Beef brisket second try...

[Ed1978]

My first brisket was a disaster. Last weekend I had my second try. It was better, but not great :(

So, first I trimmed the brisket off the fat. I left some but I think I may have trimmed the fat cap too much.

Next, I brined the brisket for about 20 hours with solution of apple juice, water, salt, and combination of onion/rosemary/garlic that's been lightly sweat with olive oil. 

Then I slathered yellow mustard and rub the meat with over the counter McCormick beef rub, left in the fridge for 24 hours. I had to separate the flat and the point because it didn't fit the OBS tray. I smoked them at 210F for 4 hours with mesquite/pecan combo. Then changed the water bowl and left overnight.

I checked back the next morning (approximately 10 hours after the smoking process started), IT still 160F. Took out the meat and put them into a oven pan with 1/4" apple juice, cover with aluminum foil, at 210F in house oven. 3 hours later, IT was 185F. Took them out, FTC for 2 hours.

The flat part came out somewhat dry. Still edible, but kinda dry. The point came out great and moist. Actually I liked the point better. I think I may have trimmed the fat cap too much, which caused the flat to come out too dry. The brine didn't help much either, probably cause the meat is too tough for the liquid to penetrate. But it did give some flavor to the meat. The first brisket I tried, I didn't brine it and the flavor at the center of the meat was plain, I had to use more salt. At least this time I was able to slice the brisket, my first brisket become shredded because I sliced the wrong way :)

I think next time I try the brisket, I won't bother brining it. Also will leave most of the fat cap intact. And move the brisket to house oven 1-2 hours after the smoking process done, instead of leaving it overnight like I did this time. Hopefully, that will keep the flat moist when it's done.

Here are some pics:

[FLBentRider]

Do you know what grade of meat you started with ?

[Ed1978]

I believe it's USDA Select. It's the only kind of packer trimmed Beef Brisket that they have at my local Albertson.

Good brisket is hard to make  :(  Maybe I should stick with pulled pork, easy and simple  :)

[Wildcat]

IMHO that brisket is way to naked.  I recommend that you leave 1/8 to 1/4 inch layer of fat on.

[FLBentRider]

I'll agree that you trimmed too much fat as well.

I had no luck with select grade brisket.

From USDA web site:

"Quality Grades:

    * Prime grade Image of Prime Label is produced from young, well-fed beef cattle. It has abundant marbling and is generally sold in restaurants and hotels. Prime roasts and steaks are excellent for dry-heat cooking (broiling, roasting, or grilling).

    * Choice grade Image of Choice Label is high quality, but has less marbling than Prime. Choice roasts and steaks from the loin and rib will be very tender, juicy, and flavorful and are, like Prime, suited to dry-heat cooking. Many of the less tender cuts, such as those from the rump, round, and blade chuck, can also be cooked with dry heat if not overcooked. Such cuts will be most tender if "braised" — roasted, or simmered with a small amount of liquid in a tightly covered pan.

    * Select grade Image of Select Label is very uniform in quality and normally leaner than the higher grades. It is fairly tender, but, because it has less marbling, it may lack some of the juiciness and flavor of the higher grades. Only the tender cuts (loin, rib, sirloin) should be cooked with dry heat. Other cuts should be marinated before cooking or braised to obtain maximum tenderness and flavor."

[Ed1978]

Btw, the pic is not the fat cap side :)  But I do think I trimmed to much of the fat cap (not in the pic).

I guess next time if I ever make another brisket, I'll go to other grocery stores and try to look for USDA Choice grade brisket.

[icerat4]

Do it the easy way.i did a 10 pound brisket the other day usda brisket from sams club wiegh 10 pounds .Salt and pepper only on both sides of brisket.Smoke for 4-5 hours max.Temps inside box no more then 220 max max..Put in a foil pan lil apple juice cover with foil set oven at 215 no higher then 220.Wait til internal temps are 190 .walla perfect tender juicy .try it this way.I feel the more weight the better and fat do not trim and have that side up.Give this a try .Make sure your brisket is usda too which i see u had.Good luck brisket is tuff but the 5 hrs of smoke is more then enough finish it in the oven covered in foil not wrapped in foil covered in pan then foil top of pan .GOOD LUCK

[CherryCoke]

Ed, Im no expert,but here is what I have done and worked very well for me.
I bought the Brisket at WalMart, the cheap ones, at $1.86#
I then rinse,slice off some of the fat,and leave some,1/4" thick on it.
I cut it into 2 pieces,
I coat Turbinado sugar,rub it in. also bought at Walmart,called Sugar in the Raw
then I coat with yellow mustard
then coat with Famous Daves Rib Rub or your favorite.
I put in fridge overnite.covered with saran wrap
early  next day, because it has to be in smoker for about 10-12 hours,
I start up smoker on high heat.
I only use 2 racks, remove others,spray racks with Pam and also other parts of smoker you have to wash,helps in cleanup
after it gets warmed up a bit, I fill the water pan full as I can get it with microwaved water,HOT
and put the 2 pieces of Brisket in, Fat side up,on lower shelf & 3rd shelf.I spray with Apple Juice and close up, with vent closed all the way thru 10-12 hours,
my Bradley is inside a Walmart 6' plastic shed, it doesnt get hot enough to hurt it, but keeps wind off and holds temps.
I use either Apple or Hickory or Maple Mix of pucks,enough for 2 hours smoke.alternating them in post
every 90 minutes or slightly less I spray with apple juice
I also use 2 temp probes,ET-73 in meat thru whole cycle
when meat is heated up and Bradley wants to run warmer, I slide the temp back a bit, to maintain about 225+degrees
when internal temps reach about 190/195 I remove,put in microwave with a towel over it to rest for about a half hour.
then slice it properly, & serve.
Hope I didnt miss any steps here and am open to changes/criticism. just my recipe, have never had a bad one,neighbors and son/wife are thinking Im the God of the Smoker..haahaa
Oh, and when temp is around 160-170,it may not move for a long time, maybe a hour or two,just wash your remote ET-73 and watch your temp on Bradley,keep it fairly steady.   
for cleanup, My wife uses a Dollar store product called AWESOME,and it is for cleaning up with and cheap............ Chuck

[pensrock]

Fat side up,on lower shelf & 3rd shelf.I spray with Apple Juice and close up, with vent closed all the way thru 10-12 hours,

CherryCoke,
  Keeping the vent completely closed is VERY bad for your smoke generator. The smoke and moisture will back up into the generator and kill it. Mine is never more than 1/2 shut, or 1/2 open depending on how you look at it.  :)
  Most of the time I keep it wide open, the generator makes plenty of smoke so wide open will not affect the smoke taste. You also need it open to get the moisture out of the tower. Some say the excess moisture actually keeps the tower from getting to temperature. I have not experienced this, probably because I keep the vent open.
pens

[CherryCoke]

pens, never realized this, will try opening it a bit,see if it affects the heat.

[commonsense]

I live in Minnesota where the temps have been around zero.

I noticed when I was preheating the Smoker I had the vent closed and it was taking a while to heat up.  I opened the vent all the way

open on top and the temperature started rising right away.

[KyNola]

CherryCoke,
Pens has given you some very good advice. Running the Bradley with the vent closed will destroy your smoke generator.  Like Pens, my vent is never closed more than 50%, typically 3/4 to wide open.

KyNola