Injection Marinade for not the best brisket


 
Hawk Redhawk

Hawk Redhawk

TVWBB Member
I live in an area that doesn’t have a lot of shopping options and were people are more interested in eating cheap or eating processed food and who think that Prime is a part of Amazon and Choice is something guaranteed by thre Constitution. Got the picture? Bottom line is that no one sells prime meat and what we have could just as likely be select as choice. I was able to purchase a brisket from Delimaster, a local meat and food store. No way of telling what the grade is, ut from the price and appearance, I’m betting select. So, i’m looking for a marinade that is going to up the flavor and possibly the tenderness a bit. I figure to start with some :better than Boullion” beef base and roasted garlic. base combined. Just wondering if there is something I can add to it to help things along. Since I’ll be injecting I’m guessing it will have to be liquid.
 
Yes, 10-12 ounces of an injection made from concentrated beef base with or without added garlic flavor would be a good option. Maybe add a Tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce.
 
I'm sorry you can't find USDA Prime beef in your area. I sleuthed on your IP address to see roughly where you are in upstate NY. Man, you've got no Costco for MANY miles, that would be an obvious choice for some Prime beef. I guess online ordering is the way to go...open wallet, dump out entire contents.

Further sluething...there's a place called Fred The Butcher in Clifton Park, "best butcher in upstate NY", that sells USDA Prime Certified Angus Beef. That there is some good stuff. Also, there's another place called Primal: Your Local Butcher in Albany that carries some prime cuts. Maybe drop them an email to find out what they've got before visiting. Might not be super close to your locale, but might be better than online ordering.

Good luck!
 
Some good advice from above. Even though we live in the mountains of Arizona I feel your pain. We have a Costco which is very good and does have some prime at times ( although not recently due to the health problems) No butcher shops within 100 miles of here.
I inject a beef bouillon solution with a little SPOG (Salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic mixed in) Works well for us.
 
Sometimes cooking it a bit different may help. Liquid in the wrap can help too. Sometimes a well prepared selecy brisket can be very good. I like drier, less fatty meat, but....
 
Years ago, my favorite BBQ joint served USDA Select briskets and built an entire business on doing that. I've also learned that the current #1 BBQ joint in the state of Texas, Snow's BBQ, cooks small USDA Select briskets. So it can be done! Having said that, better grades of brisket with more marbling tend to produce more tender, juicy brisket.
 
Thanks, everyone. Chris, I made note of the butchers you listed for the next time. Anyway I trimmed, injected, & rubbed (why does that sound dirty?) the brisket last night. Put it in the cooker a couple of hours ago.
After all is said and done, since this is my first brisket and only my fourth cook (first in the new 18"), just as well I'm not into it for a lot of money. Good practice run.

Plus with regular cooking, I always liked chuck better than the other cuts for flavor. Just had to braise instead of roast to get it tender.
 
Hawk Redhawk said:
Thanks, everyone. Chris, I made note of the butchers you listed for the next time. Anyway I trimmed, injected, & rubbed (why does that sound dirty?) the brisket last night. Put it in the cooker a couple of hours ago.
After all is said and done, since this is my first brisket and only my fourth cook (first in the new 18"), just as well I'm not into it for a lot of money. Good practice run.

Plus with regular cooking, I always liked chuck better than the other cuts for flavor. Just had to braise instead of roast to get it tender.
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The Brisket went into the smoker (dry water pan) at 8 am. Maintained a 250-degree temp, the BBQGuru DigiQ ATC was spot on. Spritzed a few times /with apple juice until I got t a temp of 265, about 4:30. Charcoal was just about finished so I Put it in foil and hydrated it with two cups of BTB Beef base and put it in the oven at 205 degrees (Henry Soo claims cooking it this slow in the foil will really help with the cheaper brisket) It's now 8:45 EDT and my internal temp is 180 degrees.
Fortunately, with age comes patience guess I'll go watch some Virtual Weber Bullet videos on Youtube while I wait.
 
Hawk Redhawk said:
The Brisket went into the smoker (dry water pan) at 8 am. Maintained a 250-degree temp, the BBQGuru DigiQ ATC was spot on. Spritzed a few times /with apple juice until I got t a temp of 265, about 4:30. Charcoal was just about finished so I Put it in foil and hydrated it with two cups of BTB Beef base and put it in the oven at 205 degrees (Henry Soo claims cooking it this slow in the foil will really help with the cheaper brisket) It's now 8:45 EDT and my internal temp is 180 degrees.
Fortunately, with age comes patience guess I'll go watch some Virtual Weber Bullet videos on Youtube while I wait.
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Midnight on the East Coast! The brisket is done. Took it out and let it set. Had quite a bit of au jus from some of the beef both. Bark was still in good shape, it sliced well, aroma was good, it was tender, just about what I hoped for and the taste was good, just a little on the salty side. Decent smoke ring, i think, not having a lot of experience. So, I’d rate it about an eight. of course it isn’t up to competition level, but the only one I’m in competition with is myself, to get better with each cook. This is the best of the four that I’ve done since I started about 3 weeks ago. Looks like it’s going to bear brisket for the forth of July for a few friends that are coming over (and social distancing of course). They don’t have that discerning taste that BBQ aficionados do so they’ll be impressed.
 
You did good enough to brag about that cook. Getting better every time sound like you're on the right path. Congratulations on another good cook.
 
Hawk Redhawk said:
Midnight on the East Coast! The brisket is done. Took it out and let it set. Had quite a bit of au jus from some of the beef both. Bark was still in good shape, it sliced well, aroma was good, it was tender, just about what I hoped for and the taste was good, just a little on the salty side. Decent smoke ring, i think, not having a lot of experience. So, I’d rate it about an eight. of course it isn’t up to competition level, but the only one I’m in competition with is myself, to get better with each cook. This is the best of the four that I’ve done since I started about 3 weeks ago. Looks like it’s going to bear brisket for the forth of July for a few friends that are coming over (and social distancing of course). They don’t have that discerning taste that BBQ aficionados do so they’ll be impressed.
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Four briskets in 3 weeks? For just you?
Do you have recipes for leftovers to share? I don't cook that much brisket, yet still end up with so much leftover. I used a pound of brisket recently to make chili (which I promptly froze.) Only another 3 lbs. to go ... 😆
 
Do you guys suggest using an injection for any brisket that is choice grade? I just picked up a choice grade brisket from the butcher. Prime was a bit too expensive from the local butcher at $8/pound and Costco on Long Island do not carry prime briskets for some reason.
 
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