LET'S TALK BRISKET!!

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You can always smoke a whole brisket, cut it in half or thirds and freeze them for later on. I always freeze me a chunk.

Gary
 
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Hello Randolph.  This is why I started this thread.  Many of us smoke a brisket with NO problems at all.  BUT!  There are also as many who have tried and tried with disappointing results.  If you read through the posts here you will see we have the basic same method.  I thought maybe it was a particular type of smoker but I have now learned that folks are making good brisket using a variety of different smokers.  So that is not it.  Also the quality of beef they are buying.  But folks are buying brisket from many different places.  I have come to believe that folks having trouble are not posting EVERYTHING they are doing.  They are leaving out something they think is unimportant when they post their method.  Some "minor" little detail.  I also think PATIENCE pays a role.  Maybe it's a "minor" detail we are leaving out of our advice.  Something we just take for granted you know.  You have received GREAT advice from folks.  I wish someone would smoke a brisket that doesn't turn out well and post a "novel" of step by step including grams of rub, grams of salt, sauce, foiled or no foil etc., etc..  Maybe just try a brisket with only salt and pepper.  Don't worry about bark.  I am in the no bark school for brisket anyway.  Just make ONE tender and juicy brisket.  Start with that and "tweek" it.  Keep Smokin!

Danny
 
I for a long time had issues smoking a good brisket.. so I decided to try another one a couple weeks ago.. I went to my local butcher and got a good choice 11lbs packer. Brought it home took it out of the package rinsed it off and gave it a lite cover of EVOO then a dusting of Salt Pepper Onion and Garlic. Wrapped it in cling wrap in the fridge over night. Next morning went into the MES 30 diagonally of course.. smoked in 235 heat with a mixture of pecan cherry and hickory till it reached an IT of 165 then separated the point from the flat and back in the smoker till the flat was 203 and passed the poke test. Then into a pan with some of the juices I was able to save and a stick of butter covered and into a cooler for two hours.. cut into the flat against the grain and had some of the best brisket I have ever had..

Start

Finish...
 
Ok, success!!  I figured out the problem, I'm a Dumb ASS!!

I really didn't do any research just went at it and assumed it would just fall in place.

From the advice here a the Big green egg recipe's it made it pretty easy, even with a 5# flat.  

First off I didn't cook it long enough....maybe took it to 170 the preceding times, took it to 205 this time....in the foil after it hit 165.

Added a little apple juice.

Wish I could find some Oak, used a mix of Apple and Hickory, worked well.

THnaks for all the help, it's Ribs today!!
 
This has been an awesome thread & will continue to be one ! Brisky can be tricky til ya know the ins & outs ! Great info for folks so maybe they won't be so intimidated by brisket ! All the info on this thread is way cool & thanks to Danny for starting it ! Thumbs Up

Justin
 
 
You can always smoke a whole brisket, cut it in half or thirds and freeze them for later on. I always freeze me a chunk.

Gary
Yep this is what I have been doing recently. That way when I get busy I can reheat a 1lb chunk for dinner. 
 
Ok, I'm relatively new to smoking & have only done pork products so far (baby backs a few times & last Sunday, a great pork butt). Actually, I believe this is my first venture here in the "Beef" section. I'm interested in doing a brisket & have a couple of questions....

1)- When I was reading up before doing a pork butt, it seemed like most folks were concerned with the 1.5-2 hour/per pound recommended cooking times. Why do I not see that so much with brisket? Is it because there is a lot of variation depending on select, choice or prime? Or are there other reasons?

2)- When I did ribs the first couple of times, I was at about 230 degrees with my smoker for 5-6 hours. For the pork butt, I adhered to the newer, "hot & fast" method & went to my smoker's max (275), but would have liked to be more like 300. As it was, it took about 10 hours to do a 7 pound butt. Is there a "hot & fast" method for BRISKET that works as well? I have to say, that pork butt definitely did NOT lack any moisture (and I did not wrap).

3)- Again- newbie here using an MES 30. Point or flat?

I love to eat brisket in a good BBQ joint, but have been a little intimidated at the thought of doing one. I felt the same way about the pork I've done so far & with all the expert advice I've received on these boards everything has turned out very nice so far. 

Thanks,

TW
 
 
Ok, I'm relatively new to smoking & have only done pork products so far (baby backs a few times & last Sunday, a great pork butt). Actually, I believe this is my first venture here in the "Beef" section. I'm interested in doing a brisket & have a couple of questions....

1)- When I was reading up before doing a pork butt, it seemed like most folks were concerned with the 1.5-2 hour/per pound recommended cooking times. Why do I not see that so much with brisket? Is it because there is a lot of variation depending on select, choice or prime? Or are there other reasons?

