Brisket - Low and Slow or High and quick


 
J

John_H

TVWBB Member
My guess is this has been discussed many times before but I'm curious about the differences in the two. I'm still trying to perfect the brisket that is absolutely juicy. Is it really possible to get juicy brisket while cooking it at higher temps 5 or 6 hours? Thanks in advance.

John
 
I've done pork butt high heat ............... but I won't do brisket high heat. Brisket cost twice as much , for one reason. But I want to smoke my brisket slowly and make sure its right.
 
As I understand it the reason high heat is tougher to get right is the small window of perfect time you have to pull it off. It goes through the window from undercooked to overcooked quicker than at low heat.
 
I prefer lower heat 250ish. Biggest key to juiciness and flavor is spending a little extra for a prime brisket. it is definitely worth it.
 
I must be the odd man out. I’ve cooked tons of brisket 350*F. Turns out perfect every time in ~5 hrs. On by lunch eatin beef by supper.
 
Dwain Pannell said:
I must be the odd man out. I’ve cooked tons of brisket 350*F. Turns out perfect every time in ~5 hrs. On by lunch eatin beef by supper.
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I am in Dwain’s camp now. Last 3 briskets have been high heat and IMO have been better than any low and slow brisket I have done. The flat seems to be more forgiving to the hot and fast method from what I have experienced.
 
I've usually done low and slow but the last brisket I did was hot and fast around 300*. I will admit that I have limited experience with the hot and fast method but so far I prefer it (more hot and fast cooks to come to test it). I've found that with low and slow I tend to overcook the flat. The last 4 or 5 low and slow briskets my flat has been crumbly. On the hot and fast cook I nailed the doneness; it was cooker perfectly. The flavor was another issue; I tried a new rub and it didn't work out taste-wise, but I did cook it better hot and fast. Not sure why. But I also like being able to put it on in the morning and eat it for dinner instead of doing an overnight cook. I did not care for the extra fuel consumption though. I did my hot and fast cook on the 22.5" and noticed I consumed a lot more charcoal keeping it around 300 instead of 225-250. I did not notice the extra fuel consumption in the 18.5" when I did a hot-and-fast pork butt, so if you're not using a 22..5" your mileage may vary in terms of fuel consumption on hot and fast cooks.
 
I smoke Prime quality packer brisket at ~275° and my friends and family tell me it's as good or better than the restaurants here. Brisket can take the higher temps and AFAIC, smoking it at 225-250 doesn't really make it better. I get great bark and the fat is totally rendered. IMO. the keys are prime only meat and let it rest properly. Temp doesn't really matter all that much.
 
Big JohnV in AZ said:
I smoke Prime quality packer brisket at ~275° and my friends and family tell me it's as good or better than the restaurants here. Brisket can take the higher temps and AFAIC, smoking it at 225-250 doesn't really make it better. I get great bark and the fat is totally rendered. IMO. the keys are prime only meat and let it rest properly. Temp doesn't really matter all that much.
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I don't consider 275* to be high heat.

If low and slow = 225 to 250, then I don't cook anything low and slow.

High heat , to me = 325 to 350.
 
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