisket at about 150 degrees Fahrenheit. It can be left to hold at these temperatures for hours (up to 12 hours or even more), which will cause the collagen and the tough parts in the brisket to break down even further.

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