During the braising episode you said that the collagen breaks down around 160° to 170°. When smoking my briskest, which seems like a modified roasting, I don't pull them off until 185° to 190°. By this temp most of the moisture has escaped, but at this temp my brisket is tender and seems juicy. Is there something different happening during the smoking process than during the braising/roasting process, or does it have something to do with the temp (I try to keep it around 225° to 250°) or the size of the meat? Usually when I smoke a brisket I smoke between a 15#-20# whole brisket.
