Brisket

[nascarchuck]

Not really lookin for a recipe but more of a procedure.

Should ya foil them?

What temp do you remove the briskets?

How long should they rest?

Anything else that I'm forgetting?

[OSD]

From another post. This is how I do mine and I think PT does them about the same.

There's a couple schools of thought on that. Same as foil or no foil?
This way works for me. Not that it is right or wrong.
The smoke ring stops forming at 140* - That has nothing to do with the amount of smoke the meat will take.. But usually the plateau is in that 160* area and the meat has gotten enough smoke by then. I foil and add some liquid inside ( apple juice, beef broth, and rub ), and put back in til it's done. I believe the foiling then helps it get through the plateau a little quicker and easier. If a person wanted more smoke in the meat, he could add a little more smoke ( add an extra chunk or 2 of wood ) or less by adding fewer chunks of wood all the way up til foiling. Once up to temp, I separate the flat from the point. The flat goes in the cooler for at least 2 hours ( 3-4 is better ) before slicing and the point goes back in the smoker for burnt ends.
Like I said not right or wrong just the way that works for me. YMMV

[nascarchuck]

Thanks Jim... Thats the post I was looking for but couldn't remember where I saw it.

[bowhnter]

Seen over in the other thread where you cooked em fat side up...on the UDS, you may want to consider fat down so it is between the heat and meat....just my .02.

[OSD]

Seen over in the other thread where you cooked em fat side up...on the UDS, you may want to consider fat down so it is between the heat and meat....just my .02.

Yep, good point, Mike.

[bigwheel]

You got a good mop/sop recipe? I've posted the one I use a few dozen times but apparently nobody was paying attention. Get about a 1/4 1/2 order made of the stuff below..then I will take you by the hand and show you how make grand prize winners. If you make enough to fill up an empty 1/2 gallon jug of Ezra..you know its just right. No need to even wash the bottle. Whut could live down in there? Maybe its a half. I aint too good at math. I usually cut back a tad on the Lea n Perrins and shoot it up with a little black coffee. Using that much wooster could break a poor person ya know? Make em have to drink less Busch etc.

bigwheel


http://www.bigoven.com/102400-Jettons-Mop-recipe.html

Not really lookin for a recipe but more of a procedure.

Should ya foil them?

What temp do you remove the briskets?

How long should they rest?

Anything else that I'm forgetting?

[wigelnyatt]

Alright... I am going to attempt this again...didn't work out so well for me last time. I didn't foil. I am going to try the foil this time. Thank you for posing the question & for giving needed insight!

[BluDawg]

Chuck I cook my briskets using the "SmokieOkie method"

Smokie Okie Brisket

Select the best brisket by wiggling the brisket back and forth@ the middle of the point end. This will tell you how fatty the point cut is, and how much fat layer there is between the point and flat cut. The easier it wiggles, the better. Buy the cheapest grade you can get. We want as little marbling as possible. Be sure you have a whole "packer trim" brisket, and not a flat cut or point cut. 12-13# is optimum for this application.

1-2 days before, rub brisket well with rub, and wrap tightly with H.D. plastic wrap, place in pan and refrigerate, or place in ice chest.

The day of the cook, start early by moving the brisket out of the fridge and packing it with black pepper.

Prepare your fire for the smoker, and, on a separate grill, prepare a VERY hot fire for searing the brisket.

When smoker is up to temp(250*-275*) sear brisket thoroughly on all sides and ends as well. We're talking so black that it looks like it's ruined, but don't worry, it's not. While it's OK to pierce the meat with a fork 2 this point, it's preferable not to. You may need help turning it w/ tongs.

Once seared, place brisket in foil pan, fat side up, and smoke, uncovered for 2 hours.

Flip brisket and smoke for 1 hour. At this point, the juices inside are under a fair amount of pressure. It is important not to pierce the meat from this point until it is done.

Flip brisket back to fat side up, and cover with foil.

Continue to smoke until internal temperature of 200* is obtained. There will come a point where the temp won't go up no matter what you do. This is normal. Resist the temptation to kick up the temp in your smoker. Time remaining to achieve 200* should be 5-9 hours. The reason for such a large variable is that smoker temps are not precise, and amount of "open time" will vary from cook to cook.

