First High Heat brisket

[toby h.]

hi folks,
yet another newbie to the board.
i've done a few briskets using the traditional long method, still haven't perfected it, but have had some turn out very well.
i've now been reading about the high temperature briskets and this has me intrigued as it saves a lot of time. after having done a search, it's difficult to wade through all the info, but i wanted to make sure that i had the method "right". so please let me know if i missed anything.

i'm going to minion the start(using all lump with my preference of cherry and apple, empty water pan) and put the meat on fat cap down letting the temp come up to 350. the brisket i'm using is a choice packer cut at just over 12 lbs.
once the meat breaks plateau at ~170(around the 2 hour mark as i understand), foil the meat. once the meat hits roughly 190, start checking for doneness using the probe. once i'm able to slide it in the meat with relative ease, i'm done and i can towel'er up and let it rest in the microwave.

can some of you high heat experts let me know if there was anything i missed and also, when you foil, do you foil loosely or fairly tight?
and if there are any hints or tips you can add, i'd definitly like to know.

thanks again fellas and have a great memorial day weekend...also a hearty thank you to all our current, retired and lost servicemen, your service will not go unnoticed!

 

[K Kruger]

Welcome toby.

I start as you are planning, using the Minion. I use more lit than for low/slows, about 22-25 or so. Empty foiled waterpan (leaving space between the bottom of the pan and the foil. This keeps the drippings from resting on the actual pan bottom where they are more likely to burn.) When I add the lit I assemble the cooker then immediately add the meat. I use more smokewood than 'normal' because the time in the smoke is curtailed.

Others here prefer to start more like a Standard Method. I like the more-lit Minion approach because I just find it easier to hit my target temp. I go for anywhere between 325 and 350 lid. After 20-30 min of temp rise I can tell if it's going to get to my target or if it will need help (the rise slows). If the latter, I crack open the door from the bottom, propping it open about 1/4 inch. (Flip the door so that the knob is on the bottom. Have something available to prop the door before you need it so you don't need to go searching hither and yon.)

Many high-heaters foil ~170. I don't temp at all. I just foil some time between 2 and 2.25 hours from the start.

I put the brisket on a single sheet of HD foil then make a 'lid' with another sheet, crimping the pieces together and raising the crimped joint up above the brisket sides to prevent leakage. I do leave some space around the brisket (an inch or a bit more) and some headspace above the brisket. Packers can throw off a lot of liqid so you need room, but I prefer foil over foil pans because I like a tighter area. I often cook at 350-375 after foiling.

I do not temp after the brisket is foiled and I recommend not bothering. Because of the environment you create when foiling, and because of the way higher heat works on moisture in the brisket, temps of 180, 190, 200 are not uncommon to see just minutes after foiling. The brisket will not be done yet though. Instead, about 3:50-4:00 into the cook (from the start), I test the brisket with my temp probe by opening the foil and inserting it into the flat. If the probe enters effortlessly or very nearly so, the brisket is done and I remove it (carefully, as the liquid is often profuse). If not yet done, I recrimp and cook 15-20 min more and then check. It will nearly always be done at that point, barring any cooking temp weirdness during the cook.

I drain most of the liquid into a fat separator then rest the brisket. I rest 20-30 min but others rest longer.

Hope this helps.

 

[toby h.]

excellent kevin! that's exactly the feedback i was looking for. i'm starting to get pretty excited as this is my first cook of the season.

 

[K Kruger]

I should note: You can return the brisket to the cooker unfoiled (after the foiled cooking stage) to firm the bark if you wish. I usually don't (I don't care one way or the other with brisket; ribs and butts,yes, brisket, no) but it works.

Here is a somewhat blow-by-blow of a cook I did a while back you might find helpful.

 

[toby h.]

i was actually going to ask you about that. thanks again kevin.