Gary H. NJ
TVWBB Platinum Member
I haven't done a brisket in ages, so picked up a 12+ lb. whole packer Angus.
In an effort to improve my brisket, I decided to brine briefly with the idea of producing a moist brisket flat. A 2-3 hour brine was suggested. Sing along with me: "A three hour cure..."
Basic brine:
4 cups apple juice
12 cups water
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp black peppercorns
2 bay leaves.
Dried off and out of the brine, rubbed and ready to smoke. I make my own saltless rubs. I salt the meat with kosher salt, then apply the rub. In this case, since I had already brined the brisket, I gave it a light salting, then some rub, some yellow mustard (to help in bark production), then a bit more rub.
My basic beef rub:
1 Tbsp each of black peppercorns, cumin, coriander, demerara (raw) sugar, oregano (or thyme, your choice), 1/2 Tbsp granulated onion, 1 tsp. granulated garlic, 2 Tbsp each coffee beans and ancho chili powder, and a dash of cinnamon. Use a spice grinder to grind the spices.
I set it on the smoker last night around 7 pm. Everything was running smoothly at around 225F when I went to bed. Woke at 3:30pm; the remote probe thermometer alarm had gone off. WSM temp was in the high 260sF. Went outside with flashlight and closed the vent slightly and went back to bed. Woke at 5:30am to find the remote thermometer read "-- --" ! Grrr. New batteries too... Anyway, I straightened out the problem and caught a few more Z's. By 10:30am the brisket internal temp was at 160. I foiled it and added a half cup of apple juice. Two hours later I separated the flat from the deckle. The flat got covered and went into the fridge. The deckle got a bit more rub and back on the WSM for a couple hours.
Before foiling:
The flat:
Meanwhile, I had a pot of Peach-Chipotle BBQ sauce on the stove. Recipe here. I really like this sauce. Unlike commercial sauces, it's light, but super tasty. My version uses fresh peaches.
Point got a glaze of sauce (with honey added).
The money shot. Very happy with the brisket. My first or second best ever. I'll brine again for the next one.
With green beans from the garden and baked black beans.
Thanks for visiting. Hope everyone had a great weekend.
In an effort to improve my brisket, I decided to brine briefly with the idea of producing a moist brisket flat. A 2-3 hour brine was suggested. Sing along with me: "A three hour cure..."
Basic brine:
4 cups apple juice
12 cups water
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp black peppercorns
2 bay leaves.
Dried off and out of the brine, rubbed and ready to smoke. I make my own saltless rubs. I salt the meat with kosher salt, then apply the rub. In this case, since I had already brined the brisket, I gave it a light salting, then some rub, some yellow mustard (to help in bark production), then a bit more rub.
My basic beef rub:
1 Tbsp each of black peppercorns, cumin, coriander, demerara (raw) sugar, oregano (or thyme, your choice), 1/2 Tbsp granulated onion, 1 tsp. granulated garlic, 2 Tbsp each coffee beans and ancho chili powder, and a dash of cinnamon. Use a spice grinder to grind the spices.
I set it on the smoker last night around 7 pm. Everything was running smoothly at around 225F when I went to bed. Woke at 3:30pm; the remote probe thermometer alarm had gone off. WSM temp was in the high 260sF. Went outside with flashlight and closed the vent slightly and went back to bed. Woke at 5:30am to find the remote thermometer read "-- --" ! Grrr. New batteries too... Anyway, I straightened out the problem and caught a few more Z's. By 10:30am the brisket internal temp was at 160. I foiled it and added a half cup of apple juice. Two hours later I separated the flat from the deckle. The flat got covered and went into the fridge. The deckle got a bit more rub and back on the WSM for a couple hours.
Before foiling:
The flat:
Meanwhile, I had a pot of Peach-Chipotle BBQ sauce on the stove. Recipe here. I really like this sauce. Unlike commercial sauces, it's light, but super tasty. My version uses fresh peaches.
Point got a glaze of sauce (with honey added).
The money shot. Very happy with the brisket. My first or second best ever. I'll brine again for the next one.
With green beans from the garden and baked black beans.
Thanks for visiting. Hope everyone had a great weekend.
