New guy with 11 hours of smoking and one tough brisket!

[Bobbert]

All

I am very happy to join the world of smokers!  I am looking forward to perfecting something!

I just purchased a Bradley Digital Smoker and seasoned it per the directions. 

I then tried (key word is tried) to smoke my first brisket and it turned out very tough and it appeared that that smoke ring went all way through the meat!  Overall the meat was not good tasting at all.

My rub seem to be applied too thick???  Is that possible?  Maybe cooked too hot, too long, too much smoke???? 

Here is what I did, any suggestions to improve on my beef brisket?

3 lb beef brisket (trimmed off excess fat) (about 1.5 to 2 inches thick)

Rub
•   ½ cup paprika
•   1 T hot paprika
•   3 T Black Pepper
•   3 T Kosher salt
•   3 T Sugar
•   2 T Chili Powder

Rubbed Brisket night before and let sit in glass dish overnight with about 1/2 of the rub. 

For a BDS
•   Set Oven temp to 220 degrees
•   Set oven timer for 9:40 which is the max time on the BDS but cooked it for 11 hours
•   Set Smoke for 4 hours with vent a little more than half open
•   Cook until Brisket internal temp in 187 degrees

Use 4 Cherry brickets and 8 Hickory brickets.  1 cherry, then 2 Hickory (repeat 3 more times)

Filled Drip bowl ½ full of water

0 hr Brisket in
2 hours Flip brisket (I replaced water and threwout the used brickets)
4 hours smoke off
6 hours Flip and put in meat probe
11 hours done? hit my 187 degrees target

Let rest for 1.5 hours

Thank you all and I am looking forward to any suggestions (I tried more beer in the cook but that did not seemed to help!)

[beefmann]

Welcome to the forum Bobbert,

the person you want to listen to on brisket is West Texas Smoker.. he does a lot of brisket and will give you a lot of insight.

just my opinion and taste, Smoke should have been about 2 Hours and the fat should have been left on to aid in tenderness,

also after the smoking / cooking process place the Bisket in a foil tray add some Apple juice, Cover the top with foil, wrap all that in towels so that there is no foil showing then into a cooler for an hour or longer the longer the better.

as for your seasoning / rub sounds good

Beef

[lumpy]

Welcome to the forum Bobbert,
How did you let the brisket rest?

Lumpy

[westexasmoker]

Welcome to the forum Bobbert!

Sorry to hear your go with brisket, did'nt turn out to suit ya!  Sounds like to much fat was trimmed from your piece, and at 3 lbs you need all the fat you can get!  Also don't flip the meat during the smoke/cook process, keep your fat cap on the top.  Heres a link to the receipe site

http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?t=525

Brisket can be a bit tricky, but give it a go again you'll get the hang of it!  Once again welcome aboard and keep us posted!

C

[Bobbert]

WOW what a fast reponse!!  Thanks

Lumpy- I once I took my brisket out I put it on a plate and covered with foil (on the counter).  Then tried it!

beefman- thanks for the contact with WTS.  I think you are right with the smoke time being only 2 hours based on the fact my ring went all the way through the meat.  and I will try the apple jucie!

Does the time 11 hours and the temp (187 degrees F) sound about right??

[Caneyscud]

Bobbert.

Welcome to the forum!  Lot's of great guys and gals here to help you to smoking nirvana!  

First off - no mesquite - brisket did not happen!

Seriously though, if if is not a typo - a 3 pound brisket should take way less than 11 hours ( 1 to 1.5 hours per pound)  depending on cabinet temperature.  I would assume, that it was probably a pretty trimmed up brisket flat sold for the intent on other uses than barbecue, mainly moist cooking processes.   Others will hopefully chime in and give you other and better ideas, but next time with that cut of meat, I would probably treat it like a chuck steak.  After 2 or 3 hours of smoke, wrap that puppy in foil with a little liquid of your choice and give it another hour or two in the foil sauna to help break down that collagen.  If you don't have the cabinet temperature not much above 200, you could probably keep it in there longer and really get it tender - (IT of 200 to 205).  The 187 IT would be a good slicing temperature - for pull apart maybe 200 to 205 would be better.  That cut is sold for stewing and braising - a process that uses moist heat to break down the collagen.  What likely happened is that the meat fibers got done, but the lack of fat led to a drying out that caused the collagen to dry out and not break down.  Amount of smoke - did you think it was too smokey?  Some people prefer less smoke flavor.  Next time, as suggested, try 2 hours of smoke and adjust from there until you dial in the amount you and your family likes.  My family and I like aggressive smoke.  I did an almost 14# packer recently that went almost 19 hours on a non-Bradley smoker using hickory logs the whole time before taking off at IT of 190 for slicing.  The people who asked me to cook, requested the hickory.

The rub looks good - except for me, I'd leave the sugar out of a rub for brisket.  In this instance it might have carmelized.  

BTW, the Bradley does not usually produce a smoke ring - no combustion gases produced.

