The Mistakes That Are Ruining Your Brisket's Texture

Brisket is a beautiful cut of meat that can be perfectly served as a simple lunchtime sandwich, but can also pull off a place as an elegant centerpiece to a holiday meal. But cooking brisket can be intimidating for some home cooks — especially when it comes to achieving that all-important ideal texture — and turning out a tough or mushy finished product can be heartbreaking, no matter what you had in mind for your meat.

Fortunately, we had a chance to ask an expert for some guidance on ensuring that your brisket is melt-in-your-mouth tender. Derek Piva is the executive chef at The Restaurant at Tu Tu' Tun Lodge in southern Oregon, and he helped us understand where most people go wrong when preparing this meat.

"The most common mistake is not cooking brisket long enough or at the right temperature," he says. Helpfully, he explains some of the science behind those unpleasant textural outcomes. "Tough brisket means it hasn't had enough time to break down connective tissue, while mushy brisket indicates overcooking or cooking at too low a temperature."

So, how does chef Derek Piva prevent these mishaps? He explains that it's all about hitting the ideal time and temperature balance. He recommends aiming for between 225 and 250 degrees Fahrenheit when cooking your brisket. You can do this either with a conventional oven or a smoker (as quality cuts of brisket are wasted on a grill).

Either way, Piva's next piece of advice might be the hardest part: "be patient," he says, noting that it can take 12 to 16 hours for a large brisket to be cooked to perfection. This means that while you may be skilled at avoiding other crucial mistakes when smoking brisket, rushing the process might be the biggest if you're concerned about its texture.

Choosing the size of your brisket will be based on how many you plan to serve, but this cut of meat typically runs between 10 and 14 pounds. When in doubt, you might want to opt for a larger option though, as leftover brisket can seriously upgrade your mac and cheese. Plus, with Piva's simple tip for a better brisket, you can get cooking with confidence that you won't want to waste a single perfect tender bite.