I bought a brisket flat from Sam's last week and smoked it in my MES last weekend. It was the first brisket I have ever smoked. It turned out well, but I have a lot to learn about doing brisket. It came out a little dry and lacked a good smoke ring, but the taste and texture were good - if I say so myself.
You can see that it is marked "Angus Beef". Someone else will have to tell you if that has any significance.
Here's the other side. I trimmed most of that saddle of fat off with a boning knife.
Here it is after smoking.
I marinated it for about 36 hours (see recipe below). I also used a rub that I bought already prepared.
http://www.fiestaspices.com/index.asp?page=brisketrub
I set the MES for 225* and stuck in the temp probe. I set the time at about 20 hours. It got up to about 170 before I caught it and took it out and put it in a pan of beef boullion broth along with the left over marinade that I had saved and cooked. My goal was to get it up to about 190-195* IT and take it out; however, when it got past 16 hours I decided it I was over cooking it. I took it out then. I'm glad I did as it was little too dry. I don't know what I did wrong with the temp probe. It never read above 180*. Next time I will NOT use as much boullion because I got it a little bit salty. I guess I was lucky not to ruin it with the cooking time and the boullion; but daughter, wife and son-in-law all said they liked it.
Hope this helps.
Brisket Marinade
Whether you are smoking or grilling a
brisket, this marinade will add a lot of flavor and help keep the meat tender.
[h3]Prep Time: 15 minutes[/h3][h3]Total Time: 15 minutes[/h3][h3]Yield: Makes about 2 1/2 cups[/h3][h3]Ingredients:[/h3]
- 1 1/2 cups red wine
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons prepared mustard
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon horseradish
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
[h3]Preparation:[/h3]
Mix all ingredients together. Pour over brisket and let marinate overnight in the refrigerator, turning occasionally. Remove brisket from marinade and boil remaining marinade for 5 minutes to use as a
mop.