Reply #9: Thanks for posting this [View All]

America's test kitchen says to cook briefly (unwrapped) with smoke in the barbecue, switch to wrapping it in heavy duty foil, and finish in a slow oven.

I wonder if folks here can help me with my dilemma re: brisket barbecue. It seems to me it needs to get fork/flake/tender (the consistency of braised meat but not in a liquid) to get tender. I don't like that consistency of meat at all. It feels mushy to me. Also, all the juice runs out of the meat. You can smother it in sauce, but the meat itself is still dry.

What I wish I could get was something tender but still the consistency of beef, not overcooked beef. Is that impossible? I'd rather have to chew a bit than eat beef you can gum to death.

I'm thinking I'm stuck using more tender cuts. I happen to love the flavor of chuck.