Smoking Brisket: The Topic

[sabg]

I'm pretty much in the same camp as fiftydollars. 1-1.5 hrs per lb. @ 225F. I go for an internal of 190F then remove from smoker, double wrap in foil, then wrap in an old large bath towel and put into a cooler for at least 1 hr (pour boiling water into cooler, close for 10 minutes then, drain, dry, and insert wrapped brisket).

is the wrapping and settling part where the collagen does something that makes it so tender?

[fifi]

The collagen breakdown starts at about 170F. That is why you get that internal temperature "stall" as it breaks down. When the temperature starts to rise again, that is when you are getting there. I tend to just leave it on the smoker at 225F at the grate since I have a WSM and maintaining the temerature at 225F is a no brainer. Why crank up the oven? If you are having trouble with the smoker, the oven is a viable alternative but, when I have done that, I set the oven at the same 225 to maintain the rate of breakdown so that it is more even. Yes, wrap in foil if you are moving to the oven. I often separate a whole brisket into two parts since the flat will cook at a faster rate. I will have no truck with a trimmed brisket. Fat is your friend.

You have to pay in terms of time for great brisket. The BBQ gods are NOT forgiving.

[dls]

I'm pretty much in the same camp as fiftydollars. 1-1.5 hrs per lb. @ 225F. I go for an internal of 190F then remove from smoker, double wrap in foil, then wrap in an old large bath towel and put into a cooler for at least 1 hr (pour boiling water into cooler, close for 10 minutes then, drain, dry, and insert wrapped brisket).

is the wrapping and settling part where the collagen does something that makes it so tender?

As fifi said upthread, the collagen breakdown starts at around 170F. Then the stall begins and, it ain't over til' it's over. Could easily be 1 or 2 hrs, if not more. This, among other reasons, is why I like to use 1.5 hrs per lb. as a timeline for smoking a brisket (or butt, etc.)

The wrapping and setting part is just a way of holding the meat and allowing the internal juices to redistribute throughout the entire piece. The end result is much more tender and juicy. It also gives you a lot more flexibility in timing, especially if your're entertaining. I've actually held them like this up to 4 hrs without much of a drop in internal temp. Not my idea at all. Picked it up from a long time champ on the BBQ circuit a number of years ago.

[chefrodrigo]

I agree with all the above advice. I'd just like to throw in that John Fullilove of Smitty's in Lockhart told us that he cooked his brisket in about 4.5 hours and he keeps the temperature high. He didn't define high but I've heard their pits run around 500F.

Its contrary to everything I've heard about cooking brisket but that was the finest meat we had on our 2 week trip of eating bbq everyday.

I also think they only use the fat end of the brisket. If I remember right there is not a choice of lean at Smitty's.

Rodney

[fifi]

I agree with all the above advice. I'd just like to throw in that John Fullilove of Smitty's in Lockhart told us that he cooked his brisket in about 4.5 hours and he keeps the temperature high. He didn't define high but I've heard their pits run around 500F.

Its contrary to everything I've heard about cooking brisket but that was the finest meat we had on our 2 week trip of eating bbq everyday.

I also think they only use the fat end of the brisket. If I remember right there is not a choice of lean at Smitty's.

Rodney

Boy, does that sound suspicious.

Those boys may have been foolin' you. I am not sure how the typical "pit" could even get to 500.

[chefrodrigo]

Boy, does that sound suspicious.

Those boys may have been foolin' you. I am not sure how the typical "pit" could even get to 500.

Have you seen there pit? I don't think I would describe it as typical. If I remember right in Robb W's book he said their pits run closer to 600F. I'll have to look that up again.

We can get our offset up to 400F pretty easy, not that we try to, and Smitty's fire is a lot bigger than ours.

Rodney

[chefrodrigo]

I found Robbs quote. pg 28 "Some of the best smoked meat in the Lone Star state is cooked at 600F". He doesn't mention Smitty's or Kreuz but I believe that is whom he is referring to.

Rodney

[col klink]

I haven't been to Smitty's but I have been to Kreuz's and I can easily see the pit hitting 500 or 600 F is you're close to the fire. I've never run my smoker that hot (I can come close to 400) because I'd risk charring the brisket.

If you don't have a lot of fat, you'll want to wrap it in foil at some point. I talk at length about brisket (and turkey) in my Smoking Course.

[fifi]

Now I am curious. Why would anyone want to do that to a brisket? Just to save time? What would that do for beer consumption? Oh... The horror!

Now I am getting curious as to the interior temperature profile and how that works for collagen => gelatin conversion.

I am a very curious person.

[snowangel]

Whole, untrimmed briskets are on sale at my local meat market for $1.99/lb. Guess what I'm smoking this weekend?

And, it's time this thread returned up top again.

Smoked brisket. Yum.

[fifi]

Kroger in Houston has whole cryovac'd brisket for 99 cents a pound.

Gentlemen... Start your smokers. (Yea, yea, gentlewomen too.)

In the WSM I split the brisket into the tip and the flat like klink said above. Trimming is an abomination.

[snowangel]

$.99/lb! Yes, gentlewomen, start your smokers.

Yes, trimming is an abomination and a waste of time and perfectly good fat. It also takes away from beer-drinking time. All of that washing hands. Yes, I will cut into two pieces.

What kinda wood would be best?

[fifi]

Um... Wood... I'm thinking...

I usually use hickory or mesquite but I think I would like to find some pecan. I haven't used pecan in years and would like to test it out. I have some big slabs of redfish and trout in my sister's freezer from last weekend's fishing trip and am thinking about smoking a couple or more of those so I want to see how I like the pecan. (I will do the fish later. 99 cent brisket is too good to pass up.) Now all I have to do is find the time to do this this weekend.

