I need brisket help

[dakota57006]

I am new to smoking but have always enjoyed eating it.  I recently purchased the digital 4 rack and smoked a pork roast.  Turned out great!  My all time favorite is brisket.  I have smoke two briskets now and have not been happy with the result of it.  They have been dry and tough.  Excellent smoke flavor and seasoning flavor.  I am smoking for 4 to 5 hours using mesquite and cooking in the smoker at 200 until my internal temperature is 190.  I have tried to find information if this is correct but the more I look the more confused I get as everyone has their own little way of doing it.  Is smoking brisket that tough or are there some basics I am missing.  I am a die hard and want to cook in the smoker until finished and not use my oven, that's why I have the smoker.  I sure would appreciate any help out there that you can give me.

[Ontrack]

I've only done 5, counting the one I'm eating leftovers on now,so I'm certainly no expert. But, I have to ask: are you FTCing or using any kind of spritz (apple juice, etc.)?

[Duster]

well dakota57006, I am not at all familiar with a cut of brisket but just wondering Have you tried  to FTC the brisket afterwords for a few hours? Like I said I'm not a brisket pro so if I am giving you bad advise then I'm sure the others on here will correct me for it but I do Know that a little FTC time works great on pork butts.

[dakota57006]

OK, I said I'm new so don't laugh.  What is FTC?

[hillbillysmoker]

F= wrap in foil (shiny side in)
T= wrap in towels to hold temp in
C= place in preheated cooler to maintain temperature longer.

I usually add about 1/8 cup of apple juice before ftc brisket. It will continue to cook and tenderize and can remain like this for several hours and still maintain temperature. I have gone as long as 6 hours and still had hot brisket to pull. You will definitely have tender meat and the foil will hold moisture in.

[dakota57006]

OK, so I got the FTC down.  I pour apple juice on the brisket before I completely seal it up in the foil?  Preheat a cooler?  You talking about an ice cooler?  To preheat it do you just dump in hot water?  Is any of this information all put together like smoking for dummies?  What about smoking time?  What about oven temperature and cooking time?  What should the internal temperature be at when I would FTC?

These might seem like stupid questions but I feel if you don't ask that's even dumber.

[Wildcat]

I would not pour apple juice on it prior to FTC.  I would give a liberal spray of apple juice.  I do not bother to heat the cooler.  I will find the correct size cooler (I have several) double wrap in foil, wrap in a large towel and put it in.

I smoke my briskets for 4 hours then continue to cook until done.  I like to keep the cabinet temp at 190 - 205F.  Always get a brisket with enough fat on one side and place fat side up in the smoker.  Spray with apple juice about every hour or two.  If you are doing more than one tray, rotate top to bottom and back to front every hour or two also.

One problem you may be having is if you are not monitoring the cabinet temp with a separate temp probe.  The gauges that came with the smoker are never correct and can be off by 20 degrees.  You want to keep the cabinet temp under 210 for best results.  Low and slow.

[Ontrack]

Dakota, as the vets told me, there are no stupid questions. Like I said before, I am by no means a brisket expert, but I will tell you what I do to make an excellent brisket. I'm sure some of the more "seasoned" veterans will have better ideas, but this is mine:

Slather with Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard
Add dry rub consisting of seasoned meat tenderizer, garlic powder, onion powder, and creole seasoning
Wrap in Saran wrap and refrigerate for 12-24 hours
Smoke for 3:20 (hickory is the only thing I've used for brisket) & change water in bowl
Maintain cab temp of 210-220
Spray apple juice for the first time after changing water, then every hour after
Prewarm cooler with hot water
Pull at 190 internal temp
FTC for at least 2 hours, spraying apple juice over both sides while foiling
Cut against the grain, and or pull, as you would pork
EAT!!!

I must ask, do you have a Maverick, or similar thermometer, or are you going by the smoker temps? I hope this helps, because it came right out of this forum by many members who REALLY know what they're doing.

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi Dakota;

Welcome to the forum.

