First Smoke, Brisket


 
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Gerry Ackerman

New member
First smoke with new 22. Brisket flat smoked using recipe from Myron Mixon's book. Because my brisket was smaller than what he describes, cooking time varied greatly. I started my 6 lb. flat at noon and took it off just under three hours later. I let it rest for two hours. The heat stayed pretty consistent at 325, 350 until it dipped about two hours in to 275. Added more charcoal and temperature rose satisfactorily. Bottom line, brisket was tasty, but dry, except for a section that had more fat seams, which was very good. Lesson learned: I trimmed off too much of the fat.
More than anything I'm thrilled it was edible and actually tasted good, although I'll cut back on the rub a bit if I do a similar sized cut in the future.
Smoke No. 1 in the books! Sorry I forgot to take pictures.
Any suggestions for a juicier piece of meat?
 
Sorry I'm not able to give suggestions, as I also broke into the WSM family with a brisket just yesterday. I'm here though to say congrats on your first brisket, they're not easy from what I've read. I can't wait to cook a pork butt on my 18.5, but a Christmas ham will have to come first. Good luck and have fun!
 
So was it dry and tough or dry and fall apart?

An under cooked brisket is dry. Lots of people make the mistake of thinking their brisket was overcooked but I suspect that in 3 hours yours was under done.

I trim very little fat from mine when I cook them.
 
Thanks, Troy. I hope yours was good.
Bob, It was dry and tough, except for the very middle where there was more fat. That part was right on. Internal temperature reached 205. Next time I'm going to leave more fat.
 
If you overcook it tends to fall apart, so it definitely sounds undercooked.

I did a full packer on Saturday-Sunday, started at grill temp of 225 at 7pm Saturday and pulled it at meat temp 185 (measured in the middle of the point) around 10am Sunday. Wrapped it in foil and stuck in the oven at 190 for a couple of hours. The thinnest part of the flat was overcooked...I almost couldn't cut it with a knife, it just sort of crumbled. Otherwise it was really really juicy and tender.
 
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Definitely sounds undercooked, but i'm only experimenting with high heat cooking as well.

I've found that my cooking times almost always seem to be shorter than most recipes call for as well. They've usually come out fine, though.

Pork Butt is my favorite so far! seems easier than briskett to get right.
 
If you're already cooking high heat briskets, you're ahead of the game. Now it's time to inject and foil.
 
I will try again during the holidays. I'm going to trim less of the fat and cook longer. I'm happy with the taste, but 70% was dry. The remaining 30% was very good. I'm also going to try ribs, although on a different day.
 
Gerry, did you foil? My HH process includes foiling when meat hits around 160-170. AFter that you test for tenderness evry 30-45 minutes til it's probe tender. But foiling is the key
 
Agreed. Gotta foil. I assume you did. Cooking time should not vary much based on size. I cook 11-pounders in the same time as 16-pounders: 4 hours, give or take 10 min. If the flat you cooked was thick, the time would be similar - but one must check sooner for flats.

Undercooked would be my guess as well.

I rarely trim packers at all. Occasionally i will trim a bit of the fat knob from between point and flat but that's it. Easier to trim (for the fat averse) when serving.

I don't temp meat while it is cooking. For briskets I foil around the 2.5 hour mark, give or take. Temping is fine: Foil ~160-165 if a packer, ~160 if a nice thick flat. Do not temp at all after foiling. 'Done' is determined by how the meat feels - it should feel tender to a probe, i.e., the probe will insert into the meat near effortlessly. For packers, I check for tender the first time about 1.25 hours after foiling, then every 10 min thereafter. (I would check sooner with a flat - but I don't much care for cooking flats.)

There is no need to rest brisket that long if cooked to tender - and it is something I don't recommend. 20 min on the counter, just tented with foil, not wrapped; slice and serve. (If you have to hold it: allow to sit on the counter unwrapped, just tented, for 10 min first, then wrap and hold.)

Give it another shot. Try to get a packer if you can.

Here and here and here are examples, if you're interested.
 
Thanks all, for the input. It's a learning process and I'm sure I'll do better next time. I did chicken breasts quite well and will do a chicken tomorrow. I may do another brisket next weekend.
 
