M Craw
TVWBB Super Fan
So I bought this knife a few months ago. LOVE IT!... Unfortunately it's a really good knife. I cut myself every &^%$'ing time I use it.
Brisket Newb - Teach Me Brisket 101
- Thread starter M Craw
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So I bought this knife a few months ago. LOVE IT!... Unfortunately it's a really good knife. I cut myself every &^%$'ing time I use it.
M Craw
TVWBB Super Fan
So I'm going to smoke my third brisket this weekend, and I think I have most of my mistakes noted, my notes in order, and I've even written a letter to Mother Nature to keep the rain and winds away, but I have one more thought crossing my mind; *if* I cook the brisket "fat side down" in my WSM, will I still get the quintessential smoke ring that's so prominent when smoked "fat side up?" Take a look at a screen shot from Aaron Franklin's video The Payoff. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMIlyzRFUjU)
See how the smoke ring is on the bottom (he cooks "fat side up"). Will I still get a smoke ring when/if I cook "fat side down?" Maybe? Probably? ...the smoke ring would form on the same side of the brisket right? Even though I'm smoking "fat side down?"
I'm sure I'm over thinking this, as I'm sure the smoke ring will form no matter how I cook the brisket, but I just wanted to double check. This brisket is for the old man. I wanna knock his socks off.
TYIA
See how the smoke ring is on the bottom (he cooks "fat side up"). Will I still get a smoke ring when/if I cook "fat side down?" Maybe? Probably? ...the smoke ring would form on the same side of the brisket right? Even though I'm smoking "fat side down?"
I'm sure I'm over thinking this, as I'm sure the smoke ring will form no matter how I cook the brisket, but I just wanted to double check. This brisket is for the old man. I wanna knock his socks off.
TYIA
Timothy F. Lewis
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
I do mine fat side down and get dandy smoke rings!
I believe you get better smoke rings fat side down.
Not that a smoke ring actually means anything.
reason is that liquid that is squeezed out of the meat drips out the bottom and blocks the smoke from penetrating the surface there. While fat on top also blocks it there.
but when the fats on the bottom that's where the liquid said it also and you get a nice strong smoke Ring on top.
But I may be full of $hit .
I always thought Aaron cooked fat side down...
Not that a smoke ring actually means anything.
reason is that liquid that is squeezed out of the meat drips out the bottom and blocks the smoke from penetrating the surface there. While fat on top also blocks it there.
but when the fats on the bottom that's where the liquid said it also and you get a nice strong smoke Ring on top.
But I may be full of $hit .
I always thought Aaron cooked fat side down...
Karl Quist
TVWBB Pro
That's what I thought too.
EDIT: I just watched Aaron's video on 'The Cook'. He said he likes fat side up. https://youtu.be/pGZ39yYxeBk
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i thinks the wsm has a larger temp difference between grate and dome, than big larger cookers,or offsets . Bottom of meat can see considerably hotter temps than topside.
Where do you want the heat protection, ie fat layer?
Wrapping earlier can be necessary too due to this. Depending on where measure temperature.
I cooked 14 lb brisket fri night. 260 at grate, measured with two devices, controlled with atc. Big flat, small point. It was 225 above meat. Took 19 hrs. And i goosed temp to 300 last hr to get to 203.
Some of surface of flat was a little dry because i didnt wrap till i woke up at 175. Was looking dry then. Rest was great. Fat side really did its job.
Where do you want the heat protection, ie fat layer?
Wrapping earlier can be necessary too due to this. Depending on where measure temperature.
I cooked 14 lb brisket fri night. 260 at grate, measured with two devices, controlled with atc. Big flat, small point. It was 225 above meat. Took 19 hrs. And i goosed temp to 300 last hr to get to 203.
Some of surface of flat was a little dry because i didnt wrap till i woke up at 175. Was looking dry then. Rest was great. Fat side really did its job.
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M Craw
TVWBB Super Fan
I cooked it fat side down, and I ended up cooking it too long.
