First Post

[Mark Swope]

I cooked my second brisket on the 5th for a party we were having. I brined (a purchased chipotle/ancho brine) the 14lb brisket that I had blindly chosen at Sam's for about 12 hours . I lit the charcoal fire at about 3:45 AM using the Minion Method. I put the brisket on (fatside up) immediately. It took about an hour for the temp to reach 225. I had to adjust the bottom vents about 9:00, but only for about an hour. Around 1:00 I added another 10-15 briquettes and another chunk of oak. I turned the brisket only once and did not add any sauce. I took it off at 5:30 and waited about 30 minutes before slicing.

It was incredible. Moist and tasty. I got rave reviews from the 25 guests we had, who left me enough to nibble on for a few more days.

I love this website and my Weber Smoker. It gave me real confidence that I would turn out real smoked brisket and not charred meat.

 

[Pat McCreight]

Hi Mark

Welcome to the board. I'm glad you had such success with brisket on your second attempt. Those can be tough to master, but it's definitely my favorite bbq to eat.

The consensus on the board is that you cook briskets fat side down the whole time if using a WSM, but I'm sure you can get good results doing it your way too (as you proved!).

 

[Toby Keil]

Congrats on the cook Mark, briskets are one of my favorites. Personally I always cook my briskets fat side up so it renders through the meat keeping it moist. I’m sure others will chime in on this subject.

 

[Kevin S.]

OMG! Not the "fat side up vs. fat side down" topic!

Actually, you're the ONLY person (other than myself) to brine a brisket. I found brining to be useful, but I'm too lazy to make the effort most of the time.

Between yours and Dan's "it's the fat, isn't it!?" thread, I've GOT to do a brisket again.

 

[dave caston]

Kevin S., what do you brine your brisket with? I have been searching for a brine for brisket and cannot find one. I was thinking about brineing it with the same stuff I do chickens with, salt&water

 

[Kevin S.]

I've made up many brines, usually it's never the same way twice. They always start out with a half cup of Diamond Kosher Salt per quart of water, then I'll add things depending on what's on hand and what I'm in the mood for;

Garlic
Onion
Cilantro
Bay leaves
Peppercorns
Red pepper flakes
Brown sugar (a little)
Lime and/or orange juice
etc, etc, etc...

I've also added marinades;
Chaka's
Claude's brisket sauce
Chef Merito's (the steak marinade)

I've added alcohol;
Beer
Red wine
Tequila

I usually get it soaking the day before and get it over the fire the next day. I was warned that too long, and the meat would get "mushy," but either I've never gone too long, or it just wasn't gonna happen.

Actually, I'm somewhere in the middle between a brine and a marinade. I start with a briney solution, then add ingredients for flavor.

There's been so much brisket talk lately, I'm gonna get off my lazy butt and do another one. I picked up a jug of Vinho Alho (a Portuguese marinade) a few weeks ago, so what I'm thinking is I'll get a packer soaking for a few days (it'll take that long with this stuff) and cook next weekend. Vinho Alho marinated pork has been a family staple for generations, so I figure I'll try it with a brisket. Why not?

Throw some stuff together, and try it out yourself. I was brining briskets because I was tired of unpredictable results. Brining works, but so has my theory on choosing a good brisket to cook.

Go for it.