2)- When I did ribs the first couple of times, I was at about 230 degrees with my smoker for 5-6 hours. For the pork butt, I adhered to the newer, "hot & fast" method & went to my smoker's max (275), but would have liked to be more like 300. As it was, it took about 10 hours to do a 7 pound butt. Is there a "hot & fast" method for BRISKET that works as well? I have to say, that pork butt definitely did NOT lack any moisture (and I did not wrap).

3)- Again- newbie here using an MES 30. Point or flat?

I love to eat brisket in a good BBQ joint, but have been a little intimidated at the thought of doing one. I felt the same way about the pork I've done so far & with all the expert advice I've received on these boards everything has turned out very nice so far. 

Thanks,

TW
Great questions Tumbleweed.    WRT "X hrs per pound", the truth of the matter is that cook time is determined by the thickness of a piece of meat, not by it's weight.  That said, with whole cuts like a Butt, the thickness increases proportionally as the weight increases.   Because of this, "X mins per pound" is a fairly accurate guide.  Now, with that said, if you find a split butt in the butcher case, or if you just cut a butt in 1/2, it will definitely throw the timing off as the weight to size ratio has been altered.

With briskets, IF you are talking about full packers,  "X mins per pound" also works as a general guide.   But, once you get into chunks of brisket, the size to weight ratio has changed again and the timings will be off.   Some brisket flats might be long wide and thin while others might be shorter, narrower but fatter.

Easiest way to picture this is to consider a 1/4lb hot dog.   Would it cook any faster if you cut 1/3 the length off the end of it ?  Nope.   Cook time would be the same as the thickness hasn't changed. 

Or you could look at a nice big sirloin steak.


Let's say that this is a 3lb sirloin.   Would it cook any faster if you sliced a 1 1/2 lb chunk off the end ?   Nope.   Even though it's 1/2 the weight, it will take the same amount of time to cook as the thickness hasn't changed.
 
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Tumbleweed, briskets can be cooked successfully at higher temps (hot and fast) as well.  I have cooked them anywhere from 225 to 350, with success at all temps.  The hotter you cook a brisket, the faster it will reach toothpick tender, but it will also finish at a higher IT as well.  When cooking at home or for catering jobs, I'll get 4 hours smoke on my meat in a 250 degree pit, then wrap it up and finish it in a 350 degree oven.  Works like a champ everytime.
 
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Great questions Tumbleweed.    WRT "X hrs per pound", the truth of the matter is that cook time is determined by the thickness of a piece of meat, not by it's weight.  That said, with whole cuts like a Butt, the thickness increases proportionally as the weight increases.   Because of this, "X mins per pound" is a fairly accurate guide.  Now, with that said, if you find a split butt in the butcher case, or if you just cut a butt in 1/2, it will definitely throw the timing off as the weight to size ratio has been altered.

With briskets, IF you are talking about full packers,  "X mins per pound" also works as a general guide.   But, once you get into chunks of brisket, the size to weight ratio has changed again and the timings will be off.   Some brisket flats might be long wide and thin while others might be shorter, narrower but fatter.

Easiest way to picture this is to consider a 1/4lb hot dog.   Would it cook any faster if you cut 1/3 the length off the end of it ?  Nope.   Cook time would be the same as the thickness hasn't changed. 

Or you could look at a nice big sirloin steak.


Let's say that this is a 3lb sirloin.   Would it cook any faster if you sliced a 1 1/2 lb chunk off the end ?   Nope.   Even though it's 1/2 the weight, it will take the same amount of time to cook as the thickness hasn't changed.
Thank you. That all makes a lot of sense. I just never saw much of it regarding brisket. Maybe I just wasn't paying enough attention, as I have had a pork obsession pretty much since I bought this MES30!
 
Tumbleweed, briskets can be cooked successfully at higher temps (hot and fast) as well.  I have cooked them anywhere from 225 to 350, with success at all temps.  The hotter you cook a brisket, the faster it will reach toothpick tender, but it will also finish at a higher IT as well.  When cooking at home or for catering jobs, I'll get 4 hours smoke on my meat in a 250 degree pit, then wrap it up and finish it in a 350 degree oven.  Works like a champ everytime.
Thank you, Bruno. Very useful info for this "hot & fast" pupil. I just don't want to sacrifice the meat. With pork I it was still very juicy & tender.
 
ROTF.gif
  Bruno, are you a brother from another mother??  garyS the same and oldschoolbbq..  Do all us Texas boys do brisket the same??


 Spot on advice tumbleweed.  Bruno has you covered!  If you read this thread you almost can't produce a bad brisket.  If you have a problem PLEASE come back to this thread and tell us what happened.  I want to put this thing to bed.  No reason everyone can't cook a good brisket.  Good luck.  Keep Smokin!

