First brisket

[thesmokindogs]

I bit the bullet Friday and bought a 12.7 lb brisket at Restaurant Depot for $2.71/lb.

As with everything else, I did a lot of reading first and hope I got it mostly right.

20170801_164617.jpg

• thesmokindogs
• Aug 1, 2017

I might have gotten a little overzealous trimming the fat cap but my wife, who learned brisket from South Texas firefighters, and my buddy in Louisiana, who gave me my first little smoker, both said it looks good.

20170801_170745.jpg

• thesmokindogs
• Aug 1, 2017

I separated the point and flat and, if I did it right, was surprised at how small the point was compared to the flat but I'll take it. The flat thickness seems to be pretty uniform so I'll score it as "Close Enough for Guv'mint weck".

20170801_171309.jpg

• thesmokindogs
• Aug 1, 2017

Once again I'm using Jeff's Texas style Rub. I made a double batch but I might have to make another on the fly. I tried Worcestershire sauce as a binder rather than mustard. I'm letting it rest before I flip it over to rub the bottom.

20170801_172716.jpg

• thesmokindogs
• Aug 1, 2017

Going to let it sit overnight on ice and f'ar up the smoker in the morning. I'm mostly off tomorrow so I can keep an eye on it for most of the cooking. (Wife says I'm off 24/7 [emoji]128513[/emoji])

One question I have is about the wood. I'm contemplating a mix of hickory and mesquite or should I just go with mesquite? Thanks for any advice!

I'll post more pics as it cooks.

 

[SmokinAl]

It looks like a good start!

I think I would stick with hickory, it's going to be a long smoke & the mesquite may be too overpowering.

Al

 

[thesmokindogs]

Thanks!

 

[bonedadddy]

Yep I agree with SmokinAI, for a long smoke the mesquite might be too much. And don't fear the plateau! when it hits 160 degrees and sits there for what seems like an eternity! just let her figure herself out! that's when all the magic starts to happen :-) Good luck and look forward to some QView!

 

[thesmokindogs]

Yep I agree with SmokinAI, for a long smoke the mesquite might be too much. And don't fear the plateau! when it hits 160 degrees and sits there for what seems like an eternity! just let her figure herself out! that's when all the magic starts to happen :-) Good luck and look forward to some QView!

Thanks! I learned my lesson about the plateau/stall on my 2nd pork shoulder. It hit 149° at 5:30 pm and didn't budge again until after midnight! Patience is definitely a virtue when smoking meat!

Here's 2 hours in

20170802_140014.jpg

• thesmokindogs
• Aug 2, 2017

7.5 hours

20170802_181821.jpg

• thesmokindogs
• Aug 2, 2017

The flat's still only at about 145° but the point, which I thought was pretty small, is at 165°. Looks like a nice bark is forming.

I'm about done with the smoke. I went with straight hickory as advised. My wife is a little miffed that I didn't use any mesquite. She learned BBQ in Texas so she's biased! I seriously thought about it but my last three meats have had mesquite so I thought a change would be good.

 

[thesmokindogs]

20170802_223705.jpg

• thesmokindogs
• Aug 2, 2017

The point was pretty much done at 10 hours. I panicked a little because the thicker section was only at 180° but the thinner edge was over 200 so I pulled it, wrapped it in heavy duty foil, then stuck it in a small cooler with a couple of thick towels for about 90 minutes before I sliced it.

20170802_224334.jpg

• thesmokindogs
• Aug 2, 2017

Boy howdy! 3 words: Who needs sauce?!?

When I was applying the rub I thought I was going to run short but I actually had a half cup left over. So I went ahead and threw it on.

I'm really glad I cut the black and cayenne peppers by a good bit. Forgot we are out of peppercorns so I had to use regular pepper. I cut it down to about 3/16 cup for a double. I also cut the cayenne to .5 tsp for the double batch. I didn't reduce the chili powder though and that may be where what heat there is is coming from.

Only sliced half of the point. My wife approves! She's really impressed with Jeff's rub. You get a cascade of sweet followed by just enough heat. Incredible flavor!

The flat still has a couple of hours yet.

 

[88rxna]

That's the part I get confused about..
The edge is 200, the center is 180.
So when we start probing for tenderness, do we ride it out until the center of the thickest part is probe tender? At what point do we pull the meat out of the heat? Im worried about the edges drying out.

 

[thesmokindogs]

That's the part I get confused about..
The edge is 200, the center is 180.
So when we start probing for tenderness, do we ride it out until the center of the thickest part is probe tender? At what point do we pull the meat out of the heat? Im worried about the edges drying out.

That was my quandary, too. My thoughts were to try to preserve as much of the meat as possible. Don't know if that's the general practice but it seemed to work out OK.

I wrapped it up tightly in heavy duty foil then in a heavy towel and let it rest in a cooler for about 90 minutes.

I will admit when I tried it I would have liked it a little more tender but overall it came out very tasty.

 

[88rxna]

It looks amazing!
Nice job!

 

[hooked on smoke]

Looks pretty good to me. Good job.
I'm now motivated to try my 2nd brisket. My first attempt was a debacle but I managed to save it. Now that I have the akorn dialed in I look forward to round 2. Thanks for the share and inspiration.
Happy smoking.

 

[lazarusman]

I'll be doing my 3rd brisket this coming week for a work part. I use Franklin's rub idea, just a Dalmatian rub. Just coarse salt and pepper. Photos to follow.