First Brisket.. I need hand holding.

[LumpyDVC]

Hey All,

Finally tracked down a brisket. None of my local stores seem to have "Brisket" style
cuts. So I ventured out to a popular butcher (Mad Butcher, Innisfail, AB) who hooked
me up.

I picked up a 7lb brisket at $3.15lb. It's un-trimmed.

I have a rub made up from a reciepe that I got from this site that I have used for ribs.

This will be my first brisket and I'm a total noob. I have a fairly new DB6R.

Will my rib rub work for the Brisket?
Recommend any good basic brisket rubs?
Can I cut the brisket and just do half or is it better to keep it whole?
How long to smoke?
Full vent open or closed?
What type of pucks should I use? Hick/mes/apple/?
What Temp should I put my Bradley at?
What IT am I aiming for?
How long of a smoke/cook should I expect?

I'll keep reading away but any helping hand/tips/tricks would be great.

I don't think I'll get her done this weekend but aiming for next weekend.

P.S. Picked up a cheapie Presidents Choice digital meat thermometer. Hopefully
it will do until I can get my Maverick.

[Tenpoint5]

This should help you out and give you a baseline to follow. It should also answer most of your questions. http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?525-WTS-Brisket

[Habanero Smoker]

The link that 10.5 provided should answer most of your questions.

As for using a rub for ribs on brisket, that depends on the ingredients of the rub. I find that rubs for pork work well on chicken, but do not necessarily work well on beef. I prefer to use oak when I smoke beef.

[RAF128]

Brisket is a Texas thing ;) and they only use mesquite, but you're not in Texas :D.   I think you can use what ever wood you like.  Give yourself lots of time.    Might take 20 hrs or more.   

[3rensho]

If you do all the cooking in the Bradley don't worry about the IT hitting a plateau at around 168^o F.  That's normal.  Temp will start climbing again once the collagen is broken down.  Low and slow is the name of the game.

[Snyd]

Hey Lumpy! Good to see you on here. I live up by Grande Prairie. I ordered a Maverick from E-bay, it got here in about 10 days. I sure love my Bradley. I got mine at Crappy Tire. Have you ever tried smoking chickens in yours? Man, that is good too. 

[LumpyDVC]

We did some chicken legs in the smoker. Wife marinated them, gave them a 2 smoke with some apple. Finished them off on the BBQ. MMmmm good.

Brisket is the next big trial.

[ArnieM]

Hi LumpyDVC.  Congrats on the smoker and scoring the brisket.  Sometimes, around here, they have brisket on sale.  When it's not on sale, it's no where to be found.

I think the guys have you pretty well covered.  I prefer mesquite but what the heck do I know being up here in the northeast. 

You can separate the point and the flat and put 'em on separate racks but you'll really want to rotate, higher to lower. 

[Pachanga]

Lumpy,

Here are some notes and thoughts on brisket.

Brisket Pachanga
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?t=532

Photos to go with the recipe
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=12061.0

Mustard Slather on Brisket and other Meats
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=12112.0

I Prefer to Smoke Totally Naked - A Brisket and Ribs Manifesto
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=12455.0

So your brisket doesn't fit - solution here
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=13080.0

How do you make burnt ends?
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=14065.0

To Mop or Not to Mop – That is the Question
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=14240.0

Calling All Mop Recipes
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=14446.0

Good luck and slow smoking,

Pachanga

[BuyLowSellHigh]

Brisket is a Texas thing ;) and they only use mesquite, but you're not in Texas :D.   I think you can use what ever wood you like.  Give yourself lots of time.    Might take 20 hrs or more.   

Well mesquite may be the norm in the western part of the state, but over here on the other side a lot of brisket is smoked with pecan or oak or a mix of the two (on this side we think mesquite is a weed, and we don't cook with weeds!).

[ArnieM]

It's not a weed.  Go and get your pre-oiled shrimp outa the gulf  ;D ;D

[classicrockgriller]

BLSH is right.

Mesquite is not a normal BBQ in my area also.

Oak, Post Oak, Pecan, and some Hickory.

I like real mesquite.

Have a new BBQ place here in town and he buys loads of mesquite from a certain area (South of Austin)

and the BBQ was very sweet.

Arnie, Fresh Gulf Coast Shrimp are Top Notch.

[ArnieM]

Arnie, Fresh Gulf Coast Shrimp are Top Notch.

I certainly wouldn't argue that.  But right now it looks like they might be gettin' cooked up in crude.

[classicrockgriller]

If they set the oil on fire, We gonna have a BIG Gulf Coast Gumbo.

Bring Rice and Beer!

[BuyLowSellHigh]

Entirely off topic but,  I have been thinking of about a hundred bad-taste barbecueing and cooking jokes related to the oil debacle in the Gulf, but it's now getting quite serious.  Beyond the obvious threat to surface dwelling wildlife, the oil will wipe out a lot of plankton.  That plankton is the key starting point in the food chain for a lot of the aquatic critters, like shrimp and crabs and then through the food chain (fish and bigger fish, etc.).  Beyond that this could put many struggling Gulf fisherman (a breed already endangered) right out of business.

And Mesquite is a weed (but I know of other useful weeds as well)   ;D ;D ;D

But don't take my word for it, here's the poop from the Texas Department of Transportation ....

Section 14: Noxious Weeds and Pests on the Right of Way
Anchor: #i1023211
Overview
A variety of plants are considered pests along the highway right of way. Pest plants are generally those species which pose safety, maintenance or public relations problems for the department.

The predominant pest species in Texas include Johnson grass, Giant Ragweed, Musk Thistle, Sunflower, Field Bindweed, Bermuda grass, Mesquite, Huisache, Retama, Georgia Cane, Kochia, Russian Thistle, Switchgrass, Turnip Weed, Morning Glory Vine, Western Bitterweed, African Rue, Cattails, Saltcedar, Wildoats, Jointed Goatgrass and Kudzu.