Brisket in a Pan??

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dmess8541

Newbie
Original poster
Jan 17, 2012
22
15
PA
I have read threads for the last 1.5 hrs and can't find the answer.  DO I PUT THE BRISKET IN AN ALUMINUM PAN? If not, am I leaving it in the smoker on a rack by itself? 

Won't the juices dripping out of it make it dry?

Any help is greatly appreciated.  I have friends coming over tomorrow and its my first brisket......
 
The briskets I have done have been without a tray,you can put one below to catch the drippings to make gravy. low and slow and it will be juicy,
 
If this is your first brisket then I would do the following:

1) Night before rub the brisket with worshteshire-rire-y, worshty... yeat that sauce! then put your rub on the brisket. Keep it simple - salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika work well. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it get happy.

2) Fire up your smoker, bring it up to 210-220° and toss in your brisket. Place a foil pan with 1 bottle of good beer in it under the brisket.

... now comes the hard part!

3) Leave it alone! Don't peak, don't poke, just leave it be untill the internal temp. gets to 165°.

4) At 165°'ish take the brisket and put it in the pan with the drippings and cover it tightly with foil.

.... 2nd hard part - you guessed it, leave it alone!

5) Wait for the internal temp. to get between 190° and 205° (190 for slicing 205 for pulled/shredded).

.... Don't try to rush it! Don't turn up the temp on the smoker! Don't pull it early!

6) Pull it out of the smoker, double wrap it in heavy foil, then place it in a dry towel lined cooler and cover it with more towels..... and the really hard part - wait for 1 hr.!

7) Open it up and enjoy the best dang brisket you ever had!

Suggestion: while the brisket is resting take the juices from the pan and the juices from the foil and put them in a small container and toss it in the freezer till the fat sets up. Pull the fat off and re-heat the juices to spoon over the brisket as a finishing sauce.
 
Do that Brisket low 200-225*F fat side up on a rack with a pan containing an assortment of Veg below to catch the drippings and make your Au Jus. Take it to the point that a tooth pick or Therm Probe can be inserted with little pressure. This will be in the neighborhood of 190-195*F then Rest it at least 30 minutes. If you plan on 2 hours per pound cook time you should be in the right ball park. I found it is always better to be done early then late. This recipe is popular around here...JJ

Smokey Au Jus

1- Lg Onion,

4-5 Carrots,

3-4 Ribs Celery

3-4 Peeled Cloves of Garlic

Toss them in a pan under the Beef, and let the whole deal Smoke for one hour,

THEN add 4-6 Cups Beef Broth,

2 Tbs Tomato Paste,

1/2tsp Dry Thyme (4-5 sprigs Fresh)

1-2 ea Bayleaf

Finish the Smoking process to the IT you want.

While the Roast is resting, dump the pan juices veggies and all into a 2-3Qt Sauce pot and add 1Cup Red Wine, something you like to drink, and bring the Jus to a boil, lower the heat and simmer 20-30 minutes. Strain out the veggies and let the Jus rest a minute or so for the Fat to rise. Skim off the bulk of the fat then using strips of paper towel laid on top of the Jus then quickly removed, take off the last little bit of fat.

The purpose of Smoking the Vegetable for 1 hour before adding the Broth and Herbs is...The Smoked vegetables Roast in the Dry heat concentrating their Flavors and Sweetness giving the finished Jus a Richer, Deeper, Full Flavor.

Serve the sliced Beef Au Jus or thicken the Jus to make Gravy.
 
Rodriguez-that was the most detailed, simple instructions I have found on here.  You answered all my questions-even the ones I didn't ask!  Thanks a bunch.

Dave
 
Rodriquez - I'm trying to conqure brisket and you seem to know whats going on. This post is from a while ago so before I start typing I want to make sure you're still using this forum.
 
bsams, don't be afraid of the briskets, I waited awhile before attempting my first one and it went pretty well. Just make sure you allow enough time to cook AND rest. Then decide if slicing or pulling and let it go to your desired IT.

I've found on the couple I've done that while it was good the same day, it was tremendous the next day! I even chopped up leftovers and put in salad - you should have seen how fast that salad went.

Don't get me wrong, briskets can go terribly wrong - just stick to the basics and you will be fine.
 
@ameskimo1, thx for linking the franklin vids, i didn't know anything about him and i'll tell you, it;s a nice feeling not knowing how much ur doin right and then see an accomplished pitmaster is doin the same things i am, or vice versa. i like this guys style, attitude and bbq philosophy, i tell my customers a lot of the same things, just relax, think about what ur doin and carefully and thoughtfully execute, thx again man.
 
 
If this is your first brisket then I would do the following:

1) Night before rub the brisket with worshteshire-rire-y, worshty... yeat that sauce! then put your rub on the brisket. Keep it simple - salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika work well. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it get happy.

2) Fire up your smoker, bring it up to 210-220° and toss in your brisket. Place a foil pan with 1 bottle of good beer in it under the brisket.

... now comes the hard part!

3) Leave it alone! Don't peak, don't poke, just leave it be untill the internal temp. gets to 165°.

4) At 165°'ish take the brisket and put it in the pan with the drippings and cover it tightly with foil.

.... 2nd hard part - you guessed it, leave it alone!

5) Wait for the internal temp. to get between 190° and 205° (190 for slicing 205 for pulled/shredded).

.... Don't try to rush it! Don't turn up the temp on the smoker! Don't pull it early!

6) Pull it out of the smoker, double wrap it in heavy foil, then place it in a dry towel lined cooler and cover it with more towels..... and the really hard part - wait for 1 hr.!

7) Open it up and enjoy the best dang brisket you ever had!

Suggestion: while the brisket is resting take the juices from the pan and the juices from the foil and put them in a small container and toss it in the freezer till the fat sets up. Pull the fat off and re-heat the juices to spoon over the brisket as a finishing sauce.
I have done them this way minus the beer with incredible results, especially if the brisky is on the lean side.

I like to get the fat off the drippings, then add some brewed coffee to the Au jus, thicken it a bit and enjoy over mashed taters or even the meat leftovers.  If you don't have much in the way of drippings, add some water and beef base along with the coffee
 
S24, glad to help and yes, nice to see when I'm doing some of the same things the pro's are. Had never heard of Franklin myself until about 2 years ago when I was in Austin for work. One of our guys seen him on one of the tv shows so we stood in line. While I've tried and had success with several rub combinations and Dr Pepper, Captain Morgan, orange & apple juice with various fruit woods, its his 'Central Texas' style that has become my preference - although I call it my Yankee Central Texas Style - I use onion powder & dried garlic with my S&P and toss some fruit wood over Oak, Hickory, or Mesquite. Just something about that hardwood and simple rub that does so well with smoke.
 
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