Robert McGee
TVWBB Gold Member
This is really Faux Pastrami...
My son, Shannon, suggested I try one of the Wal-Mart small corned beef briskets. I bought the packaged product (they come in flats, points, and sirloin). It has been suggested that the flat is the best option. Being "A day late and a dollar short" type of guy, I read that information AFTER I had bought the point. Not to worry...
My point was nearly four pounds (hey! If my first "brisket" didn't work, I wouldn't be out a ton). The truth is, with just two of us at home (kids are gone with families of their own) a whole packer brisket wouldn't make much sense. The small corned beef brisket "kits" seemed to be right down my alley.
I read a number of recipes, including the excellent treatise on this Forum ("Food Topics"). I ended up with a rub consisting of cracked black pepper, ground coriander, paprika, light brown sugar, and granulated garlic. I rinsed the brisket three times with an hour in between then let it soak overnight to remove the excess saltiness. Do NOT use any salt in your rub. I got the fire started in the 14.5 WSM with three chunks of applewood and one of hickory (tin can minion method with ten briquettes). In the meantime, I applied Canola oil on the brisket after carefully drying it and rather heavily applied the rub (it was originally four pounds and when I trimmed it I lost nearly a pound).
When the smoker hit 150 degrees, I put the meat on the top rack. My Maverick probe failed (2nd time and no reviving this time) and my spare probe was nowhere to be found. I went old school with the lid thermometer. I had my trusty Thermapen, so "Who needs a stinkin' Maverick?!" (I ordered a hybrid two pack from Amazon to be delivered Sunday
).
After three and a half hours at temps holding 275 degrees +or-, I placed the brisket in a foil pan with a tight foil cover. The internal temperature was about 170 degrees. After an hour foiled the temp was 200-205 internal and tenderness was RIGHT and off it came. I loosened the foil and rested it for thirty minutes. It sliced up a "bit of heaven"...
The 14.5 WSM on the new grill table with Wal-Mart auto drip pan (table set to it's lowest height):
This it what I saw pretty dern steadily on the smoker through the whole cook:
Two hours into the cook:
Off the smoker in the foil pan and resting:
My "baby" brisket on the cutting board:
Close up of this juicy and super tender brisket. I don't know why I was so reluctant to try a brisket. I will be doing more of these in the future and THAT is a fact.
After cook comments:
I had VERY coarse pepper in the rub. I will use medium coarse in the future (it'll stay on the meat better). I will be picking up a POINT again the next time. This was as good as it gets. I deliberately left the tail of the brisket extend over towards the side of the grate to get full force of the heat coming from the bottom. I wanted a bit of "burnt end" and I got it - "Man, I can see what all of the fuss is about."
If any of you good folks haven't yet tried a brisket, these small corned beef briskets are great and you don't have to hock the farm just to try one. Many of us don't have enough freezer space for an eighteen pound brisket.
I started with a four pound brisket, trimmed nearly a pound of waste off and after cooking I had a weighed 1½ lbs. of superb faux pastrami (lovely, lovely brisket) for those that might be interested in final output.
Keep on smokin',
Dale53
My son, Shannon, suggested I try one of the Wal-Mart small corned beef briskets. I bought the packaged product (they come in flats, points, and sirloin). It has been suggested that the flat is the best option. Being "A day late and a dollar short" type of guy, I read that information AFTER I had bought the point. Not to worry...
My point was nearly four pounds (hey! If my first "brisket" didn't work, I wouldn't be out a ton). The truth is, with just two of us at home (kids are gone with families of their own) a whole packer brisket wouldn't make much sense. The small corned beef brisket "kits" seemed to be right down my alley.
I read a number of recipes, including the excellent treatise on this Forum ("Food Topics"). I ended up with a rub consisting of cracked black pepper, ground coriander, paprika, light brown sugar, and granulated garlic. I rinsed the brisket three times with an hour in between then let it soak overnight to remove the excess saltiness. Do NOT use any salt in your rub. I got the fire started in the 14.5 WSM with three chunks of applewood and one of hickory (tin can minion method with ten briquettes). In the meantime, I applied Canola oil on the brisket after carefully drying it and rather heavily applied the rub (it was originally four pounds and when I trimmed it I lost nearly a pound).
When the smoker hit 150 degrees, I put the meat on the top rack. My Maverick probe failed (2nd time and no reviving this time) and my spare probe was nowhere to be found. I went old school with the lid thermometer. I had my trusty Thermapen, so "Who needs a stinkin' Maverick?!" (I ordered a hybrid two pack from Amazon to be delivered Sunday
).After three and a half hours at temps holding 275 degrees +or-, I placed the brisket in a foil pan with a tight foil cover. The internal temperature was about 170 degrees. After an hour foiled the temp was 200-205 internal and tenderness was RIGHT and off it came. I loosened the foil and rested it for thirty minutes. It sliced up a "bit of heaven"...
The 14.5 WSM on the new grill table with Wal-Mart auto drip pan (table set to it's lowest height):
This it what I saw pretty dern steadily on the smoker through the whole cook:
Two hours into the cook:
Off the smoker in the foil pan and resting:
My "baby" brisket on the cutting board:
Close up of this juicy and super tender brisket. I don't know why I was so reluctant to try a brisket. I will be doing more of these in the future and THAT is a fact.
After cook comments:
I had VERY coarse pepper in the rub. I will use medium coarse in the future (it'll stay on the meat better). I will be picking up a POINT again the next time. This was as good as it gets. I deliberately left the tail of the brisket extend over towards the side of the grate to get full force of the heat coming from the bottom. I wanted a bit of "burnt end" and I got it - "Man, I can see what all of the fuss is about."
If any of you good folks haven't yet tried a brisket, these small corned beef briskets are great and you don't have to hock the farm just to try one. Many of us don't have enough freezer space for an eighteen pound brisket.
I started with a four pound brisket, trimmed nearly a pound of waste off and after cooking I had a weighed 1½ lbs. of superb faux pastrami (lovely, lovely brisket) for those that might be interested in final output.
Keep on smokin',
Dale53
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