Hit 200 briskets on my offset smoker last weekend and it finally clicked why competition guys swear by the bend test

I've been doing backyard BBQ for about 5 years now, running my own little rig. Last Saturday I pulled brisket number 200 off my Old Country Brazos and for the first time I got that perfect jiggle and bend without even thinking about the temp probe. It was a 16 pound prime from Sam's Club, $68 bucks, nothing fancy. I always read about the bend test but never really trusted it until I saw that thing flopping like a wet towel over my glove. Has anyone else hit a random milestone that made something click in a way YouTube videos never did?

2 comments

2 Comments

beth55923d ago

it's Funny you mention the bend test because I had basically the same feeling but with pork ribs. I was doing some St. Louis spares for a family get together, nothing serious, and I just grabbed them with the tongs and they folded over almost like a piece of paper. I remember thinking "this is what people mean by bite through" and I couldn't stop showing everyone. now I honestly think I overthink temp probes way too much. the visual cues are just way more reliable once you know what to look for.

william32023d ago

I read a study once by some meat science guys at Texas A&M that said the bend test actually measures collagen breakdown more accurately than temp in some cases. They found that after 195 internal, the probe feel can trick you because of fat smearing, but the bend test shows real structural change in the muscle fibers. That matches what I saw, my probe went in smooth around 203 but the jiggle was totally different. Now I watch for that flop first and only use the probe to double check spot temps.