Trying to get better at brisket.,, Need help.


 
T

Tom Chips

TVWBB All-Star
I have to work on Super Bowl Sunday, and so I figured I'd bring some BBQ to work to share. I have thursday and friday off, and thats when I will be doing a large pork butt and brisket. Hopefully at the same time.

Any advice on a method to acheive both in one cook? I was planning on doing the pork butt on the rack above the brisket. And maybe try to run a hotter temp to finish quicker. ( 250-275)

Any advise is appriciated. I still haven't turned out a decent brisket, although I have only done about 3.. But I am finally consistant on my pork butt, and am quite happy with that.

I will likely have to go pick up a cooler, maybe one that has the little wheels and pull handle to drag it in to the hospital, along with my carving board, knive, and whatever I use to try to keep it hot.

I am thinking of maybe foil wrapping some bricks, and tossing them into the oven for about an hour at 300 or so, and then putting them on top of a big bath towel, then the foil wrapped meats, along with a few more towels to insulate it. Trouble is, I want it to stay warm and safe for at least 4 hours or so. Of course I am a bit sketchy about the heat of the bricks, but I know its below the ignition temp for any fabric.

Lend me your advice
icon_confused.gif


Thank You

Tom
 
Butt over brisket is a popular approach.

How are you planning on reheating since it appears you'll be doing the cook a couple days early?
 
Thats the tricky part. The only approach that seems remotely doable, is to wake up about an hour early, and put it all in the oven, wrapped tightly in foil. But I'm lost as to what temp to use. I'd imagine it would have to be well under 300 though.

All we have in our breakroom at the hospital is a small microwave. Thats not going to cut it.
 
300 is actually fine but you can go lower. The big deal is not to overheat the brisket. It should go to 145-150 internal only.

What kind of lag time do you expect between finishing the reheat and serving time? When are you planning on pulling the pork? Are you serving the brisket with sauce?
 
Might not be relevant, but don't forget to pay attention to the brisket sitting down on that hard to access bottom grate. Depending on size, of course, it might finish sooner than the butt.

Just thinking back on the first couple of B over B's I did.
icon_redface.gif
icon_biggrin.gif
 
I'm using a piedmont pan, I haven't decided yet wether or not to do fat side up or down on the brisket. I can only get selects, here in this area. And the mistake I made last time was I trimmed off all visible fat. Probably need to leave some more on this time around.
 
I like to leave between 1/4" and 1/8" layer of fat, depending on how enthusiastically I cut! Anything less than 1/8" and I tend to have dried things out by the end of a cook.
 
I did my first brisket last weekend. It went in solo on the top grate. I decided to try out a higher temp cook, and I kept it around 270-280, no water, foiled WSM pan. I'm not sure if it was the temp. or if I trimmed too much fat (was probably 1/8"), but I was sorely disappointed... pretty dry. 10.22 lbs after trimming and it finished in 10 hours. I meant to take it to 185F but the first time I stuck a probe in it it was already at 187-188F. 1 hour rest.
 
The temp at the lid is 285, and was appearing to still climb, with both meats already in, so I closed down all 3 vents to half way. I will check it again at 8:30 to see where I'm at from there.

I put a few of the thin sliced fat trimmings on the exposed part of the flat that has no fat. The brisket is fat down, practically on top of the Piedmont Pan. The pork butt is kind of offset to the side so it sits right over the flat. And this time I didn't trim the heck out of the brisket,mostly just the hard suet, and then I scored the rubbery fat with a knife before seasoning.

On another note, I picked up some heavy duty latex gloves to help me pull the pork while its still warm, without burning my hands. I have washed and rinsed them twice, and I can still smell that unpleasant latex smell. Will that do anything to the meat flavor wise?

Thanks again.
 
its 2 AM, and the butt is registering 190.5 in one end, and between 170-177 in other areas. The brisket is only at 160. And the temp at the lid has been steady at 285 all night. I actually thought the brisket would be done first, being that its closer to the heat source. And my pork butt has shrunk alot smaller than my previous ones.

So far, no big problems.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Nick LaFond:
I did my first brisket last weekend. It went in solo on the top grate. I decided to try out a higher temp cook, and I kept it around 270-280, no water, foiled WSM pan. I'm not sure if it was the temp. or if I trimmed too much fat (was probably 1/8"), but I was sorely disappointed... pretty dry. 10.22 lbs after trimming and it finished in 10 hours. I meant to take it to 185F but the first time I stuck a probe in it it was already at 187-188F. 1 hour rest. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>


Next time try it at 350 lid.

I have done 4 whole packers this way, and all have been great.

Takes about 4-5 hours.
 
At those cooktemps (270-280) and size (10.22lbs) I'd start checking for doneness at the 6.25-6.5-hour mark and peridically thereafter till done. I'd expect done between 6.5 and 8 hours, depending on thickness, actual cooktemp, etc. Use the probe to feel for doneness but don't worry about the temp; it's fairly immaterial and won't tell you if you've hit done yet. The feel will.
 
the pork butt was done at 3 am, the lid still sitting at about 290. At that time the brisket was hitting its 160 point and sitting. By 5 am, i had added a few more coals, it was 171.

Finally slept, and got up at 8:30 to check, and my temp on the flat was 145, and the coals were out. The meat was butter soft though. I pulled it out, and went ahead and sliced the whole thing, and tried a few bites.

I'd give it a 6 or 7 out of ten. I think next time I will add more smokewood ( hickory and apple chunk) and maybe baste it a bit. The point likely didn't hit 185+ though, it had a bit more chew. But Im glad I finally got one that didn't dry out.

So they sit thinnly sliced, tighly packed into a foil roasting pan. I think I will mix up some apple juice an a bit of rub, or sauce to moisten the meat a bit more right before I reheat it.

The one foil roasting pan is going to be the perfect size. I have the pulled pork going in next to it, but nicely seperarated, so as a whole I am hoping it will retain heat better.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top