I did a hh brisky this weekend, the area near the flat was a little dry but not tough. As I made my way to the middle and point it became a lot juicier and tender. The point was delicous. I foiled at 170, my temps were in the 335 to 350 range. It was a full packer at 10.5 lbs. I usually do low and slow. I got really good bark, nice smoke ring to. The bark was tough near the flat, very hard to cut through. My rub has a lot of sugar, does that have any to with it? My temps also got above 200 bit was not tender, I did trim a lot of fat. I yearn for the day I do a hh brisky and when I cut through it is moist. I followed the directions on the board but I still have problems. Any thoughts?
 
Yes. Foil sooner - about 165 if the flat end of your packer is nice and thick all the way along. If it thins dramatically, foil ~160.

Yes, a lot of sugar can do that. For beef, I rarely use more than 10% sugar by volume, if any. Think of the sugar as counterpoint to any bitter or sour ingredients you have in the rub ONLY, and use JUST enough to balance those. If you want the meat sweet make a sauce with that inclination. Added bonus: as a lot of sugar flattens flavors considerably, you'll have brighter, more distinct rub and beef flavor if you use less.

Do not temp the meat after foiling. Not only are internal temps immaterial in the first place, once you foil the cooking within the foil is much more efficient. You can achieve all manner of higher internal temps really rather quickly - but they mean nothing. The brisket is done when it is tender - and that is best judged by feeling it. Skip the probe for temp - use it to feel the meat, about an hour - an hour-and-a-quarter after foiling. If the probe goes into the center of the flat effortlessly, the brisket is done. If not, check in 10 min, then every 10 thereafter, till it is done, recrimping the foil well each time. When done, rest 25 min, tented; slice and serve.
 
Kevin, thank you for the response and the tips. Do you recommend a finishing sauce? I whipped up a new simple sauce for the brisket. The link to the recipe is here. If you could look at it and critique I would appreciate it. I know this not the forum for this type of request but I have not had any responses and you are, what I view, as one of the foremost experts on this topic. Thanks again!
 
Hey Gerry,

Thanks for posting! I, too, had brisket troubles during my last smoke. From reading all the replies, I think I may have not cooked the brisket long enough... and I didn't wrap with foil until I took it off the smoker.

Let's give it another shot, shall we???
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Do you recommend a finishing sauce? I whipped up a new simple sauce for the brisket. The link to the recipe is here.
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From the liquid that collects in the foil during that stage - there should be quite a bit of it if doing a packer - I make a paint. When the brisket is done I carefully pour off half the liquid into a fat separator and allow the brisket to rest in the remainder. Just before slicing the brisket I separate the fat out of my saved liquid then mix in some unsalted butter and a bit of Dijon, whisking well to emulsify. This gets painted on the slices - the cut sides - as I slice. It will hold the moist look of the brisket (after slicing brisket can start to look dry rather quickly, even when it isn't) and add shine.

As for the sauce, good idea adding the mango jam. Imo, one of the best combinations out there is smoke, meat and fruit - and why so few Q sauces include it is beyond me. A couple suggestions:

Add a small onion (or half a large one) finely chopped.

Melt the butter the sauté the chopped onion over medium heat, adding a pinch of salt and stirring occasionally, till the onions are browning nicely all over. (This will add some sweetness and caramelized notes to your sauce.)

Add the rub and stir constantly, 30 secs.

Add the tomato sauce, vinegar, and mango jam. Stir well then bring to a simmer. Simmer 10 min.

Add 3 tablespoons sugar. Add a little salt and pepper.

Purée the mixture with a blender or handblender. Return to the pot, off heat. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Add sugar - if necessary - a couple teaspoons at a time (remembering you are going to add honey). Heat the sauce just long enough, stirring constantly, to melt the added sugar, if you used any more, into the sauce. Remove from heat then add the mustard. Add honey to taste. (Both mustard's and honey's flavor is badly affected by heat. Anything above a bare simmer can kill most of it so it is best adding it off heat, at the end.)

See how that goes for you. And thank you for the kind words.
 
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