High temp brisket question


 
If you have an instant read, you might think about checking at the two hour mark.

Low 160's seems to work best for me. The color gets much better at this point.

The brisket will still be very tough at this point.
 
Kevin, one other thing I wanted to pick your brain about... You mentioned earlier in this thread ( I think ) about draining and separating the drippings for a sauce, defatting, and adding a bit of dijon ( I assume for an emulsifier) and melted butter, to make a sauce.

The question I have is why defat the drippings, if you are going to re introduce beef fat in the form of butter? Is it for a cleaner flavor? I can't imagine a texture difference.

Thanks.

Tom

PS, about every time I read one of these threads, I have to go pick up a no-roll packer, and give it another try.
 
Excellent question. Yes, the Dijon is used as an emulsifier--so you don't need much. You are correct, there is no texture difference, but a few other things: the butter is in a smaller quantity than would be the fat had one left it there; the flavor is cleaner, as you surmise; and the emulsification is better and holds longer with butter that with meat fats.
 
Originally posted by craig castille:
If you have an instant read, you might think about checking at the two hour mark.

Low 160's seems to work best for me. The color gets much better at this point.

The brisket will still be very tough at this point.
Click to expand...

I'm at 2:30 now, and the instant read says the meat is at about 145. I'm going to leave it out there a little longer before I foil. Cooker is holding nicely at 350.
 
Iirc, I have only temped once just to see what the temp was at the time I was just about to foil. It was, I think, 154. It shouldn't really matter (as long as you don't go too long without foiling) what the temp is.
 
Originally posted by K Kruger:
Iirc, I have only temped once just to see what the temp was at the time I was just about to foil. It was, I think, 154. It shouldn't really matter (as long as you don't go too long without foiling) what the temp is.
Click to expand...

So this is the first bbq I've made without planing around temps . . . I felt like I just had to check because that's the way I work! At any rate, right about the time your post came through, I had decided that once we were past the point where the smokering is forming, we're probably good to foil. I was starting to here a lot of dripping into the foiled pan. Decided it was time. Foiled at the 2:40 mark, temp was low 150s.

We're foiled, opened up the vents further, and we're off to the races at about 365 in the lid.
 
4:15 into the cook. Fork tender. I am stunned. Double checked with the temp probe (checking for resistance -- not for temp!). Felt like I was putting the probe into a glass of water.

I'm resting it on the counter for about 20 minuts. Then I'll drain some (not all) juices for sauce, and drop it in the cooler until it's ready to slice in about an hour.

You guys are terrific. Thanks for the help.
 
Steven, Glad to hear it turned out great for you.
icon_cool.gif
Us high heaters just knew it would.
icon_biggrin.gif
 
A BIG THANKS TO ALL !!!!! What an educational learning lesson !!! I'll be doing my first brisket soon and this thread answers all of my questions. I've stayed away from brisket because of the intimidation factor. No longer.
 
The high-temp brisket was a fantastic success this weekend. My neighbor also cooked a brisket, and we fed 18 people comfortably. The meat was tender, and I got a beautiful smokering (sorry I had to rush out after slicing so no photos).

What I couldn't get right was defatting the juices. They were a too greasy for what I wanted. I had a cup of them in the fridge for an hour and it was still all greasy orange sludge. I'm going to use a fat separator next time.

I did flip the packer when I foiled, and I don't think I'll do that next time. I ended up with too much of the rub coming off the meat and sitting in the bottom of the foil.

Also, the #5 sauce (from the appropriate forum on this site) is a can't miss BBQ sauce. I subbed half of the cider vinegar with red-wine vinegar. I also kicked in a teaspoon on cayenne. Delicious. The other brisket at our weekend party was a black-pepper-heavy sauce/rub. It was a perfect complement to the one I cooked.
 
I use a paste generally, and that always prevents me from flipping the brisket for its rest.

A fat separator solves the greasy problem fast. I learned the hard way on that too.
 
I assemble immediately and do not leave the door off. I am looking for a climb to my target of 325/345 or so, a somewhat quick but not a rapid rise. When the temps are nearing the upper 200s I can usually tell by the speed of the rise if I will need to prop the door open. (I often do.)

I don't temp the brisket at all. I simply foil somewhere between 2:20 and 2:40 into the cook. I do not use any liquid addition either. I do leave some space (maybe 1/2 inch) around the sides of the brisket and a bit of head space above so there is room for the exuded liquid. After foiling I tend to cook 350-375.
Click to expand...

Kevin,

I wanted to thank you for your posts and I cooked 2 15.4# brisket's Sunday and your posts helped me. (I know those are large, but it was the only two the local butcher had in stock.)
 
Terrific. I am glad your cook went well.

I am limited, too, in what I can get here. Sometimes I get what I like, packers in the 10-12-lb range. And other times the only choice is the 15- or 16-pounder still in the walk-in. No matter, it works fine.
 
I plan on trying this high heat method this weekend for my first brisket. A lot of good info here, but I do have one question:

Will sugar be a problem in the rub with these high temperatures? I use turbinado sugar in my rub and I know it has a higher heat point, but I wasn't sure if this heat is a little too much for it.
 
No, it's not. Sugar burns at >350F. Temps at the meat's surface will be lower than ambient cooktemps. Once foiled, moisture prevents burning.
 
Well this thread just threw a wrench into my weekend menu. I was planning on loading my WSM with a brisket flat and 2 racks of ribs all low and slow. Now I must try the high heat brisket.

Any way to pull this off and still have good ribs?

I was thinking about starting the brisket in the WSM at 225 and throwing it in a 300 oven when the ribs go on the WSM. Any idea on the WSM and oven cook times using this method for a 6lb flat?

Recommendations?
 
I was thinking about starting the brisket in the WSM at 225 and throwing it in a 300 oven when the ribs go on the WSM.
Click to expand...
Well--if you do this then you wouldn't really be doing a high heat cook.

Ribs don't need low/slow either.

So what is it you really want to do?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top