Which Brisket to buy?

[Habanero Smoker]

I always trim to 1/8" to 1/4", and never had a problem with my brisket being dry.

[icerat4]

thanks olds ;D

[rhodhse]

O.K. Here are the results of my 15.5 lb. select brisket.

Friday 4 PM, trimmed fat, separated point from flat, oiled up and rubbed generously with my favorite homemade Santa Maria beef rub and went to the Angels baseball game, drank refreshments.  Rub recipe below:
   
2 teaspoons    black pepper   
2 teaspoons    white pepper   
2 teaspoons    cayenne pepper   
1 teaspoon    onion powder   
4 tablespoons    granulated garlic   
6 tablespoons    salt

With three peppers in this rub you get fuller mouth flavor from beef.  I use it on all beef.  Steaks, Tri-tip, etc.  At Friday 11PM, I put the brisket into a 4 rack digital smoker, two center racks, flat on top.  The reason I put the flat on top is because the point is a thicker piece of meat.  Both pieces fat side up.  I used a Maverick Meat/Smoker probe, and another meat probe.  The smoker probe I attached to the bottom of the point shelf.  Set smoker oven temp. for 210 degrees. I smoked for 4 hours with Oak and Cherry (2 oak, 1 cherry).  Both pieces of brisket stayed virtually at the same temp. for the entire 18 hours it took to get to 180 degrees.  I kept the door shut, and relied totally on the probes.  Then I FTC'ed for 2 hours with ½ cup apple juice, and 2-3 tablespoons buckwheat honey.  The crust was a dark crispy flavorful bark..mmmm ;D; the brisket was juicy and very tender, with a beautiful pink smoke ring ;D.  I sliced the flat, and I chopped the point, although I could have "pulled" the point it was so tender.  I could not be happier with the results, as is my family and friends who feasted.  Also, I served with a Bobby Flay Spicy Mustard Slaw:

1    head green cabbage, finely shredded   
2    large carrots, finely shredded   
3/4 cup    best-quality mayonnaise (I use safflower)   
2 Tbs    sour cream (I use fake-soy based)   
2 Tbs    minced Spanish onion   
2 Tbs    sugar, or to taste   
2 Tbs    white vinegar (Can use cider vinegar)   
1 Tbs    dry mustard   
2 tsp    celery salt   
   Salt and freshly ground pepper

Thanks to everyone for the help, and the recipes.  The web site mentioned in an earlier post on this thread was a huge help in understanding the anatomy of a full brisket.  What a treat.....Thanks again, I owe my success to this forum.  I learned a lot in a short time.  It made the whole process very comfortable. :)


   

[owrstrich]

rhod...


dang... my mouth wont stop watering... that sounds like the perfect brisket and side of slaw... im gonna have to go get a deep fried pork tenderloin now and pretend its a chunk of brisket...

also...

costco has both select and choice... you have to ask meat folks for the choice butcher pack at the meat counter if they dont have any laying around...

smart and final has both select and choice... be careful and look for the round blue stamp on the butcher pack...

winco in pomono off the 60 at phillips ranch has both select and choice... be careful and look for the round blue stamp on the butcher pack...

there is a place off the 60 at hacienda in industry that has choice... i can drive there but i cant tell you the name or location till i get back to my rig...

you gotta eat...

owrstrich

[rhodhse]

Owrstrich,
Thanks for info. on So.Cal.  I have a Costco real close, and I never thought to ask for a whole brisket.  Next time I must try the choice.  Last night I took some of the sliced leftovers and made a kind of french dip sandwich.  I used some french rolls, spread some olive oil and garlic powder on them and toasted.  I mixed some horseradish with a little cream cheese and spread that on the rolls after toasting, then topped with with some brisket, and dipped in a side beef broth while eating.  I made the broth from store beef broth mixed with some of my brisket juice, and I warmed up my brisket slices in the broth.  This brisket is worth the effort.....Can't wait to try again.

[icerat4]

I did another 5.5 lbs sams club brisket and it just came out ok some parts were moist and easy to chew other parts were tuff i did the olds method of the smoke but it seems the meat was over cooked at those temps.Maybe i should get a better cut of brisket i followed the instructions old posted to a tee .Like i said most liked it but i didnt i thought it would be tender all the way thru.Any suggestions guys.

[Habanero Smoker]

I don't know want else to add to Old's way of doing brisket. Someone mentioned it on this forum before. Getting brisket can some times be a crap shoot; some are tougher than others. I always get my briskets from Sam's, and rarely have a problem with them. There pork butts are another thing, lately they have been trimmed of almost all fat. I've never did the aluminum boat yet. I will be doing that with my next brisket, but I generally take mine out of the smoke at 180ºF.

