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Newbie Brisket Questions


 
T

TimW

TVWBB Member
Good afternoon folks! I wasn't sure to post here or over in the newbie section; hopefully I found the right home.

I am new to brisket and new to WSM, but not new to smoking (been using a Char-broil offset smoker).

Here is my problem. Every 4th, my brother-in-law has a decent size party. A few years ago, we starting making a small competition out of it. Butts first then ribs last year. Nothing big, three or four family members competiting for braggin rights.

My problem is that I have never done a brisket. I will likely do a test run this coming weekend. I have a couple of questions for the experts here.

1. How much does marinading really add? My BIL did his test run with a bourbon-maple syrup marinade. I like the flavors, but it seems out of place to me for brisket.

2. What wood should I use? I have easy access to Oak, Apple, Hickory and Maple.

3. How important is the foiling? It seems like "cheating" to me.

4. Please recommend a recipe.

Thanks all in advance!!!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">
I have a couple of questions for the experts here.

1. How much does marinading really add? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'm not an expert, but I'll give you my thoughts. If you want to marinade the meat, I think you'll need to inject it. Brisket's a large piece of meat and I can't imagine a marinade penetrating enough to make a difference.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">2. What wood should I use? I have easy access to Oak, Apple, Hickory and Maple. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I would use Oak, maybe with some apple.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">

3. How important is the foiling? It seems like "cheating" to me. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
It works for me and I don't think it's cheating. But I don't really care what so-called "purists" think. I think it turns out better brisket and you can incorporate other flavors by adding liquid to the foil.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">
4. Please recommend a recipe. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The Midnight brisket cook in the recipe section is a good starting point.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">It seems like "cheating" to me. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

how so?

Foiling does not mean you get the exact same result in less time, its not a shortcut (therefore, IMO, not cheating). Don't think of it as a shortcut and you won't feel "guilty."

What foiling does, is get you to tender at closer to the same time across the flat. This is key because your average flat is never uniformly shaped and as a result different parts cook at different rates. Foiling tends to even out the heating, but even still you might find the tip dryer (overdone) than the middle. Rather than a shortcut this is an improvement of not foiling.

The second key point (which seems important to me for brisket novices) is that foil (along with HH method) accelerates the whole breaking down to tender. You can literally feel it happen over the couple of hours after its plateaued. This is extremely helpful when learning to feel for under/over done. I suppose this could be a shortcut in terms of the learning curve, but who's got the time and money to ruin a bunch of briskets?

The third key point is that the bark will be somewhat underdeveloped. This can be somewhat compensated for, but its a drawback to foiling. If foiling is "cheating," then is comes with a small price.

good luck, being a novice, I suggest you investigate HH methods. I started there, about this time last year (when I started reading this board), and have had good success with my briskets and have yet to find a reason to try any another technique.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">1. How much does marinading really add? My BIL did his test run with a bourbon-maple syrup marinade. I like the flavors, but it seems out of place to me for brisket.


1. How much does marinading really add? My BIL did his test run with a bourbon-maple syrup marinade. I like the flavors, but it seems out of place to me for brisket.


2. What wood should I use? I have easy access to Oak, Apple, Hickory and Maple.

3. How important is the foiling? It seems like "cheating" to me.

4. Please recommend a recipe. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

1. brisket really doesnt need a marinade. it can add a lot of flavour and it can ruin it just as easily. if you choose to use a marinade keep it very simple to start with. i used to use marinades and was never happy with the results. it always tasted like something out of a french oven rather bbq. i switched back to dry rubs with a focus around kosher salt and cracked pepper.

2. all of the ones you listed are excellent for beef i tend to use primarily oak with the occasional hickory.

3. it isnt important. however lots of people use foil and just as many do not and all of em produce good bbq. another option to foiling, and it produces the exact same effect, is to smoke your brisket right up to the point where you would foil it, take it off the pit, and slap it in the oven at 350 finishing it there. when i cook on my large trailer rig i lay a sheet of foil on top of the meat but dont wrap it. the foil to me is more a way of keeping ash and debris off the meat when the lid has to be opened and closed. if you like a nice crispy bark stay away from it. if you tend to trim the bark off then foil is your buddy. but it does what J. Biesinger says.

4. i would recomend just simple salt and pepper to start with if it is your first brisket. doing that as a first go gives you a base from where you want to go with rubs. if you start with a complex rub you really dont have a basis of comparison. salt and pepper is the simplest rub there is and is the base of all other rubs. do not use table salt for any rub as it has a lot of noxious chemicals that do not do well in smokers. stick with kosher salt or sea salt for all smoking meats.
 
Tim,
I am not a brisket expert although each and every one of mine is better then the last. I only want to comment on your concern over foiling and your feeling that it is cheating. If you are uncomfortable with foiling then do not do it. That is how I feal and so I do not foil. Its a matter of your own personal believe so do not let anyone tell you what to do. The cool thing about queing is that because there are so many different ways to do it you can personalize your method to your liking and your belief. If foiling seems wrong to you, dont do it.
 
Thank you everyone for the good advice.

I think I'm going to try John's idea and just use a simple salt and pepper rub for the first brisket smoke. This way I'll have a good baseline.

I'll let you all know how it goes!
 
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