My brisket turned into a $90 hockey puck at a family cookout

I spent 14 hours on a 16-pound prime brisket for my cousin's party in Austin last Saturday. Had the fire perfect at 225, wrapped it in butcher paper after 8 hours, everything felt right. Pulled it at 203 internal, let it rest for an hour, and it was tough as a boot. I think I got a bad piece of meat, the fat never rendered. Has anyone else had a brisket just totally fail for no clear reason?

3 comments

3 Comments

blake_cooper3mo ago

Honestly it's just smoked meat, not a life or death thing lol. You can always order pizza next time.

shah.ben3mo ago

Wow, pizza after waiting hours for smoked meat is the ultimate barbecue fail. That's like buying concert tickets and ending up listening to the band from the parking lot. The whole point is the wait, and the smell that makes you crazy hungry. Missing out is a special kind of pain.

lane.angela1mo ago

Ask him this - have you ever actually stood in line for something for a couple hours and then ended up with just okay food? Because there's a difference between getting stuck waiting at a doctor's office and choosing to wait for something you're excited about. The line part is half the experience, not just an annoying side quest. Pizza doesn't smell like hickory smoke while you're standing there starving.