First Briskie


 
Jeff R

Jeff R

TVWBB Pro
Looking forward to doing my first brisket this weekend. Local grocery butcher is ordering a full untrimmed for me. I watched and read countless on trimming so I am ready for that.

Got my rub all picked out and going to break down and use water I think to ensure I'm not fighting fire as I really want to target a low and slow cook.

Undecided on whether to foil and if I should mop.

Any tried and true tip for you guys would be appreciated. I promise to post pictures
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Good luck.

I went to the store planning on trying my first brisket but i backed out at the last minute and bought ribs instead. After my BB experience i'm a little shy and trying something new. Ribs came out great though.
 
i don't think you will go wrong with foil or no foil. i stopped using foil long ago. just be ready for the stall and make sure to start probing at around 195 or so.
 
Jeff,

I wouldn't bother with mopping, I personally don't find any benefits to mopping anything. You can add a finishing sauce after slicing; but that's different. Foiling can cut cooking time as you start to braise (an efficient cooking method) your brisket when it's foiled. Foiling will soften your bark if that's a concern.

Paul
 
Jeff, you've probably seen my tips for ribs and briskets concerning foil. If I'm gonna foil the pan, I foil the meat.

If I'm smoking one solitary brisket for supper I'll start that morning and cook with dry heat at somewhere around 275* (unless pressed for time), foiling til tender after the meat reaches 160* and has some bark. It's the easiest and most forgiving, consistant method in my opinion for only one brisket for supper.

On the other hand, if cooking for lunch and/or cooking briskets/butts on both racks, I'll cook overnight with water and as to foil, it just depends on how the cook is going. Don't remember the last time I had to foil a brisket cooked overnight, but I wouldn't hesitate if my fire had died down or something.

You'll probably find this amusing, but unlike butts, I really want a good long hot holding period of 2-5 hours or so when cooking briskets low-n-slow. Started doing that several years back as directed for low-n-slow brisket in Dr. BBQ's Bigtime BBQ Book, by Ray Lampe. Not near so long with briskets cooked faster or finished cooking in foil, as the finished IT is typically several degrees higher and easier to overcook in the foil. So yeah, either foil briskets during the cook, or after. Works for me, at least.

I never mop briskets or butts anymore.

Hope that helps, and have fun with it. I don't trim anything much but the hard fat on the side.
 
All Great advice from above posts. After doing 5 or 6 so far, all I can offer is to buy a Choice or better packers cut. A Select cut just did not do it for me no matter what method I used. I'm sure many here can make a select tender. I'm just not one of them.

Good Luck Sir and post the pic's!
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Mike David P:
All Great advice from above posts. After doing 5 or 6 so far, all I can offer is to buy a Choice or better packers cut. A Select cut just did not do it for me no matter what method I used. I'm sure many here can make a select tender. I'm just not one of them. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Mike, I'm with ya on smoking the best briskets you can get or afford. However, if you come across a "select" brisket marked down at Walmart or elsewhere, go for it. All it takes is some time and heat....and FOIL! Makes a great candidate for a HH cook.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Michael Plunkett:
It never hurts to inject a brisket with a little beef broth or one of the many injection recipies you can find on this site either. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I did think about that but haven't decided yet. As long as it is good without, I thought about going without for a baseline in the future. Do most inject?
 
I've injected brisket two or three times with ok results using beef broth based injections, Ray Lampe's published recipe to be exact. Probably wouldn't do it again, unless maybe it was select grade brisket or to be entered in a contest.
 
Just keep it simple....No mop, no foil, no flipping etc.....Trim to about 1/4 inch and just put your rub on and let it do it's thing. Just pull it off when the probe goes in easy regardless of the temp. I always end up pulling mine off between 175-185 and have no problems with tenderness at those temps. But I slice it thin like pastrami for sammies. Don't forget to make burnt ends out of the point!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave Russell:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Mike David P:
All Great advice from above posts. After doing 5 or 6 so far, all I can offer is to buy a Choice or better packers cut. A Select cut just did not do it for me no matter what method I used. I'm sure many here can make a select tender. I'm just not one of them. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Mike, I'm with ya on smoking the best briskets you can get or afford. However, if you come across a "select" brisket marked down at Walmart or elsewhere, go for it. All it takes is some time and heat....and FOIL! Makes a great candidate for a HH cook. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

How true Dave.

