Smoking Brisket ?'s


 
P

Pat D

TVWBB Member
For my second smoke on the WSM, I'm doing a 7 lb. brisket and 3 racks of baby backs. I've got a couple of questions before I get going Sunday morning.

For the brisket, I'm thinking of going simple with a pepper, salt, and a bit of cayenne rub. I'm trying to get a handle on time for 7lb. at about 225 - 250 temp, how long do you think it will take and do you wrap and at what temp would you wrap?

I'm trying to figure out how to place the two meats. Do I set the brisket on the bottom rack and then 5 or so hours later put the ribs on top? I've got a rub going on the ribs, will that just drip down on the brisket and ruin it? The rub for the ribs is a bit more complicated with spices and brown sugar, etc. and I don't know if that's going to spoil the brisket. How would you do it?

Thanks everyone, I can't wait to get started!
 
I would think your looking at 101/2 to 14 hours for the brisket. If you foil at 160 it will shorten your cook time and give you some good drippings for sauce or au jus. Remove from foil 30 minutes before you think it's done to firm the bark back up. I find brisket also benefits greatly with a longer rest time so I like to wrap them in foil and towels and put in the cooler or micro for 1-3 hours. Before wrapping let it sit uncovered on the counter for 20-30 minutes to stop the cooking process.

Put the ribs on the middle rack since you will be taking the brisket off first and move them to the top rack for convenience when you take the brisket off.

No garlic on the brisket? Seriously? ;)
 
Try #5 sauce for a quick easy sauce to make. The sauce has a limited life in the fridge if you add drippings to it so you may not want to add beef juice to the whole batch.

For au jus depending on the amount of juice you get from the brisket you can try something like this or this. Or just defat the juice and pour some of the defatted juice on the slices.
 
That #5 sauce looks good, thanks for the link Bob.

I'm looking to use mesquite for the smoke and only have chips, no chunks. Has anyone tried wrapping the wood in an aluminum foil pouch, punch holes in it and let it smoke? Any other ideas?

Any time I've used chips in the past, they just catch fire and burn, no smoldering and hardly any smoke.
 
You might want to soak the chips for a 1/2hr before putting them in the foil pouch, you only need to punch 2-3 holes in the top of the pouch and then throw directly on the coals. Depending on the size of the pouch you may need more than 1 during the cook. I would also use a double layer of HD foil for the pouch.
 
Thanks Bob.

I started my smoke an hour and 15 minutes ago and internal temp is at 151?! The WSM is steady at a bit under 250. This seems very fast.
 
Don't worry it will hit a stall around 160. You could lower the cooker temp if your worried about it being done to early and you can easily hold it warm for 3-4 hours wrapped in foil and then towels and put in a preheated cooler. I just wrap mine and then put it in the microwave to hold.

Dont forget to leave it unwrapped to rest for a bit to stop the cooking process.
 
I was at 160 at 2 hours. Closed the bottom vents a bit to bring the temp down.

I have been taking pics Bob!
 
Sounds like you have a brisket flat, not a whole brisket packer (flat + point). If so, my standard approach is to foil at 160-165 and then check for probe tenderness (as I believe Harry Soo wrote "like running the probe through a muffin") at 90 min, then 45 min increments thereafter.
 
It looked like it had a point, top section on one half with the grain going the other way and thicker? I thought that was the point.

The meat is at 163 now almost 3 hours into it, and has actually dropped 2 degrees from 165, looks like I'm at the stall.
 
Yup things are going along normally. Don't be impatient. I think the most common mistake for brisket is taking it off too soon. A probe should go in like it's sliding into butter. Probe at the thick part of the flat where it meets the point.
 
Temp is now at 175 at 7 hours, thinks are smokin' along! I just got the three baby backs on the top wrack and moved the brisket to the bottom. I saw someone use kebab skewers and roll them to fit so I tried this for the first time.

Can't wait for tasting time . . .
 
Bob, you said let it sit before wrapping and putting it in the cooler. Can you explain this?

Also, when do you take yours off? I've read anywhere from 185-205.

Thanks for all the help!
 
Probably a little late but... If you are going to hold it in a cooler to keep it hot you don't want to wrap it up right after taking it off the smoker or it will continue to cook and may go past done. Let it sit awhile to cool a bit and the cooking process will stop then wrap it and put it in the cooler.

If you aren't holding it you want it to rest for 30 minutes or so before slicing, as the brisket cools a little the juices are redistributed throughout the brisket and it comes out juicier. If you slice it and you end up with lots of juice on the cutting board then you didn't rest it long enough.

I have never temped a brisket to tell when it is done, I only use a probe to see what texture the meat is. If you poke the brisket with a skewer, toothpick or thermometer probe and it slides in easily then it's done.

Hope it turned out for you.
 
Final verdict . . . everyone loved it!

I've never had brisket before so I didn't know what to expect. It was tasty but a bit bland I thought. The meat was super tender, juicy but not overly but I thought something was missing. Could be my simple rub? Also, I didn't see much of a smoke ring, not sure why.
The ribs were fall off the bone, the way my wife likes them. I've got to please the lady of the house even though I'd like them with a bit more resistance! I thought they were a tiny bit on the dry side and I'm wondering if it was the WSM. Or could be that I rolled them which was a first but I'd definitely cut down the cook time to 4 hours instead of 4.5.

All in all I'm my biggest critic and like I said, all the guests seemed to truly enjoy the meal so I'm good. Now back to the drawing board to figure out how to make it better!

Thank you again for all the help everyone!
 
Glad it all worked out. Smoke ring forms below 140 degrees and your brisket got above that fairly quickly so that explains the ring. How was the smoke flavour from the chips? To add flavour try a more complex rub.
Rolling the ribs shouldn't affect the moistness of them, I'm with you liking a little tug to my ribs.
 
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