High Heat Brisket Method - A Compilation


 
Wagyu Brisket? You just made me incredibly hungry! :)

Thanks for your input, MUCH obliged. I'm looking forward to a nice and moist HH brisket on Saturday!!
 
Hi guys, finally tried my first High Temp Briskett, and had a couple questions, since it didn't turn out perfect. I think I just left it on too long before checking it....the flat was quite burned. Salvageable, but not something I'd have wanted to serve. POint was OK though. When I put it in the foil pan the temp on the grate shot up..400ish which I decided was the heat coming off the pan, so I moved the probe through the top vent, and temp was registering 360 there....so that seemed OK. However I did not even check it for 2 1/2 hours, and it was more than done. I had a 12.5 pound packer. Took about 2.5 hours to hit 170...then 2 1/2 hours in foil. So was it the heat or more likely just that I should have checked it sooner? Also if this is a risk, why couldn't a person just put the fat side down and protect the meat from the high heat of the pan? If the fat gets burned it wouldn't matter to me. Has anyone tried fat side down the whole cook?
 
I made this Saturday for some friends that were coming over for a visit. My first brisket ever.

I had a 14 pounder that I put on at 8:30, I intentionally kept the temp in the 320-330 range because I realized I started too early. By noon we foiled, and at 2ish I tested it and it was perfect! In the cooler for a couple hours.

At dinner time, it was amazing. I'm definately doing this again for camp this coming weekend.


Thanks for all the info!
 
So was it the heat or more likely just that I should have checked it sooner?
I only cook fat side down. Start to finish.


Yes, you should have checked it sooner. For packers I recommend checking at the 3:50 mark - counting from when you put the meat on.
 
<quote> I only cook fat side down... </quote>

This is surprising to me... I thought that in the pan, it went fat side up? (which also makes sense to me -- to allow the fat to baste the meat)

Anyways, I cooked mine on Saturday... it was amazing all around. I highly recommend this recipe to everyone!!
 
Some might do it that way. I don't. I want to keep the rub above the level of the liquid that will exude. I keep the fat down to protect the bottom of the meat, as you suspected upthread.

Fat up doesn't really baste meat, except for the sides as some rolls off. Fat rendering on the top will not soak into the meat or anything like that. And the fatcap on brisket is hard fat. It does not render very much.
 
Thanks Kevin. I don't know what I was thinking waiting so long to check it. I switched to fat side down a long time ago for my low and slow cooks, but didn't know if there was some major reason, that I couldn't think of, why that couldn't be done here as well. I guess I'll just have to do another one soon.
 
Just did my first HH brisket yesterday.
A 15 pounder, it took from 11:50 until 3:15 before I foiled it at 170, but then it was unbelievably tender and ready to take off at 4:30, though I gave it an extra 20 minutes minus the foil to bark up.
I had a tough time keeping the temp consistently above 325 for the first part, which I'm sure is what took it so long, but it all worked out great in the end. Even my oldest son, who swore off brisket after too many Famous Daves attempts, is now a fan, as long as there's some #5 sauce handy.
 
I did a 5 pound flat this weekend that turned out super. My only complaint would be the lack of a pronounced smoke ring. It was there, just not as large as I would like to see. The flat went on the smoker right out of the fridge after the smoker was already at temp. My question, can I go at a lower temp initially say around 250 until the internal temp is 170, then foil and finish at 350. Kind of a low then high method? Thinking the longer time at a slower temp will help with the ring formation. Am I way off here? Thanks.
 
Originally posted by Cory L.:
I did a 5 pound flat this weekend that turned out super. My only complaint would be the lack of a pronounced smoke ring. It was there, just not as large as I would like to see. The flat went on the smoker right out of the fridge after the smoker was already at temp. My question, can I go at a lower temp initially say around 250 until the internal temp is 170, then foil and finish at 350. Kind of a low then high method? Thinking the longer time at a slower temp will help with the ring formation. Am I way off here? Thanks.

I would think you can do that, since that's similar to what's suggested for the high heat pork butt method. Could be an interesting thing to try if you're willing to give it a bit more time....
 
First time I'm seeing this. Thanks for pulling this all into one place Steve. Going to do one and was about to go through all my saves and voila! Found you had already done the work for me.
 
How important is it to add rub and let rest overnight? I noticed some of the Texas BBQ joints that use HH season and throw on the pits right after seasoning.

Would a 1-2 hour rest in the fridge be enough?
 
Originally posted by Cory L.:
I did a 5 pound flat this weekend that turned out super. My only complaint would be the lack of a pronounced smoke ring. It was there, just not as large as I would like to see. The flat went on the smoker right out of the fridge after the smoker was already at temp. My question, can I go at a lower temp initially say around 250 until the internal temp is 170, then foil and finish at 350. Kind of a low then high method? Thinking the longer time at a slower temp will help with the ring formation. Am I way off here? Thanks.
I'd suggest putting the meat on at assembly and not waiting for it to come to temp.
 
I cooked a 12 lb. packer. It took about 3.5 hours to reach 170. Although the taste and texture were wonderful, I also had a very small smoke ring.

I used Minion Method w/ KF Comp. Bricks, 3 chunks of pecan, 3 chunks hickory and 2 oak. All dry. After about an hour I added 3 more chunks. Also, put the brisket on during light up, as suggested.

Most of my stuff has a weak smoke ring, not just this brisket.

What am I doing wrong?
 
I did the HH brisket recipe from the cooking topics section on my gasser (before I got my WSM) and it turned out great (except no smoke flavor which is why I got a WSM). Can't wait to try it on the weber bullet.
 
Here are the notes on my run at High Heat Brisket:

12.89 lb. brisket. Trimmed, oiled, and rubbed with variety of spices (ancho chili powder,chipotle powder, black pepper, salt, onion powder, cayenne, cumin, paprika, Cavender’s Greek Seasoning, etc.) as the fire got ready. Injected with a can of beef broth.

Almost filled WSM (with foiled clay saucer in pan) with unlit Kingsford briquets and 6 hunks of hickory. Put one starter full of lit on top. Let hickory get caught good.

Meat on fat-side-down at 2:00 p.m.

Temp was only about 300 for first 45 minutes, so I turned the access hatch upside-down and propped it open a bit with a chimney starter (perfect height) to let more air in. Temp shot up, and the needle went way past the 350 gauge. Put lid back in place. Adjusted from time to time for rest of cook to keep temp around 350.

5:30: Meat at 168 in thickest part. I think the lower initial temp and large hunk of meat made it take the 3.5 hours to get here. Next time I will crank it from the get go. Put brisket in foil pan fat-side-down and covered with foil.

6:00: Meat at 189. Meat temp climbed very fast after it was foiled. I won’t hesitate to foil earlier next time once the meat has good bark.

6:20: Meat at 200 in thickest part. Took off fire and let rest in unlit oven.

Sliced after about 30 minutes rest. Very good and still moist, but I have liked brisket better when pulled at 195. Seems a little juicier when pulled at 195. That will be the goal for next time.

I’m sold on the high heat method after this run. Several lucky neighbors loved it too.

We made brisket tacos with flour tortillas, cilantro, jalapenos, cheddar cheese, scallions, and caramelized onions (the onions really add a great flavor component). I also made some Kansas City Classic Sauce per recipe at:

http://www.amazingribs.com/rec...assic_BBQ_sauce.html

Thanks for all the HHB tips. This is a winner.
 

 

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