I used to do briskets on my gasser wrapped in foil from start to finish with some liquid before I even knew the difference in meat grades. It was always super tender.

I'll have to revisit the old way and try to incorporate it with the WSM.

Thanks for helping me make to connection. I had almost forgot.
wsmsmile8gm.gif
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bill S.:
Just keep it simple....No mop, no foil, no flipping etc.....Trim to about 1/4 inch and just put your rub on and let it do it's thing. Just pull it off when the probe goes in easy regardless of the temp. I always end up pulling mine off between 175-185 and have no problems with tenderness at those temps. But I slice it thin like pastrami for sammies. Don't forget to make burnt ends out of the point! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ok this is the route I plan to take. Only further question for the burnt ends is to I remove the point immediately and loose flat temp before the foil rest or remove the point when my rest is done and ready to eat, or perhaps unfoil part way through then rewrap
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jeff R:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bill S.:
Just keep it simple....No mop, no foil, no flipping etc.....Trim to about 1/4 inch and just put your rub on and let it do it's thing. Just pull it off when the probe goes in easy regardless of the temp. I always end up pulling mine off between 175-185 and have no problems with tenderness at those temps. But I slice it thin like pastrami for sammies. Don't forget to make burnt ends out of the point! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ok this is the route I plan to take. Only further question for the burnt ends is to I remove the point immediately and loose flat temp before the foil rest or remove the point when my rest is done and ready to eat, or perhaps unfoil part way through then rewrap </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Jeff, I'm sorry and did not mean to hijack your post. I've never done the burnt ends and defer to those that know more.

Looks like a Good plan.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Mike David P:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jeff R:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bill S.:
Just keep it simple....No mop, no foil, no flipping etc.....Trim to about 1/4 inch and just put your rub on and let it do it's thing. Just pull it off when the probe goes in easy regardless of the temp. I always end up pulling mine off between 175-185 and have no problems with tenderness at those temps. But I slice it thin like pastrami for sammies. Don't forget to make burnt ends out of the point! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ok this is the route I plan to take. Only further question for the burnt ends is to I remove the point immediately and loose flat temp before the foil rest or remove the point when my rest is done and ready to eat, or perhaps unfoil part way through then rewrap </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Jeff, I'm sorry and did not mean to hijack your post. I've never done the burnt ends and defer to those that know more.

Looks like a Good plan. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

No hijack I see. We are all here to learn from one another. Good luck with your next
 
Separating the flat from the point pre-resting obviously makes serving both for the same meal more doable. Just make sure you have a way to keep the flat good and hot. Not only will a solitary flat not hold heat as well, but you'll lose heat while you're separating the two. (Use the back side of a long knife.) Just put something else hot in your cooler to preheat and help keep hot. I've used 2 liter soda bottles with hot tap but you can even heat up bricks and wrap in towels. Like I posted earlier, I like to rest a brisket a long time, plenty long enough to make burnt ends, even after cooking tender to around 185-190* (in the thickest part of the FLAT).

What makes burnt ends is the texture and degree of (over) cooking, so trimming a lot of fat off the point precook will get you a jump on it, focusing on the hard knob of fat on the side of the brisket. Lots of folks will do burnt ends in TWO stages: Smoke cubed point with added rub, and THEN add some sauce to the pan to camelize and finish cooking. Of course, what's considered K.C.-style burnt ends and what you like might be two different things. One of the neatest things though about smoking briskets is when you see firsthand can appreciate the differences in the point and the flat.
 
Alright, here we go. Picked up a 17lb last nignt. Go big or go home, right
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Trimmed it up this morning and applied rub to the top and some on the inside where I back cut some of the fat line between the two pieces. Resting comfortably in the fridge and will meet the heat around 9 pm.

I will start a photo thread later showing from package to table. Hopefully that will encourage others to try as well.
 
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