Am I the only one who prefers my brisket at 195 degrees instead of 203?

I hit exactly 195 on a packer brisket last weekend and it was the best one I've ever made. Everyone online swears by 203 as the magic number for pulling it off, but I think that's too far. At 203 my flats always come out dry and crumbly no matter how long I rest them. At 195 the meat still slices clean but has that perfect bite-through tenderness in the point. I used a $30 thermopen knockoff and pulled it after a 2 hour rest in a cooler. Has anyone else found a lower temp works better for their setup?

3 comments

3 Comments

ryanburns1mo agoTop Commenter

Ruby lane nailed it with the flat vs point thing. I did the same thing last month, pulled mine at 196 in the flat after a 3 hour cooler rest, and it was the juiciest flat I've ever had. The point hit like 208 during the rest and was still perfect, not mushy or dry. Try probing the flat itself and pull right when it feels like a warm stick of butter, usually right around 195 for me too.

christopherwilliams1mo ago

Yeah @ryanburns got me rethinking my whole process, used to be a 203 guy.

ruby_lane1mo ago

Oh man, this is such a good point! I actually wonder if the whole 203 thing started because people are testing in the thickest part of the point but then judging the flat which naturally cooks faster. Maybe if you're probing the flat itself at 195 you're actually hitting the sweet spot for that section while the point keeps climbing during the rest. I've messed around with pulling at different spots and my best results came when I let the flat dictate when it's done, not the point. Idk, feels like everyone's chasing one number without considering how different parts of the brisket behave.