Brisket Flavor - How to Improve


 
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Dwain Gleason

TVWBB Fan
I'm looking for suggestions on how to improve the flavor of my briskets. I've got the tenderness down pretty well, but I'm just not happy with the overall flavor.

Here's my general preparation method:

- Buy the brisket flat from Sam's Club, generally right at 6lbs. I always pick a decent cut, nice and even across with a good fat cap. Do you guys always trim the fat down to 1/8", or just leave it pretty thick?

- Coat the brisket with either yellow mustard or Country Bob's sauce. I've been using the Country Bob's lately, I think it gives a nice flavor to the bark.

- Coat liberally on all sides with my rub of choice - generally Smokin' Guns, OK Joe's Sweet Spot or Texas BigBull's Brisket Rub.

- Let the brisket sit overnight, then take out about 2 hours prior to smoking and re-season.

- Smoke at grill temp of 250f using Oak or Oak & Pecan until an internal temp of 135f. Then I wrap in foil and continue until an internal temp of 190. I then unwrap and continue until an internal temp of 195-200f.

The brisket ends up nice and tender, but still sliceable, and I usually end up with a pretty moist product. The problem is the flavor - the bark is good - and I love the burnt ends - but the interior slices need some work, they taste kind of bland. Any ideas for how to improve the flavor??
 
Dwain, I have never been a foil person. It is my opinion that when you foil the meat all you are doing is steaming the piece in its own juices. While this makes for a moist, tender product, there is no flavor being absorbed by the meat because of the foil barrier. I have a number of different cookers and have never used foil in any of them with any kind of meat. This is my personal preference and the way I was taught to cook real Q.
 
I'd kill the pre-made sauce and get the spices rolling. Throw some soy and brown sugar on it...get the garlic and onion powder rubbed in...I like the lemon pepper as well.

There are hundreds of concoctions to choose from. Rub it in good and kill the foil as well.

Happy Q'ing!
 
Dwain:

Have you tried the wet rub listed on this site...
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/brisket3.html
I think it's amazing! I have also noticed that the type of smoking wood makes a huge difference. The first brisket I smoked I used some cherry and pecan (or something similar)... it turned out great and I even had to finish it in the oven. The last two briskets I smoked I used white oak and a combination of white oak and mesquite. I really didn't like the flavor of either... just wasn't right (same rub/prep as before). I'd suggest that you either try the wet rub or add some salt to your recipe. That should help w/ the taste.
 
Pick a rub and add only enough apple juice to make a nice paste, rub the brisket without mustard or sauce.
Fat cap I would leave closer to 1/4" rather than 1/8".
If you are going to foil I would wait until later in the cook, the smokering will continue to form up to 140? but I would wait until the internal hit at least 170?. Like JimB said it really isn't needed to cook great brisket.
Jim
 
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