I smoked a brisket on the weekend. I got it untrimmed, weighing in at about 12 lbs before I trimmed off unnecessary fat. I used a rub that was pretty basic - nothing too fancy or unusual - on top of a layer of mustard.
Once I started the coals, it started to rain, so I just set the vents to be a little more open than usual to make up for the rain cooling off the smoker. I put a handful of hickory chips, a handful of apple chips, and a stick of cherry wood in there.
The meat went on at midnight, thinking that it would take about an hour and a half per pound including rest time, so that would make it finished around 5pm or so.
I got up at 8am, and the temp at the lid was about 230, a bit on the low side but not too bad. I used a ketchup-based mop sauce, and started to baste the meat about every hour. I had only made half a batch because usually I'm left with a lot of leftover mop. Well, this time I ran out of it around noon already, so for the rest of the session I just basted with apple juice instead.
At about 5:30pm, I took the meat off, the internal temp seemed to be around 170-175 or so and I was getting really hungry and didn't feel like waiting for it to hit 180... I wrapped it in foil while it rested to maybe push the temp up the final few degrees, then separated the flat from the point and cut them up about 45 minutes later against the grain. There wasn't much of a smoke ring - not more than 1/8" or so. Much of the rub had also come off. I think that the wood chips didn't produce enough smoke (I should have used bigger chunks instead), and that I had used too much mustard for the rub to set properly. The meat was very good, but maybe a little on the dry side, but I blame that on the fact that the rub hadn't set better to keep the juices in.
I served it on buns with a KC style sauce and grilled onion on top. While it was delish, I know it can get even better.
Of course the yield was way more than what myself, my wife and my 2-yearold could eat in one sitting. My wife wondered if it wouldn't have been better if I wouldn't have sliced much of the meat before I put the leftovers in the freezer. I told her I had no idea. What are your tricks for keeping a brisket tasty after it's been cooked and is stored away?
Cheers,
-- Calle.
Once I started the coals, it started to rain, so I just set the vents to be a little more open than usual to make up for the rain cooling off the smoker. I put a handful of hickory chips, a handful of apple chips, and a stick of cherry wood in there.
The meat went on at midnight, thinking that it would take about an hour and a half per pound including rest time, so that would make it finished around 5pm or so.
I got up at 8am, and the temp at the lid was about 230, a bit on the low side but not too bad. I used a ketchup-based mop sauce, and started to baste the meat about every hour. I had only made half a batch because usually I'm left with a lot of leftover mop. Well, this time I ran out of it around noon already, so for the rest of the session I just basted with apple juice instead.
At about 5:30pm, I took the meat off, the internal temp seemed to be around 170-175 or so and I was getting really hungry and didn't feel like waiting for it to hit 180... I wrapped it in foil while it rested to maybe push the temp up the final few degrees, then separated the flat from the point and cut them up about 45 minutes later against the grain. There wasn't much of a smoke ring - not more than 1/8" or so. Much of the rub had also come off. I think that the wood chips didn't produce enough smoke (I should have used bigger chunks instead), and that I had used too much mustard for the rub to set properly. The meat was very good, but maybe a little on the dry side, but I blame that on the fact that the rub hadn't set better to keep the juices in.
I served it on buns with a KC style sauce and grilled onion on top. While it was delish, I know it can get even better.
Of course the yield was way more than what myself, my wife and my 2-yearold could eat in one sitting. My wife wondered if it wouldn't have been better if I wouldn't have sliced much of the meat before I put the leftovers in the freezer. I told her I had no idea. What are your tricks for keeping a brisket tasty after it's been cooked and is stored away?
Cheers,
-- Calle.
