brisket question??

[frankloco]

Hey guys gunna smoke my first brisket this Sunday and had some questions. First off I'm planning on buying just a flat at Costco around the 5 to 6 pound range, I was thinking of injecting it with no sodium beef broth and rubbing it with salt, cracked black pepper, and ground black pepper. I'm going to set my smoker LOW around 180 and smoke untill internal temp of 140, I'm going to remove and wrap in foil with some beef broth and back on the smoker until 203 internal temp, I'm going to place in a cooler for another 2 hours then dig in! Any pointers?

 

[chef jimmyj]

If Injecting the minimum smoking temp is 225°F. Going lower increases the risk of Bacterial growth in the interior. Also an IT above 200 usually gives probe tender brisket. Wrapping and going in a cooler for a couple of hours may result in fall apart Pulled Beef. It probably won't slice...JJ

 

[frankloco]

Do you recommend injecting?

 

[chef jimmyj]

Injecting is fine but because you may be pushing surface Bacteria into the center with each stick, smoking at less than 225 is not recommended...JJ

 

[phatbac]

I don't inject my brisket. I smoke on the smoker until the IT is about 202 or so depending on feel ( that probe test really works). I keep my smoker between 250-275 degrees. with my smoker i don't wrap but you may wanna wrap with foil on your smoker after about 160 degrees of cooking. make sure if you are going to slice slice across the grain of the meat. a trick i have learned was take the flat before you cook and slice and angled piece across the grain before cooking ( doesn't have to be a big piece) so when its cooked and you have a crust on it you can still tell the way you should slice it.

good luck with your cook

Happy Smoking,

phatbac (Aaron)

 

[SmokinAl]

I'm in the minority here, but I smoke brisket in a pan, sitting in it's own juices. I also put the trimmed fat on a rack above the brisket so as it renders it drips on the brisket.

Good luck!

Al

 

[jetsknicks1]

I'm in the minority here, but I smoke brisket in a pan, sitting in it's own juices. I also put the trimmed fat on a rack above the brisket so as it renders it drips on the brisket.

Good luck!

Al

I like the fat idea and I do that with double smoked ham (thanks Bear), how does that affect the bark Al?

 

[mummel]

So 203F IT its like pulled pork?  What IT in order to slice it yet still have it water in your mouth juicy (like roast beef etc).

 

[mummel]

Also, do you guys trim the cap?

 

[chef jimmyj]

 
So 203F IT its like pulled pork?  What IT in order to slice it yet still have it water in your mouth juicy (like roast beef etc).

Usually an IT in the 190's is a good temp for slicing. Probe tender but not splitting apart...

 
Also, do you guys trim the cap?

That is up to you. If you don't mind eating some fat on beef leave it or trim to 1/4". If you like the beef lean, you get more bark trimming the fat completely...JJ

 

[SmokinAl]

I like the fat idea and I do that with double smoked ham (thanks Bear), how does that affect the bark Al?

 Actually Bear learned the fat on the rack idea from me several years ago!

It keeps the bark moist & thick.

Al

 

[jetsknicks1]

 Actually Bear learned the fat on the rack idea from me several years ago!

It keeps the bark moist & thick.

Al

Lol, I love how folks here are so willing to share. Thanks for the answer Al.

 

[dirtsailor2003]

All good points. I like to suggest that new brisket smokers give this thread a read:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...ood-sliced-brisket-defies-conventional-wisdom

We dont do brisket that often anymore. We are fortunate enough to have a good supply of tri tip in our area and we prefer it to brisket. So that's what we do instead.