brisket questions

[huskerfan1414]

Hello all, I've read up on smoking brisket and am going to try my hand at it with a friend this weekend.  A few questions:

First, I plan on foiling at 170 and putting it back in until it reaches 195ish.  This might sound dumb...but how do you foil it?  Do you take it completely out of the smoker and take the thermal probe out, too, then stick the probe back in through the foil?  In the same spot or does it matter?  And how much foil do you all use when you wrap it?

Also, should I "mop" or spray the brisket and if so, with what?  Apple juice?  And how often?

Thanks to all who reply.

 

[crankybuzzard]

Sounds good for the pull and foil temp.

To foil:

Lay down a LONG piece of aluminum foil on a table, bench, or what ever and make sure the wind doesn't blow it away just when you need to set the brisket on it.

Place the brisket on the foil, spritz if you want to, and wrap it up.  I do a double wrap on mine if I foil just to make sure I don't lose the juice if I scoot it wrong on the grate and make a small tear.

Place the now foiled brisket back into the pit and place the temp probe through the foil and into the thickest portion of the brisket.  Try and center it like you normally would.

Once you hit your target temp, remove the brisket from the smoker, keep iot in the foil and place the foiled brisket into an empty cooler and place a couple of folded towels over the top of it.  Close the lid and let it "rest" for at least an hour.

Remove from the cooler, CAREFULLY open the foil, there will be a lot of juice, CAREFULLY remove the brisket to a cutting board, and slice across the grain.

Enjoy!

Charlie

 

[bwarbiany]

I like to buy the extra-wide foil (18") from Costco as well. I pull two sheets 12" or so LONGER than the length of the brisket, and lay them down on top of each other.

I then lay the brisket on lengthwise, fold up the ends of the first piece of foil, then wrap the width of the foil around the top of the brisket. The benefit of the extra-wide foil is that it should reach all the way around the brisket. I then do the same with the second piece.

I like to do this with the probe still in, if I can. I just make sure to try to wrap the foil in such a way that it does a decent job sealing up the probe. If I can't do it with the probe in, though, I'll just stick it through the foil as mentioned. No real issue whether it goes into the same spot or not, but you want it to go into the thickest part of the flat...

 

[duffman]

I do like bwarbiany

. I keep a roll of large foil and plastic wrap from Sams in my grill station for smoking. They are extra wide and come in really handy with large pieces of meat.

 

[little smokey]

Why foil it?  If it is your first, go with what ever makes life easy for you and make you comfortable but I tried with foil then later without foil.  i will never foil a brisky again and after changing to just 50/50 salt and pepper for the rub I will never use another rub for BRisky again either and the wife has told me no experimenting cause she loves it as is.

There is a lot of Nebraska in this post so where are you located in NE and how about you also DUFFMAN?

Since we are going into the 40's this weekend I think I am am doing a flat myself to celebrate the Coming out of the freezer weather.

 

[duffman]

I'm in Lincoln Smokey. I also completely agree with you on not foiling. I like the bark my rub produces on my brisket with out foiling. I will have to give the 50/50 salt and pepper rub a try on my brisket this spring. We are busy Saturday or else I would have the new WSM I got for Christmas out on the patio with some chicken init to get it seasoned up.

 

[superdave]

As a first try, foiling makes it very difficult to screw up and dry out an already very tough piece of meat.  I use a foil pan after it has reached foiling temp with added liquid from my leftover injection mix.

rn7c.jpg

• superdave
• Dec 16, 2013

 

[crankybuzzard]

No real issue whether it goes into the same spot or not, but you want it to go into the thickest part of the flat...

Thanks bwarbiany!

The way I wrote it would have had folks putting the probe in the fat line between the point and flat!  OOPS!  

Charlie

 

[huskerfan1414]

Thanks all.  I'm from West Point.  Nice to see so many Nebraskans!  Although we're all good meat-lovin Americans.  

As far as smokey's question to foiling, I just thought that's what everyone did.  I also had another suggestion telling me not to.  I dunno...I think I will at least the first time just be sure I don't dry it out as mentioned by SuperDave.

Thanks again for all the answers.