Smoking Brisket: The Topic

[snowangel]

Prawncrackers, part of how long a brisket will take is whether you have a whole or half. Further, if you only have a half (which, given the weight of yours, I suspect it was) is whether it was from the flat or deckle end. The flat doesn't have nearly as much fat or connective tissue.

I've just pulled mine and foiled it for serving on Sunday. I pulled it at about 190 (F); 12 hours at between 200-225 (F) on the Trusty Old Weber.

I smell like smoke. Plans for sides are a slaw, deviled eggs, sweet corn and sliced tomoatoes with peaches and ice cream treats for dessert.

[lancastermike]

Not ready yet but well on the way. The BGE has not budged since I got it settled in. No pid controller it does fine on its own . Some apple wood in there. Rubbed but not injected

No Texas foil I don't like to foil it but many competitions are won with foil.

Edited July 27, 2013 by lancastermike (log)

[Ashen]

that looks awesome.. is it just the point? I have to agree with you about foil. It can be a time saver but if I have the time I would rather just let it go without because it really does a bad number on the bark. . Middle ground is to foil early then finish without for the last hour or so.. Even then the bark just doesn't develop quite the same.

[furzzy]

Just bought my husband a BGE a couple of weeks ago. The first thing he grilled was a Prime Rib-Eye at 700 F. Then he dived right in & smoked a Brisket! While I didn't take pictures throughout the process, the first picture is of the smoke ring...on his first-ever attempt at smoking anything! I am impressed! He smoked the 4-1/2 lb. flat-cut half at 225 F for 10 hrs.

This next picture was taken just tonight as he grilled a 4 lb. Black Sea Bass.

[FeChef]

1 hour ago, wibago said:

Hi, I would love to get a brisket out of my offset that rivals the better Texas style bbq restaurants. We have two of them that do a fantastic job on their brisket. What they have that I do not get is moisture even on there flat meat. I know there is a secret there that no one will discuss. I have seen beef tallow used to keep meat moist. Also long 10 hour plus rests at 155 degrees. I just can’t my brisket to come even close to theirs. My smoker is a small horizon that I purchased from bass pro shop. I use standard salt pepper as my seasoning and wrap using butcher paper. Does anyone have a method they would be willing to share?

Bring flat to 190F. Then wrap and hold in 150F warmer for 15-18 hours. And probably the biggest secret that nobody talks about is using at least a Prime grade brisket. Brisket is not really cheap in my area but samsclub sells both choice and Prime and Prime is only 40 cents more per pound. Its a no brainer.

[gfweb]

In Sous Vide, moisture retention by meat is a function of temp. The higher the temp the more juice gets squeezed out. To get the tenderizing effect of cooking without juice loss, you cook tougher cuts longer at a lower temp.

[FeChef]

50 minutes ago, gfweb said:

In Sous Vide, moisture retention by meat is a function of temp. The higher the temp the more juice gets squeezed out. To get the tenderizing effect of cooking without juice loss, you cook tougher cuts longer at a lower temp.

Long lower temps only work on less fatty cuts. Muscle will turn to mush long before fat fully renders on a fatty cut like brisket with long time/low temp. Thats why its recommended to bring brisket to 185F to fully render and carmelize the fat till it turns yellow.

[rotuts]

@FeChef 

 

I believe you have merged two different cooking issues into one.

 

lower temps work for all cuts , including fatty cuts  , w regard to the muscle portion 

 

of a lean cut and a fatty cut.  

 

130 F does not render fat as 180 F does . however 140 F , simply a personal choice 

 

does point cut brisket x 48 hours deliciously  for both the muscle , and indeed the fat .

 

Im sure 130 F would also be interesting to try .

 

why dry out the meat @ 165 F , just to render and caramelize the fat ?

 

why not just trim it off ?    well , there is the bark .

 

TX brisket it cooked the way it is cooked , because that's the way its been done

 

as it gets the job done .  but the meat itself , is really quite dry .  those juices you see came from the meat

 

but the left over interstitial fat ,  not completely rendered 

 

helps it slide right down when you chew it.  let he brisket cool off .   it's going to then be 

 

quite dry .   but slice it very thin , add moisture :  lettuce , tomato , mayo 

 

very tasty stuff 

 

185 F brisket is not really very  optimal .

 

but the bark is quite tasty , 

[Bernie]

I have not smoked a brisket, but would putting in brine for 24 hours help with the "dryness" (wetness?).

Though it may make it closer to corned beef if the it takes up any salt, so less concentration of the brine would be preferred.

The other way may to introduce some humidity into the smoke - a pan of water?

 

 

[rotuts]

@Bernie 

 

I don't see the point in brining a brisket , unless you were making your own corned beef.

 

If I were down at the WHPS , w the Yoder

 

Id get a whole prime brisket , if the cost difference were as indicated by @FeChef  

 

and carefully separated the point from the flat.   Id trim off a ' reasonable ' amount of surface fat

 

and do the RedBoat40 3 day cure , loosely covered in the reforge , as done before

 

some time ago w Wegeman's thick sirloin steaks .

