Where to Probe Brisket: A Guide to Tracking the Internal Temp Like a Pro

The key to perfectly smoked brisket is knowing when to tend to the stall and when to take the meat off the grill. For this, you need to know where to probe the brisket for the most accurate readings. Well, here is your guide to figuring it out!

When probing the brisket, Katherine Sacks ofEpicurious advises you to always aim for the thickest part of the cut. The meat at this point cooks at the slowest rate. Thus, it is only when this section registers at the appropriate temperature that you can take the meat off the smoker.

Bear in mind that the thickest part of the meat isn't always at the center. Therefore, when examining the brisket, take a step back and look at it from a distance. This will make it easier to identify the thickest section.

Of course, it isn't enough to know the thickest part, you also have to know how deep to push the probe in. Make certain that the probe is pushed all the way into the center point of the brisket. The internal temperature will be the coldest here.

Once you have placed the probe in the thickest part of the brisket, leave it there. Let it sit for at least ten seconds before you read the temperature. This lets the accurate temperature register. If you don’t notice any shifts between the temperature, then you have your reading and can remove the probe.

As you may be aware, a full packer brisket is made up of two muscles - the flat and the point. The flat cooks faster than the point.

As chef and contributor Kristy Norton ofCatHead's BBQ explains it, the flat has a higher fat content while the point is largely made of lean meat. Now, fat melts more readily while the connective tissue and muscle fibers of the point take longer to break down.

Due to this, you should place the probe in the point section of the thickest part of the brisket. This ensures that the point will be perfectly tender when it is taken off the heat.

These are all the tips, tricks, and guidelines that you need to be aware of to know where to probe brisket. Hope you can cook your brisket to perfection now!

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