please help me with brisket


 
A

AaronK

New member
Need help with brisket. I just can’t seem to get it right. Here’s what I’m doing.
Equipment WSM 18.5, cyberq set at 225. Charcoal with minion method and 3 big chunks of pecan and 3 big chunks of hickory.

I trimmed the roughly 12 lb (Prime) brisket down to about a ¼ inch of fat. Coat it with about3/4 cup of head country rub. Place it on the smoker. ( When I first placed it on there I had a thick white smoke, but it went to thin blue within 30 minutes)
18 hours later pulled at 195 and wrapped for about an hour and a half and set on counter.

I have two big issues. First, I’m still not getting a good smoke ring. I get a little bit of smoke, but nothing I could call a noticeable ring.
Second, the meat is still tough. After 18 hours and 195 IT, I would assume that was long enough. I’m thinking next time I just need to leave it on until it gets to 205 no matter what.

I’ve been able to successfully smoke pretty much everything else, but the brisket is my nemesis.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
 
Can't help with the smoke ring Aaron, but for doneness try cooking until probe tender, not by meat temp.
I like to cook higher than 225, in the 250 to 275 range, and start probing for tenderness at 190 meat temp, then checking every 30 minutes or so.
 
AS Bob said, probe to determine doneness. As for a smoke ring, don't worry about it. In case you did not know, my understanding from reading on this forum is that it really has nothing to do with "smoke". It's more of a chemical reaction. At any rate, having it or not having it will not appreciably change the smoke flavor of your final product. It will look good though. Do a little research (search this site) and I think it has more to do with keeping the meat in a certain temp range for a longer period of time.
 
Ive had smoke ring issues as well. The only things that seem to help are.

1. Put meat on cold.

2. Have a wet surface. Spritz for instance.

3. Water in the pan. Humidity seems to help. If you don't want use the main water pan you could use a smaller disposable one on the bottom rack or to the side.

Also you just took the meat off too early.
 
Smoke ring is actually a chemical reaction between rub ingrediants and the meat. Smoke does not go into meat. Cook at a temp more near 275 to 325 or so. Cook till the temp probe goes in with light resistance. This happens between 200 to 225 int temp most of the time. Brisket is muscle and none will ever be the same.
 
Cooking at a higher temps will make no difference in what you asked. It will give a smaller window in which to check doneness and less time for a smoke ring. It has other benefits and disadvantages such as trying to fine tune fat rendering and just taking less time.
 
You didn't say anything about the smokiness in the TASTE of the meat. I find brisket needs a buttload of smoke flavor. I wouldn't use anything "less strong" than hickory when smoking brisket. Try hickory, oak, mesquite.
 
The smoke taste was ok, but not as much as I would like. My family said it tasted fine, but it's nowhere close to where I want it. I guess next time I will smoke at 250 using only hickory and start testing for done using probe at 190.
 
Aaron... One possible is that you did not taste as much smoke in the meat because you were around that smoke all day and became desensitized to it. You might find that it is much better the day after...
 
Aaron,
Bob might be right. Take a shower after you're done. It might taste more smokey when you're cleaned up. If I were you, I'd do as others suggested. Try spraying your brisket with water to enhance smoke ring development. Do you live in an area with low humidity? If so, spraying can really help. A water pan also helps but can fight you on the bark development. And you live in Texas so you'll likely want a super dark bark. Spray only after a few hours when the crust is beginning to develop around the edges.
Some rubs don't make as good of a smoke ring as others. And lastly, I suspect you waited too long to wrap. The brisket can dry out at a certain point (Meathead goes into this idea at his website). If you wait too long after that point, it is too late. You can make up for this by not trimming the fat off too severely. I know many people cook brisket successfully without wrapping but I've always wrapped religiously and always before the brisket begins this drying out phase.
Donna
 
Bob Bass said:
Aaron... One possible is that you did not taste as much smoke in the meat because you were around that smoke all day and became desensitized to it. You might find that it is much better the day after...
Click to expand...

Totally agree, Bob. I have noticed the "day-after" smoke effect until I changed my technique. Now, I typically rest briskets in the faux Cambro (cooler) for about 3 hours, during which time I take a shower and have a cocktail (or two). When it comes to slicing time, the smoke flavor is there.
 
Better luck next time friend, I found it took me a couple of failures before I nailed brisket. For me, I found two crucial things were to foil it when it reached 165 then put back on the grill. Then to start checking for tenderness around 195. Unless the tip of my thermapen is going in and out like a hot knife through butter, I wait.
 
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