My second cook and my first brisket


 
D

Darren Bird

New member
Okay, for my second cook attempt I am having about 25 people over and I intend to do a brisket.

I have already purchased the 14 pound monster and it will be sitting in my fridge on Monday morning.

Basically I want some suggestions as to how to make this thing turn out good. It is a mixed crowd i am dealing with, so I want something that will please everyone and offend nobody. ?

1. Can someone suggest a good “middle of the road” rub to go with this?

2.Can someone also suggest what kind of wood I should use (I have mesquite, apple and hickory)

3.I want to keep the smokiness down as we have a bunch of people who are not used to smoked food in general (myself included)

4.I am thinking this brisket will take at least 12 to 14 hours. Should I get a meat thermometer?

5.I have royal oak lump charcoal, and royal oak briquettes. I am thinking I should use the briquettes for this as it will be a really long cook time. What do you guys think?

Anything else you can suggest would be greatly appreciated!
 
1 : http://tvwbb.com/eve/forums/a/...0069052/m/5000067544

2 : Well apple gives a mild smoke flavour but i never smoked a brisket to succses myself(got a strange cut) but i think any wood will be good but in moderation.

3 : Read nr 2

4 : A meat thermometer like http://www.thermoworks.com/products/thermapen/ or http://www.maverickhousewares.com/et73.htm .
Will help with almost anything you cook,get one today and you will be glad you did. But go for tenderness after the foiling.

5 : Im one of those briquette users myself mainly becouse the lump we can get here in sweden comes in so small pices that alot falls thru the grate and is waisted.

Hope that helped abit and good luck
 
Darren, high or low heat is your choice. 10-12hr or 4-5. Main thing is cook till done. You will not need the thermometer at the end. Go by feel only. As far as rub I make mine pretty simple, Black pepper, garlic, onion, ancho chile, cumino, salt separately as you would on cooked meat, thanks Kevin, Good luck, Brisket does not need to be hard it just is for a lot of folks. Oh IMHO keep trim to a minimum hard fat only and foil.

Mark
 
Darren 14lb is a big brisket, keep the rub simple some good kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper, granulated garlic and some cummin thats all u need. I would cook this monster at 225-250 fat side up. It will take around 1-1.50 hrs per pound to cook. I like to mop my briskets after the 1st couple of hrs. You do not have to mop. Simple mop is 1 beer and 1 bottle italian dressing mix together. Get internal temp to 160-165 at this point the brisket is cooked but not yet tender. Wrap in foil pour some liquid in foil and cook till tender, usually around 190-200 i would try and not go past 200 or u will get pulled brisket. Brisket is not hard to cook its just a big piece of meat.
 
Is a 14 lb. packer going to be enough for 25 people? It wouldn't be enough for the bunch that shows up over here on holiday weekends, but then they are known to be eating specialists.
 
Originally posted by Greg C.:
Is a 14 lb. packer going to be enough for 25 people? It wouldn't be enough for the bunch that shows up over here on holiday weekends, but then they are known to be eating specialists.
Click to expand...

I figure 50% yield cooked. So 14lb = 7 lbs cooked. @ approx 3 servings /lb that would feed 21 folks with sides. Perhaps a few more. A good way to increase yield is to cube or shred the point and part of the flat. I have even been served shredded brisket in a BBQ restaurant, I didn't like it , but it is done. If it tastes good the folks will be happy.

Mark
 
Brisket Pics

Well, my first brisket turned out pretty darn well actually! Many thanks to everyone on this board. I had never ate brisket before, so this was my first one. I liked it overall.

I used to 2 fist sized balls of wood chips wrapped in foil to for smoke early in the cook. (about 80% apple, 20% mequite)

Total Cook time was LONG like 16 hours. I actually ran my WSM out of charcoal. So I disassembled it, re-lit it, put the water back in and continued the cook. I used a meat thermometer (digital) and cooked it to an internal temp of 194 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pulled it off, triple foiled it and stuck it in a cooler for about 2 hours. Then sliced it up.

Overall it was pretty good; I must say I am not sure it is worth all the trouble. For a big group, I can justify the effort, but just for my little family....not so sure it’s worth it to me.

Once again giys thaks a ton for your help and this board. Very valuable resource!
 
Low and Slow brisket is good but as you say a lot of workand time. That is one of the reasons I have gone to HH brisket. 4-5 hrs cook time. It works and if my results, at my 1st comp weren't just luck, the judges like it too. Don't let the long cook time hold you back from cooking a delicious brisket. Just cut the time with a HH method.

Mark
 
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