Santa Maria Style Brisket


 
M

Mosef

TVWBB Member
Inspired by the success of my last cook, and thrilled to be at the beginning of a 3 week winter break, I stopped by Freedom Meat Locker on my way home today and picked up a whole packer.
Now I've been smoking for a couple years, but I have yet to attempt brisket. High heat is an obvious choice, but here's where I may go out on a limb:
I want to treat this brisket a bit like I would my tri tip. That is, season liberally with Susie Q seasoning and cook over red oak.
Anyone familiar with brisket and Susie Q think this is a good/bad idea?
Either way, pics will follow at some point this weekend...
 
should be ok. i prefer just salt and pepper. i'm just not sure about the meat cooked that way. i assume its gonna take a while so hope you got a lot of oak.
 
"cook over red oak."

Oops, I should know better than that, having been raised in Santa Maria. You gotta have one of these to really cook over red oak.

No, I'm using the smoker, with chunks of Nick's Red Oak Firewood, found out front of supermarkets throughout the Santa Maria Valley.
 
I've personally these days have come to the conclusion slow cooked/smoked tri tip (250 degrees or so) is much better then brisket in any form, high heat or low smoked. Its just tastier and much more tender, thats just my preference though. I love the amount of food you get with brisket though, and there good too. your plan sounds good to me, and its also my preference that any bbq is about as good as it gets.
 
Mosef, I too use Susie Q's on my tris and think you'd be fine using it on a brisket. Many prefer salt and pepper on their briskets vs. a traditional rub. Regarding Red Oak, I use it all the time on my briskets, works great one of my favorite smoking woods. No sweat on the high heat brisket either, should be fine. Have a great cook!
 
Sounds like a good plan to me. I too like Suzie Q seasonings on beef. Red oak is also my preferred wood to smoke with when doing beef. I'm gonna have to get a hold of my buddy soon and have him hook me up with some more red oak.
 
Saturday was a last-minute shopping day. Sunday became clean the house from top to bottom day. Hmmmm. Not the weekend I envisioned with my first brisket sitting in the fridge. Not a problem. I had my eye on the boards, and this came along and brightened my day BIG TIME!!
Well, the brisket couldn't wait another day. We got some rain in the late morning, and I briefly thought about postponing again, but the rain soon stopped enough to get a chimney started, and we were on!
I trimmed and seasoned at 10am. My strategy with trimming would be similar to my approach with tri tip. Leave some fat, but get into the cap and the space between the point and flat. (I know folks in Santa Maria who go just as far to one extreme or the other with tri tip fat as I've read on these boards). Well, it turned into a bit of a hack job, but I'll chalk it up to 1st time experience.
I seasoned once with Susie Q when it went into the fridge and again when it came out to rest before hitting the smoke.
It went on at 1pm. Temps took about 40 minutes to get to 300. It ran a little low for a bit, then a little high. This is life. The WSM will be back from vacation very soon. I started to get a little anxious around 4pm. The smoker was holding steady at 340, but i was getting a whole slew of different readings with my crappy thermometer. The point was around 190. I was getting anywhere from 148 to 168 in the flat, and I poked it all over. Through guesswork and comparing my average temps to other people's experience, I foiled at 4:30. It's now just before 5:00 and I'm trying to have patience.
Here's a couple pics so far. More after dinner.

Nick's Red Oak

A couple hours in, point closest to heat

Just before foiling, flipped over
 
Just finished dinner. Very tasty. Not perfect, but a good first effort, I think. Here's the recap...
Pulled it off the smoker just after 5:30 after about 4 1/2 hours. It felt tender in the flat, maybe not as tender as it could've been. This is how it looked coming off:

Ready to Rest

While it rested, I put together some souvlaki chicken skewers. My fiance doesn't eat beef or pork
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, which may seem like a deal breaker to a BBQ enthusiast, but it's actually helped me become a better poultry cook. Every time I want ribs or steak, I end up throwing some chicken or turkey on too. She can't get enough of these skewers, and I'm happy to oblige.
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Chicken skewers

When I got around to slicing the brisket, it was clear that my timing was a bit off. It looked nice, but it was not the nirvana of tenderness I had kinda hoped for. Again, chalk it up to 1st time experience.

Sliced brisket

Time to eat! The meal was rounded out with a baked potato, corn salad, and a Qupe syrah from the Santa Maria Valley.

Plated brisket
Yum!


For next time, I will try a few things. First, I need the WSM to get steady temps that will help guide my timing. Also, I might try an injection (something like what Dr. BBQ has here ). The flavors from the Susie Q and red oak were very good, but I might want a bit more.

All in all, a very rewarding cook. I'm not about to tell you that brisket has replaced tri tip in my heart, but it's definitely something to go on.
Thanks to all the HH heads who helped with info!
 
i think you didn't cook it long enough. i cook it longer than that in my kettle at a temp around 275-350. usually takes 8-10 hours before the probe goes in easily. this is usually right around a internal temp of 195-210. but if it was edible then its a success !
 
Clint, thanks I'll give it a try.

George, yeah, I figured as much. It was definitely edible, but next time, I'll know a little better.
 
Not to be discouraged be chewy sliced brisket, I was determined to salvage the point. You guys can tell me whether it looks okay going into this pot of chili...

chili1.jpg


I based this on a turkey chili recipe I make all the time. Yes, those are pinquito beans. I don't get too worked up about beans in chili one way or the other, but I like the pinquitos in this recipe a whole lot. BTW, what are the rules regarding posting links to recipes on other sites? I'll pass this one along if it's okay.

chili2.jpg


The finished product with a little sour cream, avocado, and cilantro.

chili3.jpg


Delicious! My first brisket effort may have fallen flat, but this chili is right on point !
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One more question, should I just post all my pics inline from now on? Everyone's high speed these days...
 
that looks soooo gooood. i'm drooling right now. yes, i can't eat chili unless it has beans. my mom made it that way so thats how i like it. mom's can't be wrong.
 
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