'Wet' Brisket

[Frank A]

My first post!

I dont have a bullet yet, but I have smoked brisket before in a cheaper smoker. I'm planning on buying a new smoker and am doing some research.

With my current smoker I've made brisket and while it was good it was nothing like the "wet" brisket I had down in Austin TX. I used a brisket I found out the grocery store that was not trimmed, but I'm wondering if it was the wrong cut.

Just want to understand if any of my issues were around the type/size of meat or the smoker itself - this may help me choose my new smoker !

Thanks.

 

[Dave Russell]

To achieve good bbq, it's not the cooker, it's the cook...or the cook, not the cooker. Anyway, the point is, you don't need a super insulated cooker like a ceramic cooker or some 1/4" thick steel plate mammoth of a pit. That being said, I WILL NOT ever try to cook a brisket on a cheap brinkman water smoker.

Traditional low and slow barbecued brisket starts off with a whole "packer", untrimmed. The whole packer consists of two connected parts, a "point", and a "flat", the latter often sold or cooked by itself. It is perfectly fine to trim off a lot of the outside hard fat from a whole packer though, since so much of it won't render, but most leave at least 1/4". If cooking just a flat, a lot of folks cook a little hotter and wrap in foil after the meat reaches 160 internally to ensure moistness. Nowadays though, like others, I'm inclined to cook whole packers the same way. This is just insurance against the occasional brisket that ends up dry in the flat. Tons of folks in Texas cook briskets with foil, hence, "the texas crutch".

 

[Frank A]

As an FYI - my current smoker is one of those cheap Brinkmans.

When I was down in TX, they had choice of lean and wet brisket and there was a significant difference. I'm trying to understand what the difference between the two is (cut or technique).

Also, for cooking a whole packer is the 18.5" bullet good for most cuts? Or do you need the 22"?

Thanks.

 

[K Kruger]

'Lean' brisket is cut from the flat, 'wet' brisket is cut from the point - it's the much fattier end of a packer.

I use an 18. I only cook packers, never flats. I like them in the 11-13-pound range and it's good for this. The 22 offers more capacity but I haven't found I need it.

 

[Dave Russell]

Originally posted by Frank A:
As an FYI - my current smoker is one of those cheap Brinkmans.

When I was down in TX, they had choice of lean and wet brisket and there was a significant difference. I'm trying to understand what the difference between the two is (cut or technique).

Also, for cooking a whole packer is the 18.5" bullet good for most cuts? Or do you need the 22"?

Thanks.

Too funny, but I'm not surprised at all! The @#$^ el cheapo brinkman is everywhere. I've never used one, but have heard how much of a pain in the arse they are. My cousin had been watching the barbecue comp. reality show on TLC and started wanting a cooker. Guess what his wife got him? He gets it and says to me:

"It doesn't have a bottom." I say, "Then you can call it a bottomless pit."

Needless to say, after the first attempt with it, he wants a wsm, and the smaller wsm can cook the largest brisket you could find if you just cut off a chunk of the point end and lay by the brisket. The flat will still be intact and have the largest portion of the point attached top of it still.

Concerning the "wet" and "lean", I GUESS that the "wet" is the fattier point, which can be sliced, but is often just chopped, and the "lean" is the flat, which is sliced. The challenge with a brisket is to keep the flat moist long enough to get fork tender, along with having great flavor and bark. The point is no challenge in keeping moist since it's so rich in fat, and can be used for "burnt ends."

 

[Frank A]

Thanks guys - this explains a lot. The little 4-5 lbs guys I had gotten from the grocery store must have gust been the flat which is why I never got a "wet" style brisket (although I did like what i had made).

As for the brinkman - being an optimist I did like the challenge of it

It was nearly impossible to keep it hot and I had to do a number of mods just to keep it hot for 2 hrs at a time. I'm looking forward to my WSM (which I'll be buying sometime soon).

 

[R. Hanson ("Rondo")]

Welcome Frank!

...a brief word about smokers; ...the expensive smokers , $1000+ range, are just too pricey for most backyard enthusiasts to justify

.... the cheap ones <$200, rust out quickly & are so poorly constucted/designed that one cannot control airflow/temperature with out contantly tending them, greatly complicating the whole exercise

...the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker, on the other hand, is moderately priced @ 299 for the 18", & $399 for the 22"retail (nice discounts on both thru online sites like Amazon), ...and a great value; durable, longlasting construction & impeccable design... you can fire it up, add the meat, & it'll hold temp for hours & hours with little attention

On long overnite cooks,i.e.brisket, members here have reported 15-18hr cooks with out adding fuel

...did I mention yet that it's miserly on fuel

FWIW

 

[K Kruger]

but is often just chopped

Elsewhere yes, in Texas it's usually served sliced, especially in central Texas.

