If you are considering cooking beef briskets but are afraid of it remaining undercooked, then stop worrying and start cooking. This article is going to answer all the questions that you may have about cooking briskets.
Is Brisket Supposed to be Pink?
Remember, a fully cooked brisket has a beefy brown color. A brisket looks pink when it is not fully cooked and it may require more time to cook and is being taken out earlier.
If we talk about an ideal case, then a brisket that reaches a temperature of 190 to 195 degrees is very well cooked. But sometimes, that does not happen. It can be frustrating when the guests are just around the corner, and your briskets are not ready yet.
Let’s discuss the tricks and tips that can help you get rid of this annoying situation.
Causes for Undercooked Brisket
You must be wondering why your brisket remains undercooked even though you are following the perfect recipe. So let’s talk about a few things that you may be overlooking while cooking brisket, and one of these might be the reasons for your undercooked brisket.
1. Varying Temperature of the Smoker
Despite cooking your brisket till the recommended time, you end up with an undercooked brisket. This might be happening to you because the smoker’s temperature is lower than required, thus extending the cooking time.
However, make sure you don’t increase the temperature so much that you find your briskets burned after the set timer.
2. Imprecise Weight
If you are following a perfectly cooked brisket recipe, but yours doesn’t come out as perfectly cooked, there’s a chance that you didn’t choose the right amount of brisket. For a brisket to cook perfectly, the time and heat needed, depends on its weight. So if you haven’t selected the right amount, It’s probably why your brisket didn’t end up fully cooked.
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3. Imprecise Thermometer
You might be using a smoker with a faulty thermometer. Yes, you need to check that as well. We recommend using a separate thermometer to check the temperature, thus leaving no chance of having an undercooked brisket next time. If you’re looking for one, here are a few that we recommend.
4. Taking Out the Brisket Earlier
One of the reasons why you’ve ended up with an undercooked brisket is that you might have taken it out before its required cooking time. You might be taking it out of the cooker a bit earlier as you are afraid of keeping your guest waiting for longer, or you have some tasks still left to do.
You take the brisket out because you think it looks well-cooked, but it’s not. Make sure you give it as much time to cook in the cooker as prescribed.
You must be fully aware of the time needed for the brisket to be cooked fully based on its weight and temperature. Cooking brisket at a temperature of 195 degrees breaks down all the tissues, turning the beef brisket into a soft and juicy meal.
Before taking out the brisket from the smoker, Cut a corner of it and taste it. If the brisket tastes juicy and soft, then this is the time when the brisket is fully cooked.
Can an Undercooked Brisket Make You Sick?
If your brisket is not fully cooked, it will be hard to chew and eat. Not only that, but this undercooked brisket can be very harmful to your health. The reason is, an undercooked brisket contains dangerous bacteria such as E.coli, Campylobacter, or Yersinia and so causes food-borne diseases.
When eating an undercooked brisket, this bacteria can make you sick. You may get stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, or vomiting.
Then what can we do?
- Keep a cautious eye on the brisket when they are in the cooking process.
- Observe the temperature of the smoker as well as the meat.
Following these above methods can turn the brisket into a very well-cooked and soft brisket.
What Should I Do If the Brisket is Undercooked?
If you have an undercooked brisket that is hard to eat and you wonder if there is still something that you can do with it, then continue reading. We have come up with the below tips that can help you deal with your undercooked brisket.
Method 1: Cut the brisket into many thin equal slices. Take out a roasting pan and place these slices into it. Pour red wine onto it along with the beef broth. Keep on pouring red wine until the slices are all covered with it.
Method 2: This is an easier way to use the undercooked brisket. Just leave the brisket and let it cool for some time. Place it into the refrigerator and take it out the next day. Put it on the smoker again and cook it until the temperature goes to 195 degrees. Enjoy the soft and well-cooked brisket.
Method 3: Let’s re-cook the brisket. Cut the undercooked brisket into thin slices. Take out a slow crockpot and put these slices into it. Take carrots, potatoes, onions, turnips, herbs and chop them well with a knife.
Place all the veggies into the crockpot. Spill the beef stock until the ingredients in the crockpot get covered with it. Set the crockpot to low heat and cook it for at least 3 hours. Now you can enjoy the brisket with some tasty vegetables as well.
No undercooked briskets anymore!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What can I do to cook my brisket well?
The most important factor to avoid an undercooked brisket is to allocate time. You must know how much time will the brisket take to cook fully based on its weight and temperature. Before taking out the brisket from the smoker, you should taste a corner of it. If the brisket tastes juicy and soft, then this is the time when the brisket is fully cooked.
Is brisket supposed to be pink?
Not really, if your brisket is light pink from the inside, then most probably, your brisket is not fully cooked. When the brisket is fully cooked, it turns to a beefy brown color from the inside.
Final Words
We do not recommend you waste undercooked brisket but trying to cook them again is a good idea.
Of course, you will not get them as fresh as they could be after recooking them, but still, you can enjoy them.