Cooking Brisket with Sand in the Water Pan

[Danny Hardesty]

Gonna cook a brisket flat, partially trimmed, on my WSM on Wednesday, using sand in the water pan instead of water. I used this technique with a pork butt on Saturday and it turned out great.

However, since this brisket appears to have less fat on it (it does have a fat cap, just not as thick as a fully untrimmed one)and I want to cook it using sand in the water pan instead of water, I was concerned it might be too dry when it was done.

Accordingly, I am thinking about putting it in one of those cheap aluminum disposable baking pans and then onto the grill. That way the pan catches the juices and would hopefully keep the brisket moist.

Any thoughts?

Danny Hardesty

 

[Ken Nelson]

If I understand your plan correctly, you're essentially going to be braising the flat in a pan of its own drippings. You may find you'll end up with something that's closer to pot roast than brisket. While that's not a bad thing, I don't believe it's what you're shooting for.

The water pan contributes nothing to the moistness of the finished meat. That's the result of the fat content of the meat, how it was cooked, and the internal temperature it was taken to.

If you're concerned about the fat cap being insufficient, throw a few strips of bacon over the top to suppliement it and cook over the sand like you did the butt. Take it off when a fork or your probe slides into the meat with very little resistance (probably around 190-195) Wrap and rest it for awhile and you should wind up with some great tasting brisket with the texture you're looking for.

Good luck with your flat.

Ken