Basic Brisket Smoke

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What do you mean stop and start again ?   The Brisket  if so Why ?

Gary
 
At 160 you still have a long way to go. It could take another 3hrs if you wrap it or much longer if you don't. There could be a stall in around 160-170. Also once you get it to finish temp 190-210 you should wrap it and throw it in a cooler for a couple hours. Depends on your dinner plans but for a 5lb brisket you are probably right on course.
 
I'm new to smoking and have one of those Masterbuilt electrics. Anyone have any tips for a brisket (this may have been discussed already but I didn't read the whole thread)?

I don't want to do anything fancy, I was just going to try salt and pepper and wrap in foil and blankets when I'm done. But I'm more just wondering about the temperature and time.
 
Thanks for sharing this. May I ask what the purpose is for the Apple juice spray? Is it to keep the brisket moist or more about flavor?

Cheers
 
 
I'm new to smoking and have one of those Masterbuilt electrics. Anyone have any tips for a brisket (this may have been discussed already but I didn't read the whole thread)?

I don't want to do anything fancy, I was just going to try salt and pepper and wrap in foil and blankets when I'm done. But I'm more just wondering about the temperature and time.
i have had a masterbuilt 40'' for 1+years... what I have noticed with beef and pork is u don't get that nice bark ... we normally smoke at 225/230.. its also tough to get em up to temp... the last brisket we did was a bit tough when taken out at 185/190... if we let it go to 200/205, I fear we would have had a piece of shoe leather...

I see aaron franklin smoke a brisket for 12hrs, take it out and it pulls apart... how the heck does he do it???... I've even tried injecting the meat... that's not the answer either
 
 
i have had a masterbuilt 40'' for 1+years... what I have noticed with beef and pork is u don't get that nice bark ... we normally smoke at 225/230.. its also tough to get em up to temp... the last brisket we did was a bit tough when taken out at 185/190... if we let it go to 200/205, I fear we would have had a piece of shoe leather...

I see aaron franklin smoke a brisket for 12hrs, take it out and it pulls apart... how the heck does he do it???... I've even tried injecting the meat... that's not the answer either
How does Franklin (and others) do it?  They cook the brisket long enough so that it is tender!!!  If your brisket was tough, you didn't cook it long enough.
 
Just curious how hard it qould be to smoke a 15lb brisket on my 4 burner gas grill?
Would be kind of difficult as you would most likely be doing a direct heat cook with the meat only about 4 to 5 inches from the burners.  Now, if you could figure out a way to elevate the brisket and also put a pan or something between it and the burners to act as a heat deflector, it could work.
 
I was only going use one burner, the tray between the meat and burners is a good idea
Gotcha.  Didn't know how wide/big your 4 burner was.   Short version is that you want to do whatever you can to minimize direct/radiant heat.    Say that your grill is 36 inches wide and the brisket is 24 inches.   The burner tube on the end might be 6 inches in which puts it 6 inches or so away from one end of the brisket.   I'd lift the grate and lay a brick or two (on their side) between the burner and the edge of the brisket to act as a heat shield.   If that isn't feasible, get creative with some aluminum foil to create a barrier.  
 
Think I'm going to stop smoking so much dang Salmon and do a brisket.  Don't tell my fishing buddies.    Have learned a lot from this thread, just need to go brisket shopping.
 
 
Think I'm going to stop smoking so much dang Salmon and do a brisket.  Don't tell my fishing buddies.    Have learned a lot from this thread, just need to go brisket shopping.
The only reason I don't mind you doing that, is because I can always go to your old posts when I need to View some Awesome Smoked Salmon!!!
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Bear
 

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I'm new here and this is my second brisket ever. I have spent some time in Texas on layovers and learned that nobody makes brisket like they do. Texas brisket is the best! This one turned out very well, as you can see I added bacon in the last hour or so, that's my idea. I smoked it open with mesquite the entire 7 hours with only a small amount of hickory at the end because I ran out of mesquite. This is 9.23 lb Angus choice I got from a butcher shop. Brought some by for the guys there who gave me their approval. They all loved it. I have not wrapped either of my briskets and both have been very good. 
 
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Hello,

I`d like to share my Brisket experience with the forum.

BTW,

I live in Homestead Florida.

I am not a expert by no means but I do, have a cheat, my Traeger Texas Elite &

It keeps a steady temp.

