A couple of Brisket Questions


 
A

Andre A

TVWBB Member
I am planning an Epic Memorial Day BBQ 2014. I plan on having about 25 people over. I want Ribs and Brisket to be the main meats. I've done both on my weber kettle with the smokenator and both come out really well. However that was minor league stuff. I got the WSM 22 of Christmas and I am ready for the big leagues.

About the Brisket, I've actually only did the Flat on my Kettle about 3 times. I did the Texas Crutch and it took me about 7 hours. I want to do an overnight packer now. By the time memorial day comes around, I should also have the Digi Q DX2 to help out. But I do have some questions. I also have the Maverick 732.

Meat, I would like to do Prime or Wagyu Brisket, I leave in Washington DC. I really can not find it here locally. I can order it online, but I would have to pay an additional $70 for shipping. I was trying to avoid this. Can anyone lead me in the right direction? Any companies do free shipping etc/ best customer service?

Cooking- If I am lucky enough to find Prime or Wagyu beef, do I really need to cook it differently than choice beef. On the paradise meat website, they recommended that I cooked it to about 175 internal temp I believe that seemed extremely low. Is this correct?

Cooking II- Can someone assist me with a plan of attack if I am going to do both Ribs and a Brisket on the WSM 22 ie which meat should go on the bottom rack, when to put the ribs on, how should I time everything so that the Ribs, Brisket and Burnt Ends are all done at the same time.

Thanks for the input.
 
Wow....no one has replied?

There are several sources for mail-order Waygu/etc brisket. I would practice, practice, practice on some Restaurant Depot/Sam's Club/etc Choice grade full packers before spending +$100 on a Waygu.

I think a brisket with the flat cooked to 175°F internal will be.... shoe leather. Set your alarm at 195° with the probe in the thick part of the flat and start checking for tenderness then. If the probe doesn't slide in like butter, keep checking every 20 minutes. It will get there.

As far as cooking all that stuff on one cooker and it all being ready at the same time, you need to get that brisket done first. When the flat is tender, separate it from the point, wrap the flat with some liquid (dripping, beef broth, apple juice, etc.) and let it rest while wrapped in towels in a dry cooler.

I would have the ribs cooking on the lower rack, starting them at the time you would so that they will finish when you want to eat. When the brisket is done, move them up. Cut the point up into cubes, put that in a pan, cover with liquid, turb sugar, rub and cover with foil. Put on the bottom rack. Check it after 45 minutes....
 
Andre,

Keep in mind that you can keep a brisket at serving temperature for a few or even several hours. I just did 2 small (13.5 lbs each) packers this past weekend. They came off the cooker and went into the cooler (wrapped in foil) at 8:30AM. When I pulled them out at 12:30PM they were still too hot to handle without gloves. You should have a lot of time to finish your ribs once the brisket is done and resting.
 
If you live in the DC area you should check out J. W. Treuth & Sons in Ellicott City, MD near BWI. They are primarily wholesale but do have a retail counter and while I do not know whether they have higher grades, I believe will sell you at least a choice packer.

I agree that cooking brisket to 175F is going to make it very disappointing and extremely tough to chew. Brisket should be cooked to the fork test (fork goes into the flat like a fork would into softened butter) and not temperature. That said, most folks find that low and slow brisket flats tend to get done between 190F and 205F. It just depends on the particular brisket.

Also, I recently saw an article about a taste test between CAB, Prime, and Waygu briskets which reported they could not distinguish any difference with the higher grades, so be forewarned that you may not get any noticeable difference for the extra money spent.

In my experiences doing low and slow packers:

1. I use the Minion method, set the pit at 225F, and use 4-5 chunks of fruit wood like cherry or apple.
2. I insert the meat probe of my temperature controller in the end opposite the point into the flat and set the brisket on the grate fat side up.
3. At the stall (where the meat is around 160F-170F) I double foil with a little apple juice or beef stock.
4. I never test for done through the point as it is very fatty and will seem done way early. I always test for done on the flat end opposite the point.
5. For me, doing a low and slow brisket typically takes about a hour and twenty minutes per pound to get to done.
6. When its fork test done in the flat, remove and wrap again in heavy foil, then some old towels, and place it in an insulated cooler (without any ice). The insulation will keep the brisket hot for at least 3 - 4 hours.
7. Figure that you will net 50% of the raw meat as final product.

Oh, I would put the brisket on the bottom rack. I would assume at 225F the ribs would take around 6 hours or so to be tender and pass the fork or tear test. I would coil the ribs and you can get 4 coils on the top rack alone. There are tutorials on the website on how to coil.

Good luck,

-- Mache
 
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Personally I would cook a little hotter 250-275*, fat renders better at these temps and they will cook a little faster too. Like Dave said, brisket will hold warm/hot for hours, smoke your packer, pull when it's probe tender, let it vent out in the open to stop the carryover cooking and then hold warm. There will be plenty of heat left to keep it warm. Brisket actually benefits a great deal when you allow it to rest 3-5 hours. I would not worry about getting a Wagyu at this point, not till you have done a few good whole packer cooks. My local meat market carries Akaushi beef, a few days ago I picked up a really nice 9lb packer. It's a little small but needs very little if any trimming. I haven't smoked it yet, but hear good things about this type of beef. You can order from them online too. http://www.heartbrandbeef.com/Heartbrand_Akaushi_More_Cuts-shop_morecuts

Good luck!
 
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I'm with John Segura. You don't need any better cut than choice. For me it seems they key is in the rest. Wrap in towels and put in a small enough cooler to keep it tight and it will stay very hot for 5+ hours. Then the result is simply melt in your mouth tender. Also I try to pull it off at around 205 degrees.
 
Brisket on the bottom, ribs on top. General rule of thumb is to put the higher maintenance stuff on top so you don't have to struggle to get at it. Think everyone hit the other points already. Good luck. Brisket has always been my nemesis.
 
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