Great flavor, and the point was... on point! Good and juicy, but the flat was dry. I need to do these more often and while I'm awake. I slept right through the stall, and when I woke up the meat was reading 200°. I put the temp probe into the point and it said it was 190° so I wrapped it for two hours (mistake), and then double foil, double towel and into a cooler for several hours.
Here's the flat sliced up. You can tell it's a bit dry.
And the point, which was better.
My son took the photos.
Next time I'm going to start smoking it like at 4AM and just stay awake so I can react to spikes in the temperature. This one cooked too quickly, as I bet I was averaging temps at/over 270°.
Thanks, as always, for the advice/tips/help and for viewing.
Great flavor, and the point was... on point! Good and juicy, but the flat was dry. I need to do these more often and while I'm awake. I slept right through the stall, and when I woke up the meat was reading 200°. I put the temp probe into the point and it said it was 190° so I wrapped it for two hours (mistake), and then double foil, double towel and into a cooler for several hours.
Here's the flat sliced up. You can tell it's a bit dry.
And the point, which was better.
My son took the photos.
Next time I'm going to start smoking it like at 4AM and just stay awake so I can react to spikes in the temperature. This one cooked too quickly, as I bet I was averaging temps at/over 270°.
Thanks, as always, for the advice/tips/help and for viewing.
M Craw
TVWBB Super Fan
Well, it certainly wasn't under cooked... Maybe I don't know my brisket very well. Everyone thought it was great!
Looks good to me.
Howd the pull test do?
Cooked well, 1/4" slice should hang together under its own wt, but fall apart when tugged
Some briskets are better than others. Some just come out less juicy somehow .
And yeah....getting point rendered without drying out flat is the challenge
Had a point once...couldnt eat....too rich...and its the best part. Flat was great....tried putting point back on and taking to 210....still looked like gel between meat.
Some fix this, by cooking flat....then keep cooking point into burnt ends. But rendered point makes best chopped bbq sandwich you can make, bar none. Id rather eat that. Chopped my point from friday night into 1/2" cubes.....in ziplock in refrig for ez sandwiches. A couple more and it will be gone. Ill slice rest of flat on meat slicer ,and vac seal and freeze tonight.
Howd the pull test do?
Cooked well, 1/4" slice should hang together under its own wt, but fall apart when tugged
Some briskets are better than others. Some just come out less juicy somehow .
And yeah....getting point rendered without drying out flat is the challenge
Had a point once...couldnt eat....too rich...and its the best part. Flat was great....tried putting point back on and taking to 210....still looked like gel between meat.
Some fix this, by cooking flat....then keep cooking point into burnt ends. But rendered point makes best chopped bbq sandwich you can make, bar none. Id rather eat that. Chopped my point from friday night into 1/2" cubes.....in ziplock in refrig for ez sandwiches. A couple more and it will be gone. Ill slice rest of flat on meat slicer ,and vac seal and freeze tonight.
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Timothy F. Lewis
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Well, it certainly wasn't under cooked... Maybe I don't know my brisket very well. Everyone thought it was great!
As long as everyone is having a good time and enjoying the feast, it was... just FINE!
Bob Bass
TVWBB Gold Member
Please don't get me wrong, your brisket looks great. Sounds like it was enjoyed by all.
My comments were based on your "… and I ended up cooking it too long.", "Good and juicy, but the flat was dry.", "You can tell it's a bit dry." comments and my visual observations after judging over 2000 brisket slices.
It not unusual for someone to say their brisket turned out dry. While the brisket may be dry, that single word does not truly describe the brisket's condition.
I do believe your brisket was just starting to enter the Nice and Juicy stage.
See this post from my good friend Donna Fong.
My comments were based on your "… and I ended up cooking it too long.", "Good and juicy, but the flat was dry.", "You can tell it's a bit dry." comments and my visual observations after judging over 2000 brisket slices.
It not unusual for someone to say their brisket turned out dry. While the brisket may be dry, that single word does not truly describe the brisket's condition.
I do believe your brisket was just starting to enter the Nice and Juicy stage.
See this post from my good friend Donna Fong.