 

then Id do 24 hours in the Yoder , maybe even @ 130.1 F.

 

I might even do a freshly ground pepper coating , probably no salt or only a little

 

then SV for an addition 24 hours @ 120.1 F   

 

Id have to make up my mind while on the Yoder : should I wrap ?  should I spritz 

 

from time to time ?

 

I wouldn't get a traditional TX BBQ brisket , I doubt there would be bark , etc

 

and its about bark for BBQ brisket 

 

but Id have the tastiest meat for :  all sorts of tasty meat meals 

 

BLT sandwiches , French dips etc.

 

but that just me and what SV offers .   it doesn't offer a very interesting 

 

surface to the meat , but the meat itself can't be beat.

 

 

[weinoo]

 

I (unfortunately) didn't get to smoke this, but it's a whole prime brisket from DeBragga meats. Weighed between 11 and 12 lbs.  Lotsa fat.

[Bernie]

35 minutes ago, rotuts said:

@Bernie 

 

I don't see the point in brining a brisket , unless you were making your own corned beef.

 

 

The only reason to brine is to increase the moisture content at the start. Because its to be smoked it means it can't really be sealed to keep the moisture inside.

Smoking at anything much more than ambient temperature for a longish time is probably always going to dry it out somewhat. I have smoked pork after brine, but you are absolutely correct it becomes salty if in brine too long or too strong.

I also brine in the fridge to lower the temperature.

Here is an explanation for chicken but take it with a grain of salt and I didn't actually check the references.

https://shaochiehlo.medium.com/the-actual-reason-to-brine-your-turkey-its-not-osmosis-d96ca056b7a9.

The other thing maybe to smoke it for a shorter length of time then continue in foil to do the long cooking (and tenderizing).

[chileheadmike]

I use just a coarse salt and pepper rub. I trim most of the thick fat but leave a good amount.

Bring the smoker to 225 to 250, I use a combination of hickory and cherry with lump charcoal.  A total of 4 or 5 chunks. Chips seem like a waste, and soaking does nothing.

 

You want to see whiffs of blue smoke coming out of the top. Not pouring out. I regulate temps with the intake vents and not the exhaust. If you have a water pan filling it higher will decrease temps as well. No need for wine, spices or anything in the water pan, also a waste. 

 

When the brisket hits the stall, about 145 or a little more is when I wrap in foil. At this time, I add a wine reduction, red wine, pepper corns, fresh thyme, worcestershire and garlic, reduced by half.

Pour in the reduction and  wrap tightly. Put back on the smoker until 195. Remove and place in an empty cooler with some towels for several hours. 

[gfweb]

6 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

I (unfortunately) didn't get to smoke this, but it's a whole prime brisket from DeBragga meats. Weighed between 11 and 12 lbs.  Lotsa fat.

 

Corned beef?

[FeChef]

190F IT, 15 hours at 150F.

 

[&roid]

16 minutes ago, FeChef said:

190F IT, 15 hours at 150F.

 

This looks gorgeous! 

[Duvel]

2 hours ago, gfweb said:

 

Corned beef?

I say brisket burger …

[weinoo]

3 hours ago, gfweb said:

 

Corned beef?

 

16 minutes ago, Duvel said:

I say brisket burger …

 

That brisket only saw Passover. And it's the last time I buy that big a brisket!

[snowangel]

Smoked this beauty up at The Cabin last weekend in our 1986 Weber Kettle.

 

Since there are only two of us, leftover suggestions sought.  Favorite reheating method?

[rotuts]

@snowangel

 

looks sensational

 

left-overs :  Hash ,  sandwiches , inc.  C.B. Dip

 

C.B.eggs Benedict 

 

Vac and freeze in good sized chunks.

 

use room temp for sandwiches.

[Smithy]

35 minutes ago, snowangel said:

Smoked this beauty up at The Cabin last weekend in our 1986 Weber Kettle.

 

Since there are only two of us, leftover suggestions sought.  Favorite reheating method?

 

I'm on a grilled sandwiches kick thanks to my thrift-store find of a panini press. I'd save some of that gorgeous brisket in slices and press it with proper accompaniments into a sandwich. Mushrooms, cheese, condiments of your choice. Tomatoes? Pickles? Kraut? Lettuce? into the sandwich after grilling. My husband would want to slather it with barbecue sauce (ick, I say!). 

 

Actually, cheese and maybe some sauce trapping chunks of brisket would be good in grilled sandwiches too, using the little chunks that are leftover from slicing. I did something like that here with a badly-abused pork tenderloin.

 

I'd want to use some of that lovely brisket, gently warmed (microwave if I had it, low skillet otherwise) to dress up a nice green dinner salad.

 

@rotuts' ideas above all sound good, too. I'm just adding to what he said. 🙂