Danny
 
I will make my comment quick.
I start with a prime cut because i do believe that quality of meat does matter, it just seems to cook and cooperate better.

Trim the fat but leave some on.

I DO NOT marinate or Inject because i feel it just makes it mushy and takes away from the natural favour that makes this meat so delicious.

I do apply my own dry rub (I have 4 that I have played with and it depends what I am in the mood for at the time) it doesnt really matter which you use because every one has there own taste and your going to have find what you like most.

I let the dry rub soak and chill in a seran wrap for 10-12 hours or whats best overnight. Sometimes this is hard because mama doesnt like giving up room in the fridge but i do believe this helps to seal the rub to the meat.

When ready to cook, I pull my meat out at let it return to room temp and at this time i prep my smoker which is a 22.5 WSM and usually once i get it ready at 235-245° the meat is ready.

I place the meat fat side down for 2 hours and baste that baby with Hickory and Mesquite. Quickly I flip it to fat side up for 2 hours and baste with more smoke. Then i return to fat side down and leave it till internal temp reaches 165°.

With help at this point I quickly as fast as i can place the meat in a foil container with cover and return it to the grill until it hits 195°- 205°+ depending on my crowd. Pull out at let it rest for 30 min still in covered container. Then pull out and serve. I have never had a bad brisket and everyone says its absolutely delicious.

I am always looking for ways to improve and practice, practice, practice. Ultimately you will find that one way that just comes out devine and to your love. Only advice i have is to never stop and even the masters never stop learning! (Im not saying im a master just repeating what a master said lol)

KEEP SMOKING!!
 
Haven't been online in quite awhile but glad to see this thread is still around.  Thanks Danny for starting it.  My last 2 briskets have been successful, which seems like a miracle!  Yes I'm still using the leaky old smoker but have made 3 changes to how I do things so I believe these are making the difference.  First is having a good/accurate meat thermometer, second is wrapping in foil after 4 hrs, and 3rd resting the brisket after smoking.  Brisket is turning out much more forgiving that I expected IF it is cooked to a good internal temperature.  Getting a Thermopop has made a huge difference, for $20 it has been the best bbq buy I've made.  I was not doing a good job looking at the brisket and guessing if it was done and the cheap thermometers I had were useless.  I'm cooking these to atleast 200 degrees before taking it off the smoker and then I'm resting it for 2 hours in a ice chest.  My last brisket was a 11 lb packer cut, I trimmed the fat and cut it in half.  I smoked it for 7 hrs and rested it for 2 hrs and it was wonderful!  Easily passes the pull test, and was juicy since the foil kept the moisture in.  I really thought the resting was a waste of time, but it seems to help tenderize.  I may end up getting a Weber Smokey Mountain as I hear they are set and forget, but atleast for the time being I'm able to put a tasty brisket on the table!
 
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Hello Aggie.  Glad to have you back posting!  I have said it before and will again: it's a hunk of meat, not rocket science.  EVERYONE can do it!  Follow the "rules" and EVERY brisket you make will turn out great.  The thing I find funny is reading all the posts from the Texas boys.  Now not saying someone from Texas can't make a good brisket but it seems odd ALL of us fall into the same technique.  Our temps may vary slightly but read 'em all and you will see they are all the same.  Some foil, some do not but BASICALLY all the same.  Bruno even finishes his in the oven if he is cooking for a crowd.  Brisket is REALLY easy to do.  So many ideas.  Trim.  No trim!  Fat up, fat down!  COOK IT PROPERLY!!!  Job done!  COOK UNTIL TENDER!  Job done!  Glad you are having good luck.  Keep Smokin!

Danny
 
After reading this thread I am a little unclear on checking to see when an entire packer is finished. The general consensus seems to be, conduct a probe test and if it is butter tender it is ready.  However, should the entire brisket be that tender or just the thickest part of the flat?  Starting my first brisket tomorrow morning so it would be good to know.  Thank you. 
 
Cosmic check your brisket for tenderness in the thickest part of the flat but I will also check it in 3 or 4 spots as well, all in the fiat section.
 
Cosmic, unless you have some really serious heat differential, the thinner parts of the flat should be done by the time the thickest part of the flat is ready.  If you are cooking a whole packer, the point end will be even thicker, but don't worry about that.  The point is made up of a different muscle group, is less dense that the flat and has more fat.  That's why you can ignore it and go by the thickest part of the flat to judge when the brisket is done.
 
Cosmic, unless you have some really serious heat differential, the thinner parts of the flat should be done by the time the thickest part of the flat is ready.  If you are cooking a whole packer, the point end will be even thicker, but don't worry about that.  The point is made up of a different muscle group, is less dense that the flat and has more fat.  That's why you can ignore it and go by the thickest part of the flat to judge when the brisket is done.

This is exactly what I wanted to know. Thank you demos.
 
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