Wood selection for brisket...any ideas?


 
Richard S

Richard S

TVWBB Pro
I’m putting a 17 pound brisket on tonight.
i usually do a combo of hickory and cherry...
Any other suggestions?
I will doing it on my 18 with B&B.
I I have some pecan and mesquite...
 
Im one of those people that thinks that salt, pepper, and oak is about as good as it gets for brisket.

But ive used apple and pecan too....and i cant tell any difference.

Just cooked an 10.5 lb last night. Smallest i ever cooked.

All I could find was 20 to 21 lb briskets, and a couple of 9- 10 lb.

In retrospect I should have bought one of the 21 lb briskets and cut off part of the flat to make pastrami.

But....10 lb didnt shrink up nearly as much as larger ones seem too. I usually cook 14-17 lb if find them
 
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I'm a huge fan of oak on just about anything, but when I do brisket hot and fast, I found that the free burning at higher temps depletes the smoke a bit, so I use about 1/2-3/4 hickory, the remainder oak. Hope this helps,

Charlie
 
MartinB said:
Im one of those people that thinks that salt, pepper, and oak is about as good as it gets for brisket.

But ive used apple and pecan too....and i cant tell any difference.

Just cooked an 10.5 lb last night. Smallest i ever cooked.

All I could find was 20 to 21 lb briskets, and a couple of 9- 10 lb.

In retrospect I should have bought one of the 21 lb briskets and cut off part of the flat to make pastrami.

But....10 lb didnt shrink up nearly as much as larger ones seem too. I usually cook 14-17 lb if find them
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This has been my experience.
I would avoid mesquite. It's too strong and bitter for brisket. I find it's too strong for most proteins.
The only time I use mesquite now, is when I'm grilling on the Genny B gasser, I toss a small handful directly in the channels of the GrillGrates.
 

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I'm currently using pecan. Because its the best seasoned wood in my woodpile at the current time. It came from a tree my FIL cut down 3 years ago and its burning really nicely , right now.

I've got some oak coming along, they came from a felled tree up the street, last summer. Its about ready.
 
Mesquite is a great smoke flavor but most find it too strong and it can get acrid pretty quick. The beauty of a charcoal-fueled cook is that you can control how much smoke wood you are using. I'd never use Mesquite in a stick burner but a 1/2 chunk in a WSM can give your brisket some depth along with some other smoke woods. I like pecan for everything and augment with other woods depending on the protein.

Beef = pecan + mesquite
Pork = pecan + peach
Chicken & Lamb = pecan + hickory
Bacon = pecan + apple
 
I always use a combo of hickory and pecan. I think mesquite is fine for short grill times like steak but not for long bbq sessions. I’ll never forget Ray Lampke (Dr. BBQ) describe mesquite bbq as tasting like it came from the devil’s *ss crack!
 
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I’ve been on a barrel stave kick lately, started with scotch whisky chunks (thanks TonyUK👍) but, the last one was bourbon/merlot chunks from Fruitawood. I’m sold! I think the stave flavors really seem to come through in the finished product.
 
Post oak is traditional in Texas, so any kind of oak works well. I like Mesquite, but you need to limit the amount of smoke, or it can be overpowering.
 
Valentina's in Austin smokes with mesquite. They use very well seasoned wood and they wrap sooner. Pecan Lodge in Dallas uses a combo of mesquite and oak. It can be used but it requires a different approach. Personally, the bad mesquite has outweighed the good I've had so I avoid it. In the wsm, I'd mix it with something else.
 
Matthew Turner said:
Mesquite is a great smoke flavor but most find it too strong and it can get acrid pretty quick. The beauty of a charcoal-fueled cook is that you can control how much smoke wood you are using. I'd never use Mesquite in a stick burner but a 1/2 chunk in a WSM can give your brisket some depth along with some other smoke woods. I like pecan for everything and augment with other woods depending on the protein.

Beef = pecan + mesquite
Pork = pecan + peach
Chicken & Lamb = pecan + hickory
Bacon = pecan + apple
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I agree that mesquite, when used in the right (read "small enough") quantities works will with brisket. It's been quite a while since I've done it, but I really only ever use mesquite with beef. However, knowing how strong it is, I don't go nearly as heavy with it as I do say apple or pecan.
 
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