Don't throw it away.  Chop it up add some barbecue sauce and maybe a little beer and heat it through.  You come up with a dish called "burnt ends".   Some people purposefully overcook or twice cook their brisket just to make this dish.  OR the meat can be used to flavor beans or greens or a stew or chili made out of it.  

Almost never a "failure" in smoking and barbecue

Shakespeare
The Bard of Hot Aire
Pontificator Extraordinaire'

[westexasmoker]

First off - no mesquite - brisket did not happen!


Shakespeare
The Bard of Hot Aire
Pontificator Extraordinaire'

;D  ;D  ;D  ;D  ;D....Agreed!

C

[beefmann]

bobbet,

I think 11 hours  is a bit long for a 3 LB piece of meat, and 187 F a bit high when beef is done at 165 to 180F.. might try going for a shorter cook time and a  lower IT  temp of 145 to 155 IT ( IT = Internal Temp. ) and see if that makes a difference...

Also you can play with the smoke flavor  and dial it in by useing  more or less Bisquetts.. yo know the smoke flavor at 4 hours, now try at 2, if still to strong try less, if not strong enough smoke add another bisquette ... also ty other woods as well

I have done several 15 to 18 lb surlion roasts with 2 hr 20 min smokes with hickory, misquette, oak .. cooked at 205 to 210 box temp for 18 hours and to an it temp of 175 to 180

hope this helps



Beef

[Carter]

Hey Bobbet,

I see what may have happened here because I've been in exactly the same position as you - the first time I tried to do brisket.

You must be Canadian because it seems to me that fatless 3 lb brisket's seem to be the only way to buy brisket in many Canadian butcher shops.

From what you wrote, I believe it was your lack of fat that really hurt the finished product.  Without it, you end up with a very tough piece of meet.  With it, you can slow cook to your heart's content and you get a nice moist piece of delicious beef.

Living in Toronto, I've yet been able to find a full packer brisket that WTS refers too.

Here is a post I did awhile back where I had my first brisket success.

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=7981.0

All the best with your next attempt.  Don't give up.  This thing is an art rather than a science.  And it's really addictive.

Carter

[Bobbert]

Once again thanks to all (WTS, Carter, Beef, Lumpy and Caneyscud)

AND YES WTS I JUST PICKED UP SOME MESQUITE!!

So I just picked up another brisket (4.3 lbs looks like a flat with a nice layer of fat!)- I guess the cost of being smoker artist is worth it!!

Sounds like my biggest mistake was lack of moisture after the smoking is finished and way too much cook time and smoke for a smaller piece of brisket. 

So I will try again with input from everyone and start tweaking my smoking skills (and beer drinking as well!!), being from Milwaukee you are judged more on beer drinking skills than smoker skills!!

I will get my box at about 200 degrees, (try the rub without sugar) smoke with mesquite for about 2 hours and then wrap in foil with apple juice for the last 3 hours (I assume I add more apple juice if the foil is dry??)

One last generic question - in order to get the IT to 180+ it appears it is critical to have the brisket in a liquid after the smoking?  correct

I will keep everyone posted! and take pictures!!

[Caneyscud]

Hey, no cowing to WTS.  Just because he has a big "B" tattooed on his chest (for Brisket king) and two golden arches - one for each cheek - tattooed on his a...errr... bu.....ummm.....HAM (tea-bag worthy offense) (the word mom comes to mind if he should bend over) doesn't mean that only mesquite can be used on a brisket.  UUUHHHHHH what a minute.... Yes it does!!!   Mesquite=brisket.........unless you can get some Post Oak briquettes - that would be acceptable.  But since Post Oak briquettes aren't available, then you are left with Mesquite (notice the capitalization - out of respect for the Great Wood). 

Shakespeare
The Bard of Hot Aire
Pontificator Extraordinaire'

[smokeitall]

Pictures would be great Bobbert I would love to see them.

[Bobbert]

Ok got the next brisket ready to go into the smoker tomorrow morning and I have one VERY important question!!

With a Texas brisket do I leave the damper 1/2 open or all the way closed (last time I was 1/2 open and it was not pretty very dry!)

I just read the recipe card for the Texas brisket that came in the Mesquite Bisquettes and it says to close the damper all the way but the on line recipe does not say how far to open the damper.  Based on jerky being wide open I think I found my error on my first brisket.

To Leave the damper 1/2 open OR close THAT IS THE QUESTION!!

Thanks!!  The brisket goes in my DBS in 14 hours!!!

[westexasmoker]

I run my vent full open with everything....you don't want a moisture build up within the cabinet.  The smoke just needs to kiss the meat on its way out!

C

[Habanero Smoker]

........I just read the recipe card for the Texas brisket that came in the Mesquite Bisquettes and it says to close the damper all the way but the on line recipe does not say how far to open the damper......

For brisket I generally run mine 1/4 - 1/2 open, making sure that there is no smoke backing out through the generator.

It's strange that the card would have that instruction. Bradley's operating instructions state to never operate the smoker with the damper closed. Keeping the damper closed during operation will cause smoke and moisture to backup into your generator, possibly causing damage.