K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Joel-- Yes, I certainly get something out of it or I wouldn't go through the trouble. If you are not getting desired flavors there are several things to look at.
I agree with paul that my effort is to enhance/complement the beef flavor rather than mask it in any way but this is relative, and it has a lot to do with what type of sauce I am serving alongside and what the sides are. There are times, depending on the rub and the variables just noted, that I want a foundational flavor profile at the finish (and I do nothing further) and times when I want more pronounced flavor(s). In the latter case I make more rub than I need for the first go and, as paul notes above as the trick for firming the bark, I remove the brisket when shy of done. At this point I apply more rub and return the brisket, unfoiled, to the smoker to finish. One has to determine which flavors will need boosting--sometimes it might be all and other times it might be just a few. In this case I make enough rub to go on pre-cook, then make another with just the elements that I know I'll want to highlight. I'd say it's trial and error but there really isn't much to worry about in the way of error--it's just trial, getting to know how to predict what the likely finish will be, getting to know what flavors are those that probably shouldn't be boosted (examples might be cardamom, celery, cumin, marjoram, and most of the sweet spices; and those that might be (such as the aromatics--garlic, onion, shallot); thyme, chile(s), ground peppercorns and so on. Nothing is carved in stone but caution should be taken with clove, nutmeg, sage, rosemary, and a few others. They should go into a booster rub in small quantities and be very finely ground so as to spread lightly well. One way to get a handle on it: trim a tiny piece off either end of the brisket when removing it from the foil and taste it. If you feel it necessary, have your booster rub already made and at hand, then apply. If not, the booster can be stored as the base for your next rub recipe.
Note, too: Most high heat briskets throw off a good quantity of liquid. Much of this I remove then de-fat. Some goes into whatever sauce I am making; some gets a bit of butter whisked into it (and a salt adjustment) and I use it to paint on the brisket slices for serving. This can spread the foundational profile very well. But if you are looking for more, try a booster approach, either by applying more of the same rub you started with or by using one with fewer but key elements--and do so after the foiling stage. You need not return the brisket for very long (unless, of course you wish to).
Dale-- Yes, that is what I am saying: go solely by feel.
The cooktemps don't really need to be all that accurate but they should fall into a low-to-mid 300s range. (I tend to go low 300s at the outset, mid-300s during foiling, whatever the temps happen to be if I unfoil and return the meat to the cooker.) The operative dynamic here is what occurs during the foiling stage, i.e., how the moisture in and around the meat responds to heat. If one is cooking at typical low/slow temps, and decides to foil at the commonly used foiling point (160-170), internal finish temp often correlates with the desired 'done' point. This is because sufficient cooking time has taken place (it was slow, after all, especially during the pre-foil stage; even though foiling might have shortened cook time some, at low-to-moderate cook temps cooking is still decidedly gentle).
When one cooks at high temps the dynamic is different: first, the cook time between start and foiling is much shorter; second, more moisture gets heated more quickly during the foiling stage. This second issue can translate into significantly higher internal meat temps rather soon after foiling--temps of 190, 200+ are not uncommon within 30 minutes of foiling. The meat is not done--sufficient time has not passed.
It is mostly a time issue that determines done. Temps might correlate with tender (during a low/slow cook)--but they do not cause tenderness. Time does.
One never sees a recipe for a stew or a braise (usual cooktemp: 300-350) that calls for an internal meat finish temp--it wouldn't work. The direction is to 'cook until tender'. Same here, and for the same reason. Though there can some difference between a, say, mid-level Select and a mid-level Choice, the big deal is thickness (not weight). After a few cooks it isn't hard to peg the probable finish time within a 20 minute window, based upon how the brisket looks and what happened in terms of the first stage of the cook (come-up time, cooktemp). Then, one simply tests a little earlier then predicted, re-wraps, and goes a bit longer--till tender is achieved, or near to being achieved.
Give it a shot and see what you think.
I agree with paul that my effort is to enhance/complement the beef flavor rather than mask it in any way but this is relative, and it has a lot to do with what type of sauce I am serving alongside and what the sides are. There are times, depending on the rub and the variables just noted, that I want a foundational flavor profile at the finish (and I do nothing further) and times when I want more pronounced flavor(s). In the latter case I make more rub than I need for the first go and, as paul notes above as the trick for firming the bark, I remove the brisket when shy of done. At this point I apply more rub and return the brisket, unfoiled, to the smoker to finish. One has to determine which flavors will need boosting--sometimes it might be all and other times it might be just a few. In this case I make enough rub to go on pre-cook, then make another with just the elements that I know I'll want to highlight. I'd say it's trial and error but there really isn't much to worry about in the way of error--it's just trial, getting to know how to predict what the likely finish will be, getting to know what flavors are those that probably shouldn't be boosted (examples might be cardamom, celery, cumin, marjoram, and most of the sweet spices; and those that might be (such as the aromatics--garlic, onion, shallot); thyme, chile(s), ground peppercorns and so on. Nothing is carved in stone but caution should be taken with clove, nutmeg, sage, rosemary, and a few others. They should go into a booster rub in small quantities and be very finely ground so as to spread lightly well. One way to get a handle on it: trim a tiny piece off either end of the brisket when removing it from the foil and taste it. If you feel it necessary, have your booster rub already made and at hand, then apply. If not, the booster can be stored as the base for your next rub recipe.
Note, too: Most high heat briskets throw off a good quantity of liquid. Much of this I remove then de-fat. Some goes into whatever sauce I am making; some gets a bit of butter whisked into it (and a salt adjustment) and I use it to paint on the brisket slices for serving. This can spread the foundational profile very well. But if you are looking for more, try a booster approach, either by applying more of the same rub you started with or by using one with fewer but key elements--and do so after the foiling stage. You need not return the brisket for very long (unless, of course you wish to).
Dale-- Yes, that is what I am saying: go solely by feel.
The cooktemps don't really need to be all that accurate but they should fall into a low-to-mid 300s range. (I tend to go low 300s at the outset, mid-300s during foiling, whatever the temps happen to be if I unfoil and return the meat to the cooker.) The operative dynamic here is what occurs during the foiling stage, i.e., how the moisture in and around the meat responds to heat. If one is cooking at typical low/slow temps, and decides to foil at the commonly used foiling point (160-170), internal finish temp often correlates with the desired 'done' point. This is because sufficient cooking time has taken place (it was slow, after all, especially during the pre-foil stage; even though foiling might have shortened cook time some, at low-to-moderate cook temps cooking is still decidedly gentle).
When one cooks at high temps the dynamic is different: first, the cook time between start and foiling is much shorter; second, more moisture gets heated more quickly during the foiling stage. This second issue can translate into significantly higher internal meat temps rather soon after foiling--temps of 190, 200+ are not uncommon within 30 minutes of foiling. The meat is not done--sufficient time has not passed.
It is mostly a time issue that determines done. Temps might correlate with tender (during a low/slow cook)--but they do not cause tenderness. Time does.
One never sees a recipe for a stew or a braise (usual cooktemp: 300-350) that calls for an internal meat finish temp--it wouldn't work. The direction is to 'cook until tender'. Same here, and for the same reason. Though there can some difference between a, say, mid-level Select and a mid-level Choice, the big deal is thickness (not weight). After a few cooks it isn't hard to peg the probable finish time within a 20 minute window, based upon how the brisket looks and what happened in terms of the first stage of the cook (come-up time, cooktemp). Then, one simply tests a little earlier then predicted, re-wraps, and goes a bit longer--till tender is achieved, or near to being achieved.
Give it a shot and see what you think.
