Got my first brisket....

[Seth Boardman]

So I decided to buy a brisket but haven't cooked it yet. What should I do for a rub? Go elaborate or just salt, pepper, and garlic? Should I inject or not? Wrap or not? I'm looking for any tips or anything you can give me. This cook has me stressing out a bit because I don't know what to expect.

 

[Rich G]

So I decided to buy a brisket but haven't cooked it yet. What should I do for a rub? Go elaborate or just salt, pepper, and garlic? Should I inject or not? Wrap or not? I'm looking for any tips or anything you can give me. This cook has me stressing out a bit because I don't know what to expect.

You forgot high heat or low heat? Wrap in foil or butcher paper? Left or right handed brisket?

For your first one, I would pick either the Brisket Midnight Cook, or the Brisket - High Heat recipe that Chris has documented on TVWB. Both are solid recipes with good process descriptions that are very likely to result in a tasty brisket. Then, once you have one under your belt (literally!), you can start to experiment with all the "other" things that we do with briskets.

....since you asked..... I like a Montreal Steak Seasoning style rub, I don't inject, I wrap in foil at 170/175, I cook at 300F (high heat method), and I start probing for tenderness at 195.

Don't stress, Seth, this is fun!

R

 

[Ken Barth]

Keep it simple. Let the meat shine. S&P or SP&G is all it needs. No injection. If you feel like wrapping at the stall, wrap. It will finish a little faster wrapped in a double layer of foil.

 

[ChristopherC]

I did my first brisket about a month ago...

I wasn't going to, but ended up injecting because it was a Canadian AAA which is equivalent to USDA Choice or lower. So, since there wasn't as much marbling as a Prime, I injected to add moisture. I used Beef Stock, Worcestershire and Garlic blended together in a blender.

I put SPG on the outside, but did it too heavily....make sure you can see half the meat after coating.

I also over trimmed. Try and trim "just the really hard fat" and leave 1/4" of the fat cap.

I did low and slow - aiming at 250.

I wrapped in foil and finished in oven at 250.

I let rest in cooler for about 3 hours I think it was.

It turned out really great except for a bit of the over-seasoning.

Start earlier than you expect it to take as you can always let it rest longer if needed.

Most are right - start simple and get more complex over time and experience.

 

[Dustin Dorsey]

Salt and pepper is fine, but do whatever makes you happy. Why grade is it? I've only ever injected once and it was a select and it was my very first brisket. I believe I wrapped my first few briskets. These days I typically do butcher paper. Back then it was foil. You can make it as complex or simple as you want.

 

[Lew Newby]

Whatever process you use do not cook to a specific internal temp. At 190 IT start probing for tenderness and pull it when the probe slides in easily. Pull, double wrap in foil and let it rest wrapped with a towel in a cooler 1- 4 hours. Paraphrasing Rich - don't stress like most of us did on our first Brisket.. Have fun.

 

[MartinB]

Yep with brisket I'm a fan of just salt and pepper.
It doesn't need anything else. Let the meat flavor shine through.
KISS.

it's a big piece of meat that ranges from about 1 inch thick or less at one end, to 5 or 6 inches at the other. By the time you get the point done , which is heavy in fat, the flat will be overdone . This is why many will put their point back on and make burn ends out of it.... It's not rendered enough when the flat is done. Particularly on a prime in my experience.

Dont sweat it, when you've got the bark you want then wrap it you won't make any bark after you wrap. If you wrap it too soon you won't have any bark. I start checking about 165 and wrap it somewhere between 165 and 175 with paper , and I cook it at about 265-275. No particular reason. Generally I can count on cooking it till 202-203 and it's good. That all depends on where your thermometer is.... Thin end of the poi7nt can be 210 and dry by the time the middle of the point end gets to 200. It's a balancing act, and you can always cook the point more.

the best advice I can give you, is that it's hard to tell the state of your bark via a flashlight at night time. It may look like you don't have it like it's brown under the flashlight and it's really very black. Higher temperatures create bark at lower internal temperatures. This is why I use about 265. If you use 300 you'd have bark much earlier, and if you used 225 you'd have bark possibly later. When in doubt I'm wrapping about 170. With ribs as well I feel I don't get much good bark at 250.