[snowangel]

Plus, you can save all of that energy thawing stuff, fifi.

What sides will you serve?

I'd just as soon just eat brisket, but think that the rest of the people will think I'm lazy if I don't serve sides.

[mnebergall]

My plan is to do both a brisket and a butt at the same time. Which should I put on the top rack, the beef or the butt?

[snowangel]

I'm having a big party on Sunday at 1:00 pm. Brisket and butt, smoked. I know how to handle the butt in advance; it reheats wonderfully. But, I'm figuring that the brisket is 10 pounds, and I will cut it in two (to shorten smoking time). I really don't want to get up before dawn on Sunday to smoke this thing (I just can't drink beer for breakfast and host a party ) (Plus, in addition to my three kids, I also have a 6-month old and a 3-year old for the weekend, glutton for punishment than I am). If I smoke it on Saturday, do I slice it then and hold and reheat? Reheat Sunday then slice? Advice, please. Somewhere in there I'll get the house clean and make sides

[Dave the Cook]

Reheat Sunday (slowly), then slice.

[snowangel]

Brisket just after putting on the Ole Weber:

After a few hours, I added the butt:

Using high tech ( ). Weber kettle, regular dial oven thermometer and regular old fashioned dial meat thermometer. After a few hours (I've had a few cold ones), brisket is stalled, but that's to be expected.

All that beer and smoke. I need a nap. I am watching a 6-month old this weekend (very happy easy baby) and I think he and I need a nap. Diana knows how to monitor temp, etc. And, to wake me before this nap has become "painful."

Smoking. It's really good. I smell wonderful, according to Peter. Smoking is exhausting.

[mnebergall]

Susan:

What is that rub you put on the briskets? And I see you left the skin on the butt. I have a butt on the smoker right now and I peeled the skin off before I put it on. My rationale for doing so is my belief that the skin will prevent smoke from penetrating the meat. I don't know if I'm right on that or not, but we certainly have a potential basis for comparison going here.

[snowangel]

Susan:

What is that rub you put on the briskets? And I see you left the skin on the butt. I have a butt on the smoker right now and I peeled the skin off before I put it on. My rationale for doing so is my belief that the skin will prevent smoke from penetrating the meat. I don't know if I'm right on that or not, but we certainly have a potential basis for comparison going here.

For the brisket, I used the rub Klink posted on Recipe Gullet (Klink's Dry Rub). It's really good for brisket.

I've never thought of taking the skin off when smokin' a butt. Maybe I'm too lazy. Anyway, with skin, it is wonderful when smoked.

[jmcgrath]

I know how to handle the butt in advance; it reheats wonderfully.  But, I'm figuring that the brisket is 10 pounds, and I will cut it in two (to shorten smoking time).

I see from further downstream that you have already started. I don't think cutting the brisket in half will shorten things much. The way a brisket is shaped, you don't really increase surface area much when you cut it in half.

Jim

[snowangel]

I see from further downstream that you have already started. I don't think cutting the brisket in half will shorten things much. The way a brisket is shaped, you don't really increase surface area much when you cut it in half.

Jim

I don't know that cutting it in half shortened the time, but once it had shrunk some, it did free up enough grill space to allow me to reposition the halves and get a butt on. Plus, I was able to take the flat off earlier.

Both butt and brisket a huge success. I'm very proud. I was able to leave the butt on the grill (Weber kettle) and leave the house and butt unattended for 3-1/2 hours!. I've figured out how to load it, ventilate it, etc. in all sorts of weather conditions (last night was perfect).

There's nothing like drinking Shaker's vodka with a favorite relative at 2:00 am pulling butt . It was not an early morning today.

[ianeccleston]

That brisket looks great!

I've always bought untrimmed brisket, right in the cryovac. With that huge fat cap, the brisket gets basted with the rendering fat for the whole smoke. Yummy.

However, when I slice it, I usually have to cut that cap off (a good half inch of fat) for my guests. I'll eat a piece of fat or two but that's my limit. That top of the brisket is lovely - black and smoky and flavorful. When I cut off the fat, I have to cut off that crackly top part. (And even after trimming some of the fat off, I usually see additional pieces of fat on their otherwise empty plates - most people won't eat it).

So, I'm thinking of trimming a bit of the fat cap off: I'll aim to have as much fat left after the smoking as you might on a nice steak, and leave plenty of fat to render into the brisket during cooking.

Does that seem like a good idea? The brisket people always seem to say that you should leave it untrimmed...

Ian

[snowangel]

We're having folks over late this afternoon. I've smoked plenty of pork shoulders lately, and Paul had a hankering for smoked brisket. So, off I went to the local meat market. As I reported on the Dry Rub and Smoked Meat thread, I got a big ass brisket.

Today is a stunning day. It's close to 70 degrees (F) outside for the first time in many, many months. I have doffed the turtleneck in favor of a t-shirt, and doffed the socks and am baretoed in my birkies.

It's big. So big that I had to cut it in half to get it on the trusty Weber kettle. I had hoped to have space to sneak a shoulder onto the grill, but I don't think so...

It's happily smoking away, and has been for a number of hours. I have done a wonderful job of holding the temp down. The first three hours were between 200 and 225!

Meantime, in between tending the Weber, I am washing windows.

[fifi]

NO! NO! NO!

Drinking beer is the activity for smoking brisket on a lovely spring day.

Washing windows is NOT! You are disturbing the vibes in the cosmic ethers. The darn thing might come out tasting like Windex.

Man, if you can hold that temp in a kettle you really have it down. I can't wait to see the finished product.