Frank, seek packers! Supermarket flats are often thin from overtrimming.

 

[Dave Russell]

Originally posted by K Kruger:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">but is often just chopped

Elsewhere yes, in Texas it's usually served sliced, especially in central Texas. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Kevin,
Actually, I've been served sliced brisket point several times at 'Q joints here in the south. I try to remember to ask for sliced flat, but just as often as I forget, the person taking my order will have a clueless expression in response to my queastion. Was I right in my guess to the answer to Frank's queastion regarding "wet" or "lean"? If so, I'll just start asking for "sliced lean", and see what their reaction is. lol.

 

[K Kruger]

Yes, the wet is the point, lean is the flat.

 

[Joe Abad]

Frank... Rondo's comments are pretty well on point as to smokers. Your choice on a smoker should be made on your budget, the capacity you require, where you live (condos and apts can have restrictions) AND perhaps what you plan to cook.

joe

 

[Dave Russell]

Originally posted by Joe Abad:
Frank... Rondo's comments are pretty well on point as to smokers. Your choice on a smoker should be made on your budget, the capacity you require, where you live (condos and apts can have restrictions) AND perhaps what you plan to cook.

joe

If you don't want to spend much, just check craigs list for a used weber kettle. I've used mine to bbq plenty of times and wouldn't hesitate to use it for big briskets or pork shoulder butts if I didn't have my wsm or a drum smoker. You should be able to find one pretty cheap, and it will be much less a hassle than the (el cheapo) brinkman.

 

[ToddF]

I've been smokin' briskets in Texas for a dozen years--the first decade on an ECB (El Cheapo Brinkman) with all the mods. I cut my smokin' teeth on these (I actually used to run two simultaneously) and earned quite a reputation, but I am known for doing things the hard way...

Constantly monitoring the fire, building wind screens, clamping on umbrellas (!), dousing flare-ups with a squirt bottle, etc...!

I'd wanted a WSM all the while, just couldn't justify the cost vs. the results I was getting on my ECB (believe it or not). Finally splurged for it last year and, well, I feel like I'm now a tenured Professor of Brisketology: my dues paid over the last decade, I smoke my briskets in style now!

The WSM is the best, easiest, and most reliable way to go. Unless you like spending an afternoon nursing a 6-pack in a lawnchair with a squirt bottle holstered at your hip (and there is some merit in that!), learn from my struggle--don't waste your time on an ECB (or anything else), go for the WSM. And might as well make it the 22.5-er...

 

[Travis]

Originally posted by ron "Rondo" hanson:
Welcome Frank!

...a brief word about smokers; ...the expensive smokers , $1000+ range, are just too pricey for most backyard enthusiasts to justify

.... the cheap ones <$200, rust out quickly & are so poorly constucted/designed that one cannot control airflow/temperature with out contantly tending them, greatly complicating the whole exercise

...the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker, on the other hand, is moderately priced @ 299 for the 18", & $399 for the 22"retail (nice discounts on both thru online sites like Amazon), ...and a great value; durable, longlasting construction & impeccable design... you can fire it up, add the meat, & it'll hold temp for hours & hours with little attention

On long overnite cooks,i.e.brisket, members here have reported 15-18hr cooks with out adding fuel

...did I mention yet that it's miserly on fuel

FWIW

I agree wholeheartedly with this!

I might add that I bought my 22 wsm at Walmart.com, and they only charged 97 cents for FedEx shipping. That made a big difference on the final price for me. All the other places wanted over $100 for shipping.

 

[EricH]

Originally posted by Dave Russell:
To achieve good bbq, it's not the cooker, it's the cook...or the cook, not the cooker. Anyway, the point is, you don't need a super insulated cooker like a ceramic cooker or some 1/4" thick steel plate mammoth of a pit. That being said, I WILL NOT ever try to cook a brisket on a cheap brinkman water smoker.

Traditional low and slow barbecued brisket starts off with a whole "packer", untrimmed. The whole packer consists of two connected parts, a "point", and a "flat", the latter often sold or cooked by itself. It is perfectly fine to trim off a lot of the outside hard fat from a whole packer though, since so much of it won't render, but most leave at least 1/4". If cooking just a flat, a lot of folks cook a little hotter and wrap in foil after the meat reaches 160 internally to ensure moistness. Nowadays though, like others, I'm inclined to cook whole packers the same way. This is just insurance against the occasional brisket that ends up dry in the flat. Tons of folks in Texas cook briskets with foil, hence, "the texas crutch".

One of the reasons Texans use foil is that meat (contrary to popular opinion) continues to take on smoke during the entire cook. Most of the early stick burners used what ever wood was available on the property, which was primarily mesquite. Mesquite is strong and can cause a cut to go bitter very fast. The foiling was designed to stop the process of the meat absorbing too much smoke