My First Brisket this weekend....


 
M

Mark (markx3)

TVWBB Member
So I was going to BBQ a brisket this weekend for my first time. I have the 18" WSM. Why do I read that people trim the fat? Wouldnt it be okay to leave it on and let it cook off into the meat or just into the water pan?

How do we think my brisket would turn out if I....

1) Used my favorite rub all over it and smoked it for 1.5 hrs per pound using the minion method. I would use Kingsford and large Oak chunks.
2) Turned it in between the 1/2 cooking time and sprayed it with apple juice every few hours.
3) Wrapped it in foil when its done for at least 2 hrs and let it sit.

So what do we think? Would this be a eatable?
 
Leaving the fat on is fine, you might just have to trim it off when it's done cooking.

Rather than time/pound, cook it until it's just tender so that you can stick a fork or probe into the thick part of the flat easily like butter. You can turn/spray if you like but it's not required.

Wrapping it in foil at the end is a great idea, it will be too hot to handle anyway right when it's done.

You may also want to look into separating the point when the flat is done by finding the fat vein between the point and the flat with your knife. Hint: it's soft. Then put the point back on the smoker until it renders out a little bit more. Otherwise the point can be kinda fatty.

This is also how you start to make burnt ends, which are the best reason to cook full packer briskets anyway (imo)
 
+1 what Dave said.

The only think I can add is that good bark doesn't form on fat; or if it does, doesn't get eaten so trimming the really thick areas couldn't hurt. I have only done minimal trimming to date and have had good results.

Foiling can soften bark a little too. That being said, I usually foil and hold brisket flats in a clean empty cooler on some towels for up to 3 hours with good results. Still juicy and hot.
 
Mark, There are at least two reasons to trim your meat. One, is if there is a lot of fat on it ,it's just not all going to render down which means more trimming after the cook.Secondly, the less fat especially on the top less rub is applied and also less bark.I usually trim the top pretty good and leave about 1/4 of inch of fat on the bottom to protect the meat. Of course, I only do hot and fast cooks on brisket so any one who does the low and slow feel free to chime in here
 
There's been a few threads about it. If you search for high heat brisket, I'm sure you'll find them.

However, it's basically cooking the brisket at 350 for 4-5 hours. Haven't done it yet myself - my results with low and slow are too good. If it ain't broke, you know?
 
I too did my first brisket this past weekend. It was very good, but I now have questions.

Which is the often mentioned Flat and Point? I certainly noticed a thick end and a thinner end. (I did a whole brisket)

What does the term bark refer to?

I did not trim (was told by the butcher to leave it on, and on top while smoking.

I foiled at 160 with a sauce found on this forum. Cooked until 180. Left in foil and put in cooler for 3 hours.

It tasted great, but critically, it was a bit fatty tasting for my tastes. It was better the day after (leftovers from fridge). It's all good, but just curious if I screwed what should have been fantastic!
 
Mark, Cullen is right. There is a whole thread dedicated to this method.Basically, you cook at a real high temp until the meat's internal temp reaches a certain point then you foil and finish the cook when the meat is tender. Once you do it you'll never go back to doing it low and slow. I haven't done a low and slow in about 3 years. Do a search in this section. Craig, Bryan, and Kevin K are the masters of this technique.
 
I've only HH'd one brisket & it came out great. The HH folks have made a difficult cook easy.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Mark (markx3):
Can you please discribe your hot and fast method and why you use it?

Thanks! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Mark, here's the link to the original HH Brisket thread. High Heat Brisket
 
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