When 200* is obtained, remove from smoker, and allow to cool until it is safe to handle, then carefully lift brisket out and remove to a cutting board, and tent w/ foil. A long spatula, or some other long support will be helpful, because it will probably try to break up on you. Run pan juices through a grease separator, and freeze smoky grease in ice cube trays for baked bean seasoning (folks that've never had beans that way will be in awe). Reserve pan juice to serve over brisket.

Once cooled enough, separate the point from the flat. There will be a fairly easy to follow fat layer separating the two. Just gently slide a knife through the fat and lift and pull the point away as you cut. If you accidentally cut into the meat, it's no tragedy, just back up a little, and go at it again.

Once separated, slice the point cross grain, trimming off excess fat as you go. You will likely find several slices that are too fatty to serve, or maybe some of the outer shell that's too dry to serve. Reserve this meat, chop it fine, freeze, and save for baked bean seasoning.

If you look at the flat, you will see that the grain of the meat changes direction about in the middle of the cut. Cut the flat in half at this point, and slice cross grain in 1/2#-3/4# slices.

Reheat the pan juices. There should be adequate juices to saturate the brisket. If not, supplement with store bought au jus.

Place sliced brisket in pan or dish with slices in the same shape as they were before slicing, and pour juices over the top.

Serve open faced on white bread with a little extra au jus over the top.

I also inject with Mccormicks aus jus powder using Black coffee instead of water,I mix in 1tb Worcestershire, 1 tb brisket rub, 1/4 c oil.

Best tasting brisket I ever ate.

[wigelnyatt]

Seeing as I still need practice, I will try this method. Sounds like you could do this blindfolded.

[mythmaster]

I purchase my meats fresh from a local Black Angus and hog rancher, and the first time that I bought brisket from him he gave me a procedure that was very similar to the one that BluDawg posted. He said to smoke it at 250* for 3 hours and then foil it for 2 hours, but he didn't mention anything about searing or the final temp. I didn't have a smoker the first time and used indirect heat on a gas grill with a smoke box, and it worked perfectly. I did measure the IT then, though, and it was about 185* (this one had the fat trimmed, so it was not a full packer). Since then I've learned that the IT should be around 195* for slicing and 205* for shredding/pulling.

After I bought my electric smoker, I've noticed that 3 hours doesn't allow a good enough bark to form for me, so I've experimented smoking it without foil. This has resulted in a dry (yet pretty) brisket. Searing it first would certainly solve this problem.

Thanks for that tip, BluDawg. I'll try searing it first next time, then 3 hours in the smoke at 250*, then foil it until it reaches temp. Plus, I'll catch the juices for a finishing sauce which always works well.

Cheers
-Bret

[NewBQ]

My dad will sear his brisket and grill for about an hour then straight to foil, comes out great but no smoke flavor, more of a grilled brisket.

When I foil my brisket, I won't foil until after 6 hours of smoke.

Good luck to ya!

[DATsBBQ]

Sometimes foil, sometimes don't. Depends on the brisket. But if I foil, its at 165° internal or better. Its something you have to get a feel for, no hard and fast rule. Since I cook on a ceramic most of the time, most of the time its fat side down - space shuttle heat tile theory.

I mostly do packers and if you go that route you need to do some trimming. On a 13#er, I can easily trim 2 to 3 pounds of fat off of it. If I could find untrimmed flats, I'd go that way but all the flats around here are overly trimmed. I must have 10# of beef fat in the freezer....haven't figure out a use for that yet but am afraid to toss it with all the bears around here raising holy heck.

Always smoke at 235 to 250°f and budget 12 hrs. Sometimes they are done in 8 hrs, sometimes it is 16 but 12 is usually very close. It is what it is, just have to deal with it.

[BluDawg]

I must have 10# of beef fat in the freezer....haven't figure out a use for that.

Dave put that fat into a disposable aluminum pan and put it on the smoker during a cook seasoned well with S&P, Mold it in ice cube trays and freeze it in a zip bag. Add a cube or 3 to yer beans or chili really kicks up the flavor.

[Sharkie]

Thanks for the tip on the Fat Cubes- I hate tossing all that flavor WoooHoo