Txdragon's Txbrisket attempt 1

[Txdragon]

Dayum Gina! That looks good. Now that's Cookin by feel, 225-350 lol!
When you say "zing", describe what you mean? Usually it's a simple fix. I'd say you nailed it

I prefer bold flavors with beef. The rub I put together for this brisket was simply salt, pepper, chili powder, onion powder, and a little paprika. I used a standard shot glass to measure. Salt was 2 shots, pepper-4, onion powder-1, chili powder, paprika, garlic, all 3 to make 1. I think I'm gonna add some of my "fire sprinkles" next time. This is made from dry-roasted, dehydrated and ground chili pequins. The rub was missing some heat.

[JMoney7269]

Add some garlic, it carries savory flavors
Add some msg, makes everything more flavorful
For heat, skip the chili powder and add chipotle
You want bold? Take a jar of better than bouillion beef paste and get you 2 finger fulls and spread it over the Brisket add a shot of Wooster to make it spreadable. That's a good little trick for adding beefy flavor but not so much that it overpowers like injections can.

[Txdragon]

OOHH.. Excellent tips! I had contemplated using an A1 slather with the rub, or spray it with some Wooster a few times throughout the cook. Thoughts?

[jtilk]

Job well done sir... As KAM said you know where you want to go from here, thats the important thing. Gotta knowwhere youre headed before you start on your conquest

[JMoney7269]

I know a guy that uses A1 in his foil, a guy that uses that gallon "best maid" BBQ sauce in their foil and do well. That best maid is a savory Worcesterish sauce. I use a spritz of equal parts pickle juice, Worcester and evoo for everything I cook and just wrap @180 and cook to 210 or buttah tender whatever comes first with a 3-4 hr rest but I cook 300-350 on brisket kinda just let the smoker do whatever if I'm not usin the guru. It's all what gets you there ya know. I have eaten franklins brisket several times and know he uses more than just S&P. he wouldn't let me taste his squirter but oh well, I shigged as much as I could. For one he uses high quality meat, burns a super clean post oak fire and wraps depending on color. Some cook all the way through, some get the BP wrap before their done. You get to eat your experiments and know where to go from there. You cooked a darn fine brisket on that ol el cheapo offset which is a feat in itself.

[Txdragon]

I know a guy that uses A1 in his foil, a guy that uses that gallon "best maid" BBQ sauce in their foil and do well. That best maid is a savory Worcesterish sauce. I use a spritz of equal parts pickle juice, Worcester and evoo for everything I cook and just wrap @180 and cook to 210 or buttah tender whatever comes first with a 3-4 hr rest but I cook 300-350 on brisket kinda just let the smoker do whatever if I'm not usin the guru. It's all what gets you there ya know. I have eaten franklins brisket several times and know he uses more than just S&P. he wouldn't let me taste his squirter but oh well, I shigged as much as I could. For one he uses high quality meat, burns a super clean post oak fire and wraps depending on color. Some cook all the way through, some get the BP wrap before their done. You get to eat your experiments and know where to go from there. You cooked a darn fine brisket on that ol el cheapo offset which is a feat in itself.

To hear such words of praise from those that compete is an honor for me! Thanks to all for the wonderful comments and tips! JD: I've always said it's not the cooker more than the cook, and I would hope this cook I've shared can: "put the money where my mouth is" on that statement I'm a strong believer in the idea a true cook can produce high quality with whatever tools he has available, be they 10,000 dollar, or 100 dollar rigs! I don't think this was perfect, but I really hope to perfect it with subsequent cooks. I'm planning the next one and it'll be in a couple weeks. I'll certainly put it up here to hopefully gather additional feedback!

[JMoney7269]

Still trying to figure out who this JD guy is
I love kickin them guys butts in comps with them big ol huge trailer pits and "special custom this and special custom that" with my lil ol $600 UDS. heck I know a guy that can cook a chicken on a medium old smokey that would make your head spin.

[Txdragon]

Rofl!! Guess I shoulda zoomed in a bit on my phone. Thought it was JDmoney. Guess it's time to get my eyes checked Lols!! Anywho, yeah, my brother's father-in-law used to crank out some awesome BBQ on one of those little silver ol' smokey things. Helluva cook he was.

[JMoney7269]

It's definitely a art of its own. My BIL cooks killer brisket, ribs and even pork butt on one of those cheap red and black "walkabout" grills from Home Depot. He also uses Kingsford mesquite and that's it! He adds a few briquettes every so often. We play cards, slap some bones (dominoes), watch tv, drink beer etc and it's phenomenal BBQ. It so surprised me since I hate Kingsford and really don't like mesquite for smoking but he's got it dialed right In. No temp guages, nothing, just time, temp (which he feels with his hand), patience and a lot of beer. He used to buy natural light but since he switched to that 55 crap I had to start bringin my own millers and lone stars. That 55, @1.9% alcohol, I gotta drink 2.5 gal to get a buzz.

[Txdragon]

No temp guages, nothing, just time, temp (which he feels with his hand), patience and a lot of beer. .

Same thing I have done for years. Run my hand over the grate, count the seconds, base my cook time on that assessment. Adjust fire/coals as needed, rinse n repeat. I'm trying to train my brither to this method too, and teach him as well, it doesn't take as long a time as he thinks to cook some things lol

[Txdragon]

Fat cap down FTW!!!

[JMoney7269]

Fat cap down FTW!!!

I cook both ways depending depending on desired outcome, but have seen no real difference, just preference. All cooks are done fat cap down to start to get a purrrrtieer smoke ring. Once wrapped I always go fat cap up so the meat is actually sitting in the juices the whole time , especially during the rest so it can soak back up the juices

[Txdragon]

Those are pretty for sure! I've already picked up a 16 lb'er for this coming week. I am going to try my hand at some injection. I am thinking a beef broth/A1/bourbon combination..