@bladz ....A-t-S has got it.......if dry & crumbly, , then overshot the ending by a bit....
If it's a little tough & seems dry, but sort of hard to slice, then under cooked.....
What Ron says about smaller pieces also rings true.....less fatcap makes it a bit easier to overdo it, but also the weird thing is that a smaller piece may take almost as long as a great big one.......doesn't go by weight so much as it does thickness.......the heat still has to get down inside & melt down the collagen......
A few things I've learned from watching people that really know these things & do them all the time are:
Go by probe tender, an internal temp will just tell you approximately when to start watching....
If you wrap during the cook, it can be for bark or color & that will speed up the stall time (approx. from 155~175) usually quite a bit.....
If you wrap to rest, let it breathe for 10~20 minutes first, to slow the cooking somewhat, or.....the piece (this is in foil, not paper) will likely continue to cook if too much heat is trapped in.....
I go one of two ways.....
Either nekkid the whole cook & foiled to rest, or....
open up to the stall, then up on a low cookie rack in a pan, a little broth to start off the au jus & the pan foiled over for the rest of the cook.......
Deciding factor is if it looks like it's dumping a lot of juice, then go for the save.......if it seems a little drier on the outside, then maybe spritz once or twice late in the cook & just let it go.......
... What was the holding / resting or finishing setup? ....
Unless this conflicts with what I typed above, I moved it to an unused (cold) kettle for about 15 mins and then to the kitchen oven set at about 200 for about 30 mins. I used that temp on the chance my temp readings outside were a little less than ideal since some weren't yet to 200. And also because the oven won't go below 170 anyway (I tried.)
And then on top of the stove (a little more than room temp) for almost 45 more minutes to bring it down.
The math doesn't quite add up but it rested/held for 1.5hrs, maybe a touch longer I suppose. It stayed foiled the whole time. Carved just enough slices to eat and served.
One thing I found interesting about most of the online searches regarding brisket is that everyone says for best results do a whole packer, and so none of the cook or resting times apply to these smaller pieces. How much longer would that have been? Would I have needed to use the 26?
Even though I waited to foil it until it was already into the stall (160s/170s) I was still surprised it reached done temp in "only" 2 hours, I don't know why I was surprised unless it's because I have so little experience BBQing to these higher temps I usually have run out of time first. I had visions of it being dinner time and the meat not much beyond 180.
That worked just right.......I've seen some people say start the oven up, then just turn it off & set the piece in, for a resting.....others say, just set it on the counter & let the temp fall to 155 or thereabouts....either way, or wrapped in a cooler, after a breather will work fine.....
Killer job on that piece, man........nary a crumble & excessive moisture.....the sweet spot !!!!
