First brisket noob questions

[powersmokin]

So my HS graduation is coming up, and theres gonna be around 15 people there. I wanted to do some smoking for them, and i was going to do ribs and a brisket. with the usual hot dogs, hamburgers, ETC.

The only thing is... IVE NEVER DONE A BRISKET and i have NO idea how to...

I watched jeffs video. But as usual, they are somewhat vague.

So what will i use as a marinade? any tried and trued recipes (most rubs/marinades are regional)?

wrapped the whole time? i think ill use a pan to keep it from drying out...

Any tips, or this is what i do to the T's would be GREATLY appreciated..


Also, general question. When i smoke my ribs, and especially my tri tip. They taste good when i make them, but when i refrigerate them and reheat them they taste WAYYY too smokey. like where you might as well gnaw on wood. am i adding too much wood?

 

[dribron]

I have never used a marinade but always use a dry rub that I apply liberally a few hours ahead, even over night, hen re-apply right before smoking. I smoke it at around 200-220 untill the temp reaches 160-165 then wrape in foil, usally two or three sheets. Return the brisket to the smoker at 200-220 untill the temp reaches 190-195. It is them pulled from smoker, wrapped in a towel and placed in a cooler/fridge for a few hours. That rest time allows the juices to spread threwout the brisket, if you skip on that step, and cut into it too soon, you will very likley end up with a very dry but tender brisket..... Good Luck, and Congrats!!

 

[caveman]

As with Dribron, I have not marinated a brisky either. I normally rub & wrap in saran wrap the night before the smoke. The day of the smoke, re-rub for smoke good bark then smoke. Don't even look at it for a couple of hours if you're smoking low & slow. You can spritz if you like afterwards, like once an hour but IMHO, that does me no good. Just a waste of my heat by opening the smoke chamber. Stick your thermo in after a couple of hours, maybe three or four, then follow what Dribron said. Brisky should be nice & tender after a couple hours of rest. Good luck.

 

[adiochiro3]

not much to it; just make sure the side with the fat is up (if you have one) to keep it moist, juicy & flavorful. I did a lean brisket last summer that didn't have enough fat, so I threw 3-4 slices of bacon right over the top. Turned out perfect.

 

[wingman]

Here's a step by step video I have done on a brisket smoke. I like to skip brining. I apply rub and spices the night before and wrap it. The next morning I inject them with Au-Jus to keep them moist and on to the smoker.

Video -

 

[mythmaster]

And here is yet another take on the old brisket:

I marinate mine overnight then rub it:

Brisket Marinade

1 1/2 cups red wine
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons black pepper

Brisket Rub

1/2 cup paprika
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons oregano

Then, I'll smoke it at 250* with mesquite for 3 hours directly on the grate then foil it for another 2 hours or so until it reaches temp (185-205).

This "hot and fast" method works very well for me. The brisket has a good bark and is very juicy. This is with a "trimmed" brisket, BTW, not a packer's cut.

 

[indyadmin1974]

The important thing with a brisket is to not be intimidated by it.

Treat it like any other piece of meat you're going to put in the smoker. You can do the marinades, brines, etc., but I find if I'm doing something new in the smoker, I like the KISS method.

I've done a few briskets and only used Jeff's rub. Each one turned out great...even the one that was a corned brisket that I didn't realize until I was done!

Don't sweat it. Just like pork shoulders, give yourself plenty of time and use a tested digital thermometer to make sure you cook to temp, not time.

 

[diesel]

The thing about briskett is that it is beef. I always cook an extra for picking at. You can eat beef at any temp (Rare on up..) I have cooked it to med rare before and also have cooked it for 12 hours. I do like mythmaster's way of cooking it. I try and marinade the briskett if I have time. But with the smoke and time it will be good.
So.. pretty much everything that has been said so far will work.. You have to try it several ways until you find the one you like.
Good luck!

 

[powersmokin]

Looks like ill be buying some baby briskets to practice on. I think ill do 3 at a time. One with one rub, one with another, and one marinated and in a pan..

Any input on the reheated smokyness?

 

[ddave]

Lots of good info in the Beef Sticky section of the forum.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...play.php?f=180

Good luck. They're not as difficult as a lot of people think.

Dave

 

[oldschoolbbq]

So here's yet another way to do Brisket! I tend to follow my Texas roots and season with Coarse Salt ,Cracked Blackpepper and maybe a little Garlic Power.Period!No brine, no rub with a lot of spices;Just something to enhance the BEEF flavor(thus S/P).
Now a lot of the guys swear by brines ,but except for a "few" things,I never brine.
But,that's just MHO!

 

[1ribshort]

Sorry, forgot to add the quote....see below!

 

[1ribshort]

I'm fairly new also but have found that mesquite gives you a really smokey flavor. I did some ribs with mesquite and found it too smokey for me. The next time I used apple and cherry chips with only 5 or 6 fist size chunks of mesquite and it really turned out good.

 

[powersmokin]

I'm usiing pecan. Apparently a very mild wood. Ill use mesquite for the brisket though. But sparingly. I'm not so sure about using jeffs rub on this. It seems like that's what he uses but I think the flavor won't match well. Some sea salt with oil and cracked pepper... but safeway hasb this ultimate rub, although salty. It tastes goog if used sparingly.

 

[ddave]

Well, I don't have any Texas roots, but that's the way I do mine as well. Except I add a little onion powder as well.

And it got rave reviews from a coworker who is from Texas.

Dave

 

[powersmokin]

guess ill try the texas method too.

 

[rbranstner]

Practice, Practice and see what you like best.

 

[powersmokin]

What should i mop with and would the rib bub recipe work ok for the rub?