First Attempt at a Brisket

To celebrate my first day off since Aug 27, I've decided to break my brisket cherry tomorrow. Thinking I'll get it in the smoker about 0600 and then go back to bed. Hoping that it's done about the time my Steelers finish off the Jaguars.
Question for the smart brisket guys: With pork I rub the evening before and refrigerate overnight, should I rub the brisket this evening?

Trimmed and ready.

 

I dont have the answer but TW has an awesome thread for tips.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/food-smokers-and-smoking-tips-tricks-techniques.229517/

Good luck and post pics of the final results. Nom Nom Nom

 

My neighbor is the brisket king. He just told me to tell you Rub away rub the hell out of it. Big brisket your size he said your about 12 hours to cook

 

Rub the hell out of it, aye!
Thanks. And it looks like I'll be up at 0430. It was the smallest they had at my local butcher.

Will do.

 

Like that cutting board, Cutco great knifes and cutting boards.

 

Alright! I love to smoke briskets - somethings to consider:
1. Keep the heat between 225-275. The lower the slower it will cook.
2. If you have a meat thermometer you want to cook it too 180-190 degrees.
3. NOTE NOTE NOTE: your brisket will be cruzing along in the cook cycle and then around 150 degrees - it will stall. The temp will hang for several hours in this range b/c your meat is using the heat to break down the muscle. Mine usually stalls for about 3 hours when cooking a 12 pounder at 230 degrees. DONT PANIC. This is a natural process.
4. If you're looking (open the smoker a lot) you ain't cookin' (because you are letting a lot of heat out each time).
5. LET IT REST - once it is done, toss it in a small ice chest (no ice, just something that will help retain the heat) and let it rest about 30 minutes before cutting into it. It helps the overall moisture of the meat.


There are a lot of opinions on brisket cooking. Do yourself a favor and make some notes about time, temperature, rub, type of wood you used. That way, if you like it you can replicate it next time.

Have fun!.
Zlaneb

 

what kind of smoker.cooker? How often do you use it and do you know its little quirks, every smoker has them.

I would trim the edges a little more, square that slab of meat up. That's just me. Also make a cut on the corner of the flat where you will take your finished slices from, across the grain, once that bark is on, it can be difficult to tell.

You can apply your rub and let set over night, or a few hours before or right before, your call on that. I tend to do my prep work the nigt before.

If possible aim for a smoker temp of 250, give or take. With that full packer plan on 12-14 hour cook.

Let me meat come to almost room temp before you place it on the smoker.

Are you planning to wrap or going to let it ride?

As stated that slab of goodness will stall, normally I see the stall around 170-180. That's when I wrap.

I normally use foil to wrap but you can use paper as well, butchers paper.

After wrapping I aim for a temp f 200.

After the temp is reached rest that slab o goodness. You don't have to place it in a cooler, I have but only if serving was hours away vs an hour away. That rest needs to be at least one hour.

Now the flat is for sandwiches that point, well now that's where you get burn ends from,,,,hmmmmmm burnt end sandwiches or mixed with beans, damnit man....

Heres a few pics of a cook I did awhile back...

I separated the point an flat before cooking, that way both had a solid coat of bark, god its all about the bark, sliced and then cubed for burnt ends...

Good luck, let us know how it goes.

 

It's cool that you recognized it. My daughter sold Cutco right after high school. My main set of kitchen knives are Gerber but we have a few Cutcos that I love, including a fillet knife and pruning shears.

Appreciate the tips. Good idea on the notes, both for the reason you said and if I botch it I'll know what not to do next time.
I've got this thermometer:

http://www.thermoworks.com/Smoke

Requested it for Christmas. Actually left the web page open on the computer and let my wife order it.

 

I've got a Master Built electric that I've had a few years. Yeah, I know, cheating. But I prefer the consistency and convenience. Getting the Smoke thermometer really helped with the quirks. The built in digital reads low, explains my struggle with pork butts early on. I believe you said on another thread that wrapping is the Texas crutch. I know smoking is supposed to be slow, but if wrapping speeds it up a bit without compromising quality then I'll wrap it when I notice the temperature stall. Likewise, I've always done butts and ribs the night before, so based on info here I'll do the same.

I didn't think about separating it. Going to do that now.

If all goes well I'll be asking for your recipe for burnt ends and beans.

 

Can not help you with the brisket. Bought a pork shoulder roast today at Aldi’s for $1.49 a pound. Turned out very delicious after six hours in the BGE. Good luck. D

 

Are those some jalapenos that I see in the rub?

 

Separated, rubbed and put away until morning. I used Plowboys Bovine Bold for the rub, recommended by one of the butchers.

 

Coated in mustard first, nice..

Your cook will go a little faster as well with that brisket separated.

For burnt ends, after the point is done, I cube it into 1in cubes then place in a foil pan and cover with my favorite bbq sauce, the cover with foil and back on the smoker or into a 250 degree oven for an hour. Then I add them to my pot of pintos or make a sandwich.

 

That's a pretty hot oven!?!?
Do you take the point out first since it's thinner?

 

LOL 250 degrees

Nope they both should finish around the same time

 

I figured. Couldn't resist

 

Mmmmmm...brisket . I'll have to settle for porketta tomorrow but...HERE WE GO STEELERS!!!

 

Well all this talk about brisket made me want some so I picked up a 5lb trimmed flat today, will cook on Thursday my next day off. I am still working my old hours for at least one more week before I change positions at work. Cant wait for long weekend cooks to start

 

now I'm starving. I need to quit reading threads like this...




Guess I should learn to smoke and grill....and maybe purchase them too

 

You do not have to spend a ton of money to get started. Pick up a 22in weber kettle grill, a double pack of kingsford charcoal, some wood chunks, I refer apple, a chimney starter and chunk of meat, pork butt will be the easiest.

 

thanks

 

Great timing for brisket question. I plan to smoke my first Brisket in the Morning!!!

 

I put a small one in this morning about 830. I like the master built electric. Way less labor intensive. I'm using apple wood chips and I spritz it w apple juice every hour.
Got the crock pot full of beans, gonna start them in an hour, throw half a lb of cooked bacon w the fat of course, a little liquid smoke, some onion, tomato and cilantro at the end.
Mmm

 

Nice! in drooling over here...specially after eating my lean ground beef and broccoli for lunch

 

Nothing wrong with the master built electric smokers. I say use what you know and works for you. I currently run a weber smoky mountain and a 22in weber performer. Crank out some kick ass BBQ, as well as grill some mean steaks, burgers, brats etc, and use it to roast yard bird.

 

I've got the Webber kettle grill and love it for grilling. I also have a brinkman r2d2 looking smoker. It works pretty good but is labor intensive. You really had to stay on top of it for the correct heat range. THEN I discovered electric, wow, super convenient and easy.
Granted, the other one was a perfect excuse to hang out n drink beers while "babysitting" the smoker. But it's generally really hot here. It's supposed to be 96 today.
I have the cold smoke attachment for cheese and it's pretty good, I can only use it about a month out of the year when it's cool enough.

 

That Weber kettle makes a great smoker. I can run mine on a single chimney for about 8 hours before I need to add fuel after I get my vents set.

 

Certainly not the football result I wanted. But Philly kept my wife in our survivor pool. On the meat front, so far, so good. It only took about 8 hours to come to 200F which kind of surprised me, so I wrapped it and put it in a cooler to sit until the game was over. Going to do red beans and rice and sauteed spinach.

 

Looks pretty darn good to me.