ok so about this brisket thing!!?

[armpower]

hey everyone,  hope happy holidays are being had by all!!

ok so, brisket.      i have done a couple of these and they have been fine.

now you know those great looking foods in cabelas and bass pro this time of year,  my dad ordered some of that cuz he always wanted to try it.  one of the things was brisket,   and oh my sweet smoker god!!    way way better than anything i have turned out.   so i am to fix that,  i can not be out done by something in a catalog.   it was tender juicy succulent!!!!   i want mine like  that.

so lets hear from the big dogs on this site how do i make a brisket that is melt tender and juicy????




happy New Year!!

[GusRobin]

It starts with the grade of meat - minimum Choice, Prime better, Waygu ( or whatever the heck the name for american Kobe) the best.

Cook low (225*) to about 185* IT. FTC for 1 -2 hrs.

Should come out great.

[Indy Smoker]

Good cut - nice rub - low and slow will get great results

[Caneyscud]

and lots of smoke.  Oak, Pecan, Hickory, or Mesquite - all will be good

Start with a whole, otherwise called a packer cut, brisket.  Don't trim too much fat off - leave a bunch, then low and slow.   Lots of bark? - use a mustard slather.  Something more like the Brisket Belt - then just salt, pepper and maybe a little cayenne. 

One of the keys is not to take the IT too high.  I've seen some recipes say to take to 200 or 205.  That is really playing with danger - greater danger that the dryness fairy will visit your brisket. 

I have played with taking the brisket up to 175 or so relatively quickly then adjusting the CT down to 185 and leaving it there for a few hours.  Tender, but no more juicy than a "normal" low-n-slow. 

FTC certainly helps. 

Plus I tend to mop, I'm not totally convinced mopping gives you a juicier product, probably just a tastier bark.  Juiciness is more of a factor of the particular slab of brisket, the amount of fat and collagen and properly melting it, and not cooking it too long. 

Flavors - the sky is the limit.  I usually keep simple (salt and pepper) because I enjoy just the taste of the beef.  However, on Christmas Eve I did two butts and a brisket.  On the brisket I used Tone's Southwest Chipotle seasoning.  Good stuff, but has a good bit of cumin in it, and would be too strong of a cumin flavor for most people around here. 

[armpower]

thanks guys,   i will let you know how it turns out!   i will try for pics if someone tells me how

goes in the smoker wed night!

[GusRobin]

try this linkfor pics

http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?488-Answers-To-Bradley-Smoker-FAQ-s&p=768#post768

[Ka Honu]

goes in the smoker wed night!

Make sure your V-tray is clean and you have plenty of water in the drip bowl (many of us replace it with a large aluminum roasting tray), especially if you're doing an overnight smoke.  You DO NOT want a grease fire at 3AM.