Saner,
I do not wish to confuse or complicate the issue. Smoking should be fun. It sounds like the brisket in question is a trimmed flat (?) and as such it lends itself to braising or foiling which should not be confused with Authentic Barbeque, however, after smoking well over 150 briskets in the Bradley and hundreds more on other pits, I can safely state that there are techniques that can be used to still truly barbeque the flat and not finish it in the oven if the wish is to produce Authentic Texas brisket with a tasty and unique bark.
FlBentRider and others have some accurate and admirable suggestions which I will include below.
Do not be discouraged. What I describe below is not hard or arduous. It is a learning experience and one which will help your future Qing. This is going to turn out fine.
I start my briskets at night but this flat should be started early in the morning so that you can monitor it. Use a probe as I describe in my recipe. Make sure you have an adequate water source in your Smoker like a half size steam table aluminum pan. Fill it and refill it with boiling water laced with beer, apple juice etc. Temperature should be a little lower than normal, around 210 to 215. Stay below 225 degrees. My six rack digital does not register accurately so I recommend a chamber probe on the meat rack. Low temperature is critical.
Inject the brisket with butter or canola oil mixed with strong beef broth and a little Worcestershire if you feel comfortable doing so. This will help but is not absolutely necessary.
Buy some beef tallow or pork fat at the butcher shop for a few pennies or buy bacon and place
on a shelf a few inches above the brisket. This may need to be changed or added to during the smoke. This will baste the brisket. You are in effect replacing the fat cap so use plenty. I would not lie this tallow or pork on the brisket because it will inhibit the bark formation. Do not throw this fat away; we may use it later for chopped brisket. Another alternative would be to smoke another fatty meat above this brisket.
Use a mustard slather and go a little heavy. Go a little lighter with a low salt rub.
Place the brisket a couple of shelves up from the bottom and make a foil pan on the bottom shelf to catch drippings and keep direct heat off the brisket. Add a little water to this pan; continue to add water throughout the smoke and save any liquids left for later use.
After the slather has firmed up, baste with the following concoction. Remember that oil replaces fat so go heavy on the butter. I cut and pasted this from my personal recipes and I adjust it according to my needs. Adjust according your rub ingredients. You will want to omit the tomato juice and jalapeños until the last third of the smoke and omit the salt completely until almost finished. When you first taste this, you may wonder about the flavor, but you will find yourself going back again and again for another taste.
Pachanga’s Basting SauceUse this Basting Sauce over meats as a marinade or a basting sauce, especially when grilling meats that dry out. This is a good dove, quail and duck baste. This also adds a lot of flavor to brisket and chicken. The amount of butter, beer and tomato sauce is a matter of taste and application. Experiment with these three ingredients to get your desired results. Start with half the butter and beer with no tomato sauce and add to suite your taste. The tomato sauce will burn if basting long term. Add this at the last of the cooking for a change of flavor and layering of flavor.
1 or 2 sticks butter or olive oil equivalent
2/3 Cup Worcestershire
2 cloves fresh minced garlic or 1 teaspoon granulated
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 Tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
Juice of one lemon or lime
½ to 1 can dark beer
4 to 16 ounces tomato sauce
½ diced onion
1/3 cup brown sugar or apple juice
3 large jalapenos seeded and finely minced
Melt butter in sauce pan, and when hot add onion and sauté to just turning brown. Add remaining seasonings and cook for 30 seconds. Slowly add beer and remaining ingredients. Simmer for 10 minutes and keep hot while in use. This sauce keeps well in the refrigerator.
You can actually baste through the smoke vent to preserve heat with a dedicated Pump sprayer, a good squirt bottle and a keen eye or dribble through a funnel and copper tube but only a
crazy old baster would think of that.I normally do not flip my briskets but about halfway through, flip with silicon mitts or put another Bradley basket on top of the brisket and flip.
When you baste, gently press the meat like you would when cooking a steak. There should be some jiggle and spring. If the meat starts to firm up and you are past 185 degrees, pull go to the next step. I would prefer to keep smoking up to fork tender which can be anywhere between 185 and 195 degrees.
When finished barbequing add 2 or three tablespoons of apple juice to top of the brisket, wrap the brisket in foil and a towel, place in a cooler for about two hours where the brisket will continue to cook.
When you slice the brisket, if it is not moist, pour any juices that have settled in the foil and the caught juices in the Bradley along with a little melted butter over the sliced meat.
This is all off the top of my head and I may think of more later or I am sure some members more qualified than me will add to this. Read the following posts and recipes and they may help answer other questions about wood, smoke time, etc. but feel free to write back.
If this still does not work out and things are a little dry, get back with me and we’ll make burnt ends (a real delicacy) or chopped brisket sandwiches which will not be forgotten or brisket beans. Above all, don’t fret about it and just have fun.
To those that are interested in Authentic Texas Barbequed Brisket, I write about my experiences with brisket in the following posts.
A Recipe along with tips and tricks.
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?t=532Slathers for brisket, ribs, etc which will improve bark, tenderness and moisture.
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=12112.msg137563#msg137563Let me know how it turns out.
Good luck and slow smoking.
Pachanga
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