Just to add one more thing, I've never smoked a brisket smaller than 7 pounds.

[iceman]

Like Hab said, I've never had a bad brisket from Sams yet. 5 lbs. seems really small rat. Was that just the flat? I usually pull mine around 180 / 185 and ftc a couple of hours with some broth and juice and they come out moist and tender. Most of the whole briskets at Sams up here average around 10 / 12 pounds and have a thick fat cap on them. I like to leave a good 1/4" of fat on it while its cooking. Hope you have better luck next time.

[BigSmoker]

I used to do the flats only.  I never even looked at the packers until 1 day they(Sam's) had a bunch of them on display.  I found out the whole thing was cheaper than the flat so I've been buying whole ones ever since.  The Sam's here sells IBP(Iowa Beef Processors although they were bought by Tyson if I remember right).  Once the seperated brisket flat reaches 185f I pull both pieces out of the smoker.  FTC the flat for 2 hours or more ;D with a little apple juice and honey.  The point I cube into 1" pieces and into a shallow foil pan.  I add to it more rub and sauce but just enough to coat the cubes.  Then back into the smoker for another 4-6 hours until they take on a semi jerky consistancy adding sauce when they start to look sticky about every hour to hour and a half. 

[asa]

I used to do the flats only.  . . . . . The point I cube into 1" pieces and into a shallow foil pan. 

This is fascinating. Like parallel universes. BigSmoke, you only do the flats for slicing and Olds only does the points. We need to have a brisket-off. I've not done one yet in the BS, but want to as my next project, which, unfortunately won't be for several weeks from now. My impression from reading is that the flat is leaner, and the point has a larger fat cap and perhaps more connective tissue that needs broken down with slow cooking. It would really be nice to see a comparison done, or does anyone know any other websites or references that might compare the results with these two cuts? Seems to me that the point, if it actually is as I described, might stand and benefit from the long slow cooking better than the flat, but the flat might benefit from a shorter cooking time and perhaps a lower final temperature.
- - - just speculating. Sorry if this has already been answered and discussed in detail.

[Habanero Smoker]

I did another 5.5 lbs sams club brisket and it just came out ok some parts were moist and easy to chew other parts were tuff i did the olds method of the smoke but it seems the meat was over cooked at those temps.Maybe i should get a better cut of brisket i followed the instructions old posted to a tee .Like i said most liked it but i didnt i thought it would be tender all the way thru.Any suggestions guys.

I was at Sam's yesterday, and they only had what they called half-flats, 5.5 - 6 pounds each. I asked one of the meat cutters when they will be getting the full flats in, and he could not give me an answer. I hope this is not a permanent change. I prefer the full flat.

[icerat4]

This is probley the problem. The cut of meat i am doing.I am sure of that so i will go to a real butcher to get what i need.Then i will attempt this again.This is the only thing i have not gotten right with my bs.Whats a good recommened size to do 8-10 pounds or what.thanks guys ill get this right soon.

[Habanero Smoker]

I've seen them go between 7.5 - 12 pounds, with the average being around 10 pounds. So 8-10 would be a good size.

[iceman]

I've seen them go between 7.5 - 12 pounds, with the average being around 10 pounds. So 8-10 would be a good size.

Just right Hab.

[Oldman]

Grade Stamp Is Everything!
Grade Stamp Is Everything!
Grade Stamp Is Everything!

If you purchase a brisket and cannot determine the GRADE then do yourself a favor: Twice Grind it and turn it into hamburger meat.

While some here have had good luck with these super stores I have a problem with them as the quality of meat can vary.

The last two points I got were from a local butcher. Choice grade, Black Angus and cost me a whole $2.79 per pound.  So what if I can go to a Wallmart and get one for $1.99. No thank you. The idea of spending 12 to 18 hours and then wishin" I had instead just ground up the meat does not get-er-done with me. Nor does shredding it up and soaking it in BBQ sauce.

Consider this thought line. A 6 pound brisket takes 12 hours and 2 hours FTC. Two 5 pound briskets take 18 hours and 2 hours FTC. (Time lines are somewhat variable.) Now we all know why the two 5 pound brisket take longer than the one 6 pound brisket -- mass. Now here is what you need to consider: Even though the  two 5 pound briskets are smaller than the one 6 pound brisket they cooked longer and slower; thus there was more time for the two 5 pound briskets to break down into a more tender piece of eating.

I'm sorry but I would not even consider doing a single 5 pound brisket.  I would corn it before I spent the time trying to smoke it.


EDIT: If I had to smoke a single 5 pound brisket this is what I would do. I would not allow my smoker to get hotter than 180 F for the first 7 -8 hours. Then I would move the box up to 195 -205 max. Then wait for the magic 185F and then FTC 2 hours.

Olds