Brisket

[mtlinda]

I'm pretty sure I just made the best brisket I have ever made! Pretty excited about it and thought I would share what I did wrong, a little right, and more wrong.

First, I usually use a whole brisket and trim myself, but I didn't get one from my usual source in time, so I grabbed a cut and trimmed piece from Costco.

I'm a slatherer, so I slathered and used a rub I had never used before from a local company. I love their sauces, so I figured their rub should be good...I was right!  But I forgot that I was cooking it for Monday, so I prepared as if I was cooking on Sunday. 

Then, I reread a lot of post on this forum and happened upon Pachanga's post "To Mop or Not to Mop". In the process I read that you should prepare the brisket only 24 hours in advance, unless you are sure your rub is not salt 'heavy', or you could end up with a piece of jerky.  Since I used a prepared rub, I wasn't really very sure. 

We lived in West Texas for a few years, and the thing I miss most after moving back north, is great brisket.  Mine usually turn out decent flavor, but almost on the dry side.  So, knowing that the brisket I was using was trimmed, I figured maybe this was the time to try this mopping thing.  Threw it together as the brisket was going in the smoker, went out with my brush and sauce and thought,'this is a pain, there's smoke pour all over me, I'm having a hard time getting the brush where it needs to go.....', then I dumped the sauce on top of the brisket and closed the door.  The next 5 hours, on the hour, I did the same thing.

I only have a single Maverick, so I usually keep the probe loose in the cabinet for the first 3/4 of the cooking time just to keep tabs on my temp, then when we are getting close, I put in the meat.  Early Monday morning, I put the probe in the meat, and went back to bed, and should have turned off puck thingy (sorry, its late and I'm not thinking), so the cabinet get hotter than it should have, and ended up cooking the brisket a lot faster than I would have liked. It took 12 hours total. Dumped the last of the sauce on the brisket, FTC'd it, ate 4 hours later.

Everyone thought it was the best one I had ever done.  I have become a 'mopper'.  The flavor reminded me of the stuff I love from Texas, and while it wasn't juicy, it was certainly moist, and tender!

So I just wanted to thank all you who share you knowledge and experience, and encourage those of you who (like me) sometimes feel intimated by the whole thing, smoke away, you don't have to be perfect to make a wonderful brisket.

Linda

[beefmann]

congrats on your brisket linda.. sounds like everyone enjoyed

[KyNola]

Nice going Linda!

[tskeeter]

So, are you sharing your mop recipe?  Or is it a family secret?

[Pachanga]

Rubbed, slathered and mopped!!!

What's not to like.  Sounds like you did a bang up job.  Livin' life large the way life oughta be.

Good luck and slow smoking,

Pachanga

[Tenpoint5]

Sounds like a great brisket experience

[mtlinda]

I used a simple version of Pachanga's mop. By simple I mean I used the basics; beer, butter, broth, onions, lemons, soy, worchestershire.

I have since made this a few more times.  We found that we like the brisket even more after its been FTC'd, then refrig overnight, then reheated.  I did add apple juice/beef broth combo and sealed it in foil when I reheated it.  Just threw it on the side of the grill for a little over an hour. 

Got two in the Bradley right now, can hardly wait!!!

[Tenpoint5]

Oh yeah you gotta go with what the family likes

[Saber 4]

Sounds great, if you can't live in Texas anymore you can at least eat like you do. :)