1st brisket, best wood and rub to use..


 
T

Tim (the grillaholic)

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I will be smoking my first brisket this weekend, and was wondering what wood is prefered for beef. I have Oak, (white and Red) Apple, Maple, Pecan, and Hickory. The Hickory was cut from the tree about a month ago, otherwise all the other wood types are well aged. Also, I was wondering if there were any 'Must try' rubs to coat the brisket with. It is a 12 pounder, the plan is to put it on the WSM around midnight in hopes it will be finished by 6 Saturday evening. Thanks in advance, any and all suggestions will be appreciated.
Tim
 
If you're smoking it that long I'd go with pecan.

Sat I'm smoking my third. It's a lean supermarket flat injected, rubbed with bovine bold, and will smoke it heavily with cherry and a little pecan.
 
If you're in a Texas state of mind, try mesquite. Beef can take more smoke flavour than pork.
For the rub, check out the forum recipes for beef. I use a heavier rub with brisket to add external flavour.
Outside of the basics, try an injection, also in the beef recipes forum but not really required.

For the cook, I agree with foiling around 160F. If nothing else, it helps to eliminate the stall and cuts cooking time.

Also, use a full packer if you can so you can experience the difference between the point and flat.

Finally, don't worry about a mop or spritz. It doesn't add anything IMO and increases cooking time.

Good luck and enjoy.
 
Thanks guys for the response. James, if I wrap in foil @160, do I leave it foiled for the remainder of the cook? Or remove the foil twords the end to help with the bark? A little nervous with this one...quite the difference between an$8.00 butt and a $40.00 brisket.
Thanks again,
Tim
 
Tim, you can leave it foiled until ready to serve or unwrap it and put it back on the smoker or even in the oven for a bit (30mins, an hour etc, until you're happy with the bark) to firm up the exterior.
You will get a softer exterior if left foiled. Some prefer that. More seem to prefer a harder bark.
One note, if you're making your own sauce, save the drippings from the foil and use them in it. This will help to combine the flavour between meat and sauce.

Good luck !
 
I think if you're going to foil at 160 (I assume you're looking for the start of the stall) that starting the cook at midnight is going to net you a brisket that is done WAY early.

For comps I start the brisket around midnight and I've never had one go past about noon. Foiling significantly reduces cook time if you leave the foil on til done. I wouldn't worry about bark, it's highly overrated in my opinion. I would much rather have moist than a hard bark.

For the wood, I would go with either pecan or oak. I don't use mesquite for anything (can't stand the stuff) and I only use a tiny little bit of hickory for cooking chicken.

Russ
 
I'm with Russ in that if you foil, you'll be done WAY before six. My results are similar to his in cooking time, too. Most my briskets are in the 12-13 pound range and they all cook 10-11 hours.

I differ from Russ in that I like a little bark, though. I unfoil around 185 or so and remove the point. I put rub on the newley exposed portion of the flat and put it back on the smoker. The flat is usually done about an hour after this. For the point I usually cut it down into cubes, throw some more rub on em and put 'em back on the smoker to have a heap of burnt-end style nuggets.

I prefer hickory and apple.
 
I like mesquite and oak for briskets. For a rub I go with coarse ground black pepper,garlic,onion and some red pepper flakes. I salt the meat to taste about 1/2 hour before adding the rub.
 
I've only used mesquite with briskets (hickory with chicken and pork, apple with poultry and fish).

Strangely, brisket is the only meat in which I used mesquite. It just seems made for it.
 
I haven't done brisket for years (important caveat there), but for the beef I do (steaks and roasts) I love a mix of about 2/3 oak and 1/3 mesquite for the wood. Kosher salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper for the seasoning.

I would recommend letting a salt based rub sit on the brisket for a looong time, to let the flavors penetrate and tenderize the meat.
 
I like a salt, pepper, onion and garlic rub!
Click to expand...
And one bite of that would do me. Too boring. What a missed opportunity. I always make a dry or paste rub or both, using dry over paste.

I'm not in the mesquite camp. Good for grilling. I dislike it for smoking.

I usually use oak or hickory.
 
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