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Where to put thermometer in brisket
Knowing where to put a thermometer in a brisket is very important as it allows you to know when you can be expecting to pull the piece of meat once it has come up to the correct temperature.
For starters, place the thermometer in the thickest part of the flat of the brisket.
That should give you the most accurate reading, and tell you exactly when to be pulling it once the internal temperature has come up to about 200°F.
Once the brisket has come up to that temperature of 200°F, the collagen and connective tissues within the brisket overall have had a chance to fully rendered down.
How to tell if brisket is done without a thermometer
If you don’t have a thermometer or you want to try and find a way to test for Dennis with that one, then you can use the probe test.
The probe test is essentially where you take a toothpick and begin inserting it all throughout the meat to test for resistance as you slide it in and out.
The resistance tests for whether or not the collagen and connective tissue within your brisket have actually rendered down.
That is actually one of the best ways to test for a done brisket to begin with even if you do happen to have a thermometer at hand.
Once you have verified that the resistance levels are minimal, it should feel like it’s going into a stick of warm butter.
At that point, you’ll want to pull the brisket off the smoker and begin resting it adequately to ensure all of the moisture has a chance to come down in internal temperature.
This just make sure that it won’t evaporate all of those juices when you slice into it at a later point.
Final Thoughts
Knowing where to be placing your thermometer as you cook a brisket can be very critical as you want to understand what the internal temperature is looking like as you cook it.
The internal temperature serves to indicate whether or not the connective tissues and collagen within the meat have rendered down.
Having a rendered down brisket is what we all strive for it because that is what makes a brisket so juicy and flavorful.
Just place your thermometer or toothpick and the thickest part of the flat of the brisket. That gives the greatest inclination as to how far along the rendering process has come.
Robert is a certified Pitmaster, with over a decade of experience in smoking the best meats you’ll ever feast upon. He also has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. When he’s not researching technical topics, he’s most likely barbecuing in his backyard.