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When I get my Brisket home I 1st trim it as best I can, then I do something most people don`t do I remove the point from the flat,

(I do this for the purpose of making burnt ends at the end of the cook. All I have`ta do is flip`em over cut side up then add some barbecue rub, au jus & barbecue sauce to make my burnt ends. Usually cook`em for 1 extra hour.)

Next I place both pieces back together in a big aluminum pan then I inject it all with some beef stock then I rub on some salt, pepper, & garlic then some barbecue rub without salt in it.

Then I wrap up the pan with some aluminum foil & place it in the fridge for at least 6 hours.

After 6 hours in the fridge I fire up my Traeger at 250 degrees unwrap my Brisket & place the Brisket in the pan in the smoker.

I`ll cook the Brisket for 10 1/2 to 11 hours trying to get to 205 internal temp.

Also, this is important about every 2 hours or so I baste my brisket with a turkey baster with the au jus that's in the pan in order to keep it from drying out.

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I use a digital thermometer to make sure I get to 205 internal temp.

When I reach 205 internal I`ll take the brisket in the house & flip over the point & flat in the pan & add rub, au jus & some barbecue sauce for my burnt ends.

I`ll cook`em for at least a hour or 2 but no more than 2 hours.

After my burnt ends are done I`ll take the brisket back in the house & wrap it in aluminum foil tightly then I get a beach towel & wrap it all up & let it rest for at least 4 hours.

After a 4 hour rest I cut & serve it up.

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I am hopelessly hooked on my smoker.
 
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I must say this place rocks! I've only smoked 2 briskets in my offset but both turned out amazing. That is due to the details everyone shares which enable a relative noob to make some fine tasting meat. I set the bar pretty high in regards to what I turn out. So far the 2 were good. As with anything you just have to jump in and do it to learn where the alligators are hiding. What I ran into or where I got confused was meat temp. While cooking a whole 17 lb packer in my offset I couldn't decide what temp it was at.I'll explain. I use a igrill2 thermometer which has been checked in boiling water. The probes have just a couple of smokes on them.  I know the tooth pick test trumps temp. I know somewhere around 195-205 is where I will probably achieve the tender brisket we desire. My confusion was where do you suggest I test temp. I found the point was at 198-200. It poke tested great. I poked the flat and it felt tighter. Not "warm butter on the counter" resistance to the skewer. So I put the temp probe in it there and it was 185-188. What the hell? I figured the entire piece would be at the same temp. Is it possible for the denser flat which is more muscle and less marbled than the point to run slightly cooler? What further clouded the issue was I used a kabob skewer which is obviously longer than I should be using. But it went into the point like hot butter however far I inserted it. The flat? Not so soft. The meat was plenty tender and the slices pulled apart like I've seen demonstrated in videos. It didn't fall apart either. My concern was the flat seemed to me to be dryer that the point raising the idea that I overcooked it (was on 15 hours which is right in line with what you guys say) and dried it out. I wrapped the brisket in butcher paper at 6 hours and kept it wrapped till sliced. It was toweled and coolered to rest for 4 hours.

   Everyone who sampled it loved it. It was better than most brisket you get at a lot of  bbq joints. (Of course I'm not cooking many briskets ahead of time and keeping them around all day till someone comes in to order it) I just feel that I have more to learn. Since I've only smoked 2 ever I know that I'll get better with practice. I just need some advice on probe placement and judging where to attempt my poke testing. Maybe use foil or tray it until I get the hang of it better. I know some are completely opposed to the "Texas crutch" as there are many who believe in it. Once again, thanks for giving me the skills to do this. It's very fun and a great hobby!
 
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I have a flip up lid on my firebox w/ a grate under it. It's just the right size to accomodate a brisket. I sear the meat over a hot flame on all sides, not just the fat side, all sides and ends too.


We smoke flat in a foil pan fat side up for 2 hrs. flip& smoke for 1 hour, flip back and finish w/ a foil cover tight on the pan. Usually another 4 or 5 hours.
Hello SmokyOkie
Read this post yesterday while looking to smoke a roast. Used the foil pan method and it worked great thanks!!
View media item 447598Got busy yesterday with other stuff and so we only got a chance to flip it once.
I know this is about brisket but just wanted to thank you for the post. Then we put the roast in the slow cooker after the smoker (pulled at 180 IT) it was goood...
I know I will be applying this method when I do a brisket
 
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