# Spritz or liquid for brisket?



## bassadict69

Do you guys spray something on your brisket as it cooks? How about when you wrap it, do you put anything into the wrap? I use apple juice and brown sugar and honey on my ribs when I wrap but curious if I should add anything when I wrap a brisket I have smoking.


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## sauced

I don't spray my brisket, but there are people that do. Most of the time, I do not wrap a brisket but when I do, I place it in a foil pan, add a little beef stock and cover it. I only season the brisket with salt, pepper, onion and garlic.

If you wrap the brisket in foil, you can add some liquid. If you use butchers paper, you can't add any liquid. Of course, the brisket will cook faster if it gets wrapped.


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## kam59

No spritz for me either. I also pan and foil cover when I can. I add 1 cup broth to the pan on selects and lower end choice. Primes and upper end choice go on their own.


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## tropics

No spritz here either. The more you open the CC the longer it will take to get done

Richie


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## bassadict69

Thanks guys!


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## cksteele

i usually give it a good spray after 4-5 hours  to see how the colour looks then i spray about 1 time every hour till i like the colour  and its pushed through the stall usually at 7-8 hour  then  wrap it in butcher paper,  when i wrap i give it a good spray  then  back on the smoker till done


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## noboundaries

I used to inject, spray, wrap, coddle, monitor temps, and sweat out stalls for both briskets and butts.  No longer.  Once they're rubbed and on the 225-250F smoker, I don't even bother checking internal temp for about 12 hours.  Funny how the meat always gets done regardless what goes on in my head.


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## bassadict69

cksteele said:


> i usually give it a good spray after 4-5 hours  to see how the colour looks then i spray about 1 time every hour till i like the colour  and its pushed through the stall usually at 7-8 hour  then  wrap it in butcher paper,  when i wrap i give it a good spray  then  back on the smoker till done


What do you spray it with?


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## cksteele

bassadict69 said:


> What do you spray it with?


you can use anything you like cider vinegar apple juice hot sauce or just water. it doesn't add moisture to the brisket the collagen and fat in the meat will do that. but i  do it to take some of the smutz  off it from the fire and to show the colour of the brisket and to help in bark formation smoke sticks to wet better then dry.

if you get a prime grade brisket  or higher or a wagyu brisket you wont have to worry about moisture


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## bassadict69

I think this one was Choice...Sam's Club!


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## ynot2k

cksteele said:


> you can use anything you like cider vinegar apple juice hot sauce or just water. it doesn't add moisture to the brisket the collagen and fat in the meat will do that. but i  do it to take some of the smutz  off it from the fire and to show the colour of the brisket and to help in bark formation smoke sticks to wet better then dry.
> 
> if you get a prime grade brisket  or higher or a wagyu brisket you wont have to worry about moisture


"...smoke sticks to wet better then dry."

I find just the opposite.  YMMV

Jeff

Jeff's Texas Style BBQ

Marysville, WA


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## millerbuilds

​I spritz maybe 3 times on a cook, when I do not wrap.  If I wrap, I do not spritz.  For the Spritz I use beef stock with a some vinegar.  Nothing else.

If I wrap in foil, I will put in some beef stock.  I wrap in butcher paper regardless when I put it in the cooler to rest, one wrap of paper and one wrap of foil.  Then I roll in 2 old beach towels and toss in the cooler for at least 2 hours.

Smoke ON!

- Jason


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## cksteele

YNOT2K said:


> "...smoke sticks to wet better then dry."
> 
> I find just the opposite.  YMMV
> 
> Jeff
> 
> Jeff's Texas Style BBQ
> 
> Marysville, WA


 smoke sticks to wet better then dry its science 

http://www.genuineideas.com/ArticlesIndex/srasmokeparticles.html


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## SmokinAl

I'm like Ray!

I just throw it in the smoker & let it go until done.

I do them at 270-280, and choice or select are always tender & juicy!

Al


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## ynot2k

cksteele said:


> smoke sticks to wet better then dry its science
> 
> http://www.genuineideas.com/ArticlesIndex/srasmokeparticles.html


I humbly disagree.

Smoke certainly sticks to water better than a totally dry surface.  But, you can then just wipe it right off.  That's why we dry our sausages - the dry casings take on the smoker better.  Wet sausage casings looks smoky, but again, you can just wipe it right off.

Also, the maillard reaction is what causes the "smoke ring".  It is more pronounced when very cold meat is subjected to wood smoke.  Has more to do with temperature than moisture.

Mopping or spritzing meat when smoking can be a way to keep the surface cool and allow the internal temperature to increase without drying out the outside surface.

Really don't want to start a war here, but these are my thoughts.

Jeff

Jeff's Texas Style BBQ

Marysville, WA


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## phatbac

SmokinAl said:


> I'm like Ray!
> 
> I just throw it in the smoker & let it go until done.
> 
> I do them at 270-280, and choice or select are always tender & juicy!
> 
> Al


I'm kinda in the Ray and Al camp. just throw it on the smoker and let it go. i find that less is more more often as i get older.

also i don't understand prime or wagyu brisket anyways. i can take a $25 select piece of meat an make it taste great. if you buy a piece of meat for $150-200 and you cant make it taste great then give up cooking! shoot for $80-90 i can get beef tenderloin (filet) why would i pay twice as much for brisket???

just my $0.02,

phatbac (Aaron)


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## kam59

Taste great yes. But moister, meat texture and overall flavor the difference in select and prime are night and day. If it were even remotely the same we would use Select in competitions. We pay about a 1.50 lb more for prime over Select or choice. As for Kobe or Wagyu never cared for it.


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## jcbigler

I spray with apple juice throughout the cook. I usually cook hotter and can get a 12lb brisket done in as little as 10 hours. So the spray helps to keep it cooler and the sugar in the juice combines with the salt in the rub and make the fat very tasty.  I also give it a good spray down when I wrap in butcher paper.


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