Brisket question

[Papa Dave]

I am planning to do a brisket for next weekend for a group of around 20.  I know that pulled pork works real well to do ahead of time and freeze for later.  What about brisket?  Does it lose something by not serving right away or can I make it up a couple days ahead of time with no problems?  Also, what is the rule of thumb for how much brisket is needed per person?  I am planning on also doing a pork butt and serving pulled pork with it also.  Thanks for your help.

[beefmann]

on the pork, take it to 190 - 195 and pull it,,,then reheat in crock pots  with apple juice or bbq sauce.... as for the brisket 195 to 200 to pull and reheat in a crock pot. Reheating in crock pots allows you  time to  do other items. as for the amount of meat I would figure 1/3 to 1/2 lb cooked per person. If you want leftovers  figure a pound per person cooked. pork will loose 30 to 40 % in weight while cooking brisket im not  sure though id figure 15% at least

[mikecorn.1]

Ditto  :)

[sjmcdowall]

The normal total loss from a "normal" full packer brisket (un-trimmed) is 40-50% pre to post cooking.  This includes a bunch of loss from trimming the excess fat -- and then the actual weight loss itself.  For 20 people -- I'd start with 24-30 lbs un-trimmed packer.  If your going trimmed flat brisket (like from costco/sam's) -- then assume 30% loss to be on the safe side.

Obviously results will vary depending on fat content level -- which is hard to see.  So make sure to be conservative because left overs are never wasted. :)

[Papa Dave]

When mixing pork butt and brisket during the same smoke, does it matter what kind of wood is used?  Does a mix of hickory and apple for 3 1/2 to 4 hours make sense?

[mikecorn.1]

When mixing pork butt and brisket during the same smoke, does it matter what kind of wood is used?  Does a mix of hickory and apple for 3 1/2 to 4 hours make sense?

Makes perfect sense. Use anything you want. Experiment. Let us know how it comes out. Good luck.


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[Papa Dave]

Back to the issue of making up the brisket a couple days ahead of time before serving and reheating in a crockpot , is there a compromise in flavor, texture etc. vs. slicing and serving right after the ftc stage?

[Habanero Smoker]

It is difficult to reheat brisket without changing the texture a little. If you go without sauce or a little liquid, it will be a lot drier. So make sure you add some liquid to your crock pot. Low sodium beef broth works well, and some people use apple juice.

If you want to serve it in a sauce that works also. My favorite way is to reheat and add an onion sauce.

Brisket With Onion Sauce

[Mbramhall]

I want to thank Pachanga for his outstanding Brisket smoking technique and advice.  For a family gathering I smoke 4 full size briskets (each weighing an average of 7.6 lbs (pre-cooked).

I used the dry rub Texas Brisket recipe from the Bradley cook book.  But it was Pachanga detailed post about the process that made it complete.

MY wonderful wife and girls gave me the bradley smoker as a Christmas gift and Wow the OBS is great.

I smoked the briskets in two batches (2 one weekend) and 3 during a late Nebraska snow storm.  After smoking I wrapped each brisket in four layers of aluminum foil, placed them in a cooler covering them a towel for 3 hours.  After 3 hours the briskets were still so hot I had to use oven mitts to put them on the counter so they could cool before I put the meat in the freezer.

I reheat them (after thoroughly thawing the briskets at room temp for 8 hrs) at 225F for 3 hours.  I also sprinkled them with apple juice before going into the oven.

The briskets were a hit, moist and full of flavor.  Fed over 28 people and still have 1.25 briskets left over for baked potatoes tonight.

Thank Pachanga

[Pachanga]

Mbramhall,

Thank you for taking the time to read about my Texas Style Brisket Method in the Bradley.  I am glad my techniques worked for you.  This method uses the Naked approach (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?775-I-Prefer-to-Smoke-Totally-Naked&p=1176#post1176).  The mustard slather works well in the Bradley (http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=12112.0).  I use it on other meats as well.  It is just one of the many regional styles of brisket smoking presented on this board but it works well for me.

The Bradley does indeed make a fine brisket.  As I have related before, it emulates some of the big pits that I have been fortunate enough to fool around with over the years.  The nice thing about the Bradley is it does all the hard work for you; heat, moisture, and smoke are easy to control and it comes in a compact package.  Your wife and girls did indeed give you a great present.  A plus is they get to enjoy it too.

It sure sounds like you have everything under control.  It will just get simpler and better from here.  Everything is easy once you know how.

Good luck and slow smoking,

Pachanga