High temp brisket


 
In the unlikely event you're unable to finish the whole thing, does the finished brisket vacuum seal and reheat well? "Well", of course, meaning "moist & tasty".

Thanks,
Ron
 
[I have shared a superb bottle of Talbott Chard (with a salad of baby greens, ripe tomato and avocado chunks--with a parmesan crisp--in a grapefruit vinaigrette), and a 2003 Caymus Cab (with grilled tri-tip sliced over broccoli-green bean risotto) so if I am not making sense please advise. Smiler]

The only think that doesn't make sense is paying the tariff for 2003 caymus cab.
 
I got a 12 brisket at WalMart. It is in cryovac.

1) In cryovac does that make it a "packer"? I believe so based on this - The other is the "packer trimmed," which is the whole brisket packed in a plastic bag.

2) Is 12 pounds to big for a high heat cook?
 
Both "packers" and "flats" can come in cryvacs. If it's 12 pounds, it's a packer - I've never seen a flat that big. You have both the flat and the point there, still connected to each other. The packer will be thinner on one end with a larger "hump" on the other end. A flat will simply be that - a flat slab of beef of even thickness through the whole piece.

No, 12 lb is fine for a high heat cook.
 
In the unlikely event you're unable to finish the whole thing, does the finished brisket vacuum seal and reheat well?
Click to expand...


Most definitely. I'll freeze a leftover hunk of brisket in a vacuum bag and take it straight from the freezer to the simmering water until thawed and heated. It's preferable to thaw it first, but it WILL work nicely from the frozen state in an emergency.
 
Originally posted by joseph c:
I got a 12 brisket at WalMart. It is in cryovac.

1) In cryovac does that make it a "packer"? I believe so based on this - The other is the "packer trimmed," which is the whole brisket packed in a plastic bag.

2) Is 12 pounds to big for a high heat cook?
Click to expand...

I've done as large as 13 lb for high heat.

Today I cooked a 10.5 lb packer for fathers day. It was tender in 4.5 hours. It was fantastic.
 
Thanks for the quick reply. This thread is 7 pages long. Is there anyway to summarizes the do's and don't and best practices for a high heater?
 
That would be good - kind of an A B C approach to a high heat brisket in the WSM. Perhaps a cooperative effort between Kevin and Craig to create a draft, and maybe we could talk Chris into putting up on the COOKING section?
 
After I posted, I saw this link by Kevin. I would still prefer a summary as Keri described and Kevin's post could be referred to. Thanks.
 
Originally posted by Keri C:
That would be good - kind of an A B C approach to a high heat brisket in the WSM. Perhaps a cooperative effort between Kevin and Craig to create a draft, and maybe we could talk Chris into putting up on the COOKING section?
Click to expand...

That could be done, but it's up to Chris.
 
Did the 12 pound using high heat. ~2.5 hours at 350. I have a Guru so that was a solid temp. I then wrapped in foil. This was the challenging part. The meat temp is skewed by the foiling. I read Kevin's detailed post and decided on ~2 hours in foil. The meat came out very good. Saving 4 hours is fine with me. Thanks to all.
 
Joe, once you foil you really don't need a thermometer. After foiling, I check one hour later. Insert a probe to determine tenderness. If not done, every half hour after that until probe inserts with little resistence. Pull it off, drain most of the drippings off, flip it, refoil,add some of the drippings back, wrap in a towel,put in a warm cooler and let sit for at least two hours. Then enjoy.
 
Extra treat - if your brisket appears to be too long to fit comfortably on the grate, just cut a straight hunk off the point end, rub it, and set it on the grate next to the rest of the brisket. Don't foil that chunk of point when you foil the main brisket. By the time the main brisket is done, that unfoiled chunk will make outstanding burnt ends.

That works for fast AND slow cooks, by the way.
 
Okay, we have friends and relatives coming over tomorrow for a cookout and I have decided to do a high-temp brisket. The only brisket I have done to date was low and slow and came out great but I can't do a long cook due to kid activities and unable to do an overnighter. Here is my plan and please let me know what I'm missing:

-two 5-6# flats
-Full ring of Kingsford and 3/4 chimney lit.
-Water pan with ceramic dish foiled
-Will pour in the lit and once it catches, assemble the WSM.
-Aiming for 325-350 grate temp.
-Not sure on dry or wet rub or combo
-Briskets fat side down with pan below to catch drippings.
-Foil at 165-170 with some beef broth.
-Pull off when fork tender
-Let sit for an hour and then slice up.

I assume, for the most part, that I will have to have the vents wide open and possibly the door also to maintain that heat?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Bob
 
I'd skip the ceramic dish.

Just line the empty water pan.

When trimming, you might wish to trim a bit more fat than usual, the fat on the bottom of the flat may not render much. I trim mine so that there is just a covering....and not a layer.

I use a paste on my briskets. IMO, they add a bit more flavor than a rub.... and, because the brisket doesn't develop a "crusty bark".

I use onion and garlic as the base for the paste. You can add whatever seasonings you like.

If you decide to use a paste (wet rub), I learned that adding a fairly heavy seasoning after you've applied the paste works fantastic.

As for the heat, yes- vents wide open.

I start with the door off when I assemble the cooker. When temps get to 400, I'll put the door back on. Whether or not it needs to be cracked open just depends on conditions.

Most of the time my door stays propped open about a half inch.

Best of luck.
 
Thanks for giving me something to do today guys and gals. Now I have to get a brisket and try this procedure.
 
Mine is on it's way. Put on about 11:45 and it hit 170 at 2:00. Just foiled with some beef broth and it's back on. Been running around 350-375. Bottom of briskets (fat side) got pretty well done already but rest is looking good. Hope this works or I will have a dozen unhappy guests tonight eating hotdogs. Always nervous trying out something new on non-family members.

On another note, this was the first time I used the Maverick ET-73 and of course, about 30 minutes in, the smoker probe temp showed me HHH which means that it shorted out. Ouch.

Bob
 
Oh joy.
I got an ET-73 recently, but haven't used it yet. Don't you just hate when that happens?
Do you line up your vents with Lake Michigan?
icon_biggrin.gif

I find that when something seems to go bad, the food comes out good. The bad news is, for me, sometimes it's vice versa. I'm sure your guests will rave about your brisket. You'll see
 
Well, everything turned out great. I ended up rubbing with a rub I had used on beef previously that is more chili powder based, specifically chipotle chili powder. May try a paste next time or maybe a combo of both. It ended up taking a little over 4 hours after foiling with some beef broth at 170. When it was done, I did notice, as many have pointed out, that it did not have much in the way of bark and the rub had not cooked into the meat. Some of the edges were a little dry but in general, it was quite tasty and everyone loved it. My wife's preference when it comes to brisket, is to sauce it in advance and pop in the oven for a little while. This did result in it drying out a little bit but I will just have to take it off a little sooner the next time if we want to prepare this way. Unfortunately, I keep forgetting to take picks so nothing to share.

I will give a thumbs up to Head Country BBQ sauce. I picked up some the last time I was in Tulsa and it was awesome with the brisket.

All in all, a great meal and I appreciate everyone's help.

Bob
 
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