As you can tell there are a variety of ways to smoke a brisket. Are you smoking a whole brisket, or the flat, or the point? I don't ftc, or spritz; and only take my brisket to 180°F - 185°F. Applying 4 hours of smoke with a cabinet temperature of 200°F - 210°F (that is the temperature I prefer). When I take it out of the smoker I will foil it, and a little beef broth or apple juice before sealing, and let it rest for about an hour or so to allow the juices to absorb and redistribute.

For me, my brisket is moist enough, but everyone has a difference thought of what moist is. Many have use a method called "boating", which was originally posted by Olds. I have never used the method but many swear by it. I don't have time to do a search, but basically you seal the brisket in foil after the smoke has been applied (add some liquid before sealing). Then place in back into the smoker or oven and continue cooking until you reach the internal temperature you want.

[Duster]

Is any of this information all put together like smoking for dummies?  What about smoking time?  What about oven temperature and cooking time?

Dakota, this is a link that I find very useful. I know that it isn't based on the Bradly methods but this guy Jeff has a lot of need to Know stuff in his E-course. It is sent threw e-mail over a course of 5 days. I printed most of the course out for future reference and best of all it's good free advice.

http://www.smoking-meat.com/

[dakota57006]

I have ordered a Maverick but currently am using the digital controller and relying on it being correct.  As far as what I am smoking, I really don't know for sure.  I ask for a piece of brisket for smoking and the butcher comes out with a package.  I do know the last one I smoked didn't have near the fat cap it should have.  Which cut is better to smoke or doesn't it matter?  How tender is the brisket when you are going to FTC or does the FTC do the majority of tenderizing?

Sure appreciate everyones input and I don't mind reading so if there are any good books or guides on smoking I would be very interested in them.

[Habanero Smoker]

You should ask the butcher next time. If it is cryovac (vacuum sealed) it should say on the label which cut it is. The whole brisket is made up of two muscle groups, the flat and the point. The whole cut will barely fit in one of the BS trays, and often it may be larger then the tray. I generally just smoke the flats, because I can't usually find whole cuts,  and the flat is what is sold in my area. The point has more marbling. Also the amount of fat cap you have will depend on how the brisket was trimmed prior to sale. I some times find flats that have been trimmed of almost all of the fat.

Here is another good site that gives a lot of information on brisket, while there you should browse around. They have a lot of information on smoking and techniques that can be adapted for use with the BS.
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/virtualbrisket.html
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/brisketselect.html

[Wildcat]

I always FTC my butts to continue the fat and tissue rendering and to keep hot until dinner time.  As far as being tender, sometimes it is hard for me to get the butt onto the foil to FTC without it falling apart.  This is probably because I smoke between 190 and 210 (normally averaging around 200).

[dakota57006]

The briskets I get aren't vacuumed packed.  I have a state university in town and go to the meat lab and get the cuts that they butcher right on campus.  The cuts are then wrapped in freezer paper and that is what you get.  I purchased to pieces, the first must have been the flat and the second appears to be the point.  I know the fat cap was just about gone and will ask next time to look at it or see if they have some not trimmed.  So does FTC make that big of difference on a brisket?  It could be that my oven temp is just too high and I will know that soon enough when I get my Maverick.

Thanks for the links and keep on smokin'

[Habanero Smoker]

I can't answer your question on the FTC, because I rarely use that technique, maybe someone who has tried both methods can give you a better answer. I do know that wrapping it in foil and adding about 1/8 - 1/4 cup of beef broth or apple juice before sealing will allow the juices to redistribute, and most of the extra liquid will be absorbed during the resting period. If you are just beginning to learn how to smoke brisket, you will be better off learning on one cut, because each cut will cook a little differently. I would suggest just staying with flats until you have a technique developed.

There is a forum member who always injected his briskets with a brine, but I don't think he posted his brine recipe. He would also take his internal temperature to 200°F - 210°F. Usually when you take the brisket that high you would want to pull it as oppose to slicing. The only other suggestion I can come up with is to make sure you slice it thin and across the grain.