Help please....

Yes , Bigdaddyben , I happen to have a tried and (very) true Rub.

Kosher Salt And Cracked Black Pepper , 50/50 and rub in well.

Now , with 4 post here , have you done a Brisket  .

My two cents worth ,practice patience  and keep the smoke like this :


Have fun and . . .

Since you mentioned unique ingredients, I have a few that I think may interest you:

Jalapeño Rub

4 Tbsp (pre-grind measure) dried chopped Jalapeño, powdered

1-½ Tbsp crushed Red Pepper

1 Tbsp Chili powder

½ Tbsp Cayenne Pepper

2 Tbsp (pre-grind measure) Black Peppercorn, medium/fine grind

2 Tbsp Dried minced Garlic

4 Tbsp (pre-grind measure) chopped dried Onion, fine to powdered grind

½ tsp ground Cinnamon

4 Tbsp Kosher Salt

Here’s the spices before I ground anything in order of listing above (left to right, 1st, 2nd & 3rd rows):


After the grind:


Rub used on a Chuck:





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NOTE: The following rub recipes which contain dried fruits are intended for low & slow cooking only, as the natural sugars in the fruits will scorch quickly with high-heat cooking.

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RED BELL PEPPER BRISKET RUB

4 Tbls dried diced red bell pepper, coarse ground

3 Tbls dried chopped onion, coarse ground

2 Tbls dried minced garlic, medium ground

2 Tbls black peppercorn, medium ground

2 tsp thyme, med/fine ground

2 Tbls rosemary, med/fine ground

1 tsp oregano, med/fine ground

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp chili powder

2 Tbls kosher salt

***all measures pre-grind

A couple hours into the smoke with a heavily trimmed brisket flat:


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This is good with the heavier/stronger flavors of Brisket,  but I suggest that you drop the Sage, and possibly the Cumin, depending on your personal preferences. The sage has a slight bitterness and bite that don't agree with beef very well, IMHO, even though it is a small ratio. Cumin adds a nice twist on the flavor profile when used for pork,  but some may not find it as appealing with smoked beef. BTW, don't be afraid of adding ground dried apple to this...been there, done that...it ads a bit more sweetness and depth to the overall profile and is an excellent addition. Also, I add more black pepper and garlic for brisket. Overall, it's a very good base dry rub for pork and beef, with minor changes for beef...nice on poultry as well.

BLUEBERRY-CHERRY-RBP DRY RUB

All measures are pre-grind, except for the powdered ingredients, of course.

4 Tbsp dried whole Blueberry
3 Tbsp dried Tart Cherry
3 Tbsp dried diced Red Bell Pepper
3 Tbsp dried chopped Onion
2 Tbsp dried minced Garlic
1-1/2 Tbsp Black Peppercorn
1 Tbsp ground White Pepper
2 Tbsp Kosher Salt
1 Tbsp Spanish Paprika
1 Tbsp Rosemary
2-1/2 tsp Thyme
1 tsp ground Cumin
1/2 tsp rubbed Sage

On a pork butt:


The end result using a wet-to-dry smoke chamber..fantastic bark and very moist & tender interior with an explosion of very unique flavor:


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Aside from all the well-developed recipes out there, there's always the KISS method for beef, which we refer to as SPOG. Beef has a strong flavor, especially brisket, and doesn't need much coaxing to taste good for the majority of us, if you give it a chance.

Salt          1 to 1.5 parts (kosher or course sea salt...sea salt has less sodium by measure/weight...tastes better, IMO)

Pepper     2 parts (course ground black pepper)

Onion       2 to 3 parts (I like to use dried chopped, and break it down to med-fine particle size)

Garlic       2 to 3 parts (dried minced, or dried minced with a light grind to maintain a courser particle size)

Everyone who uses SPOG probably has their favorite ratios of each ingredient for different cuts and types of meat (works fine on pork, lamb for some, and even poultry) but I lean more towards onion, then pepper, then garlic, and lighter on salt for beef brisket.

I haven't written any new recipes lately, but continue to use those I've done in the past, sometimes with small variations just for kicks...it's all been good. I have many more floating around on SMF, just not what I would consider good for brisket without serious modifications to the existing recipe...basically writing it over from scratch after a few trials in the smoker.

Enjoy!!!

I'm sure there will be more from others coming your way soon...come on guys and gals...take the bait...you know you want to...

Eric

Can you ask to find out what they like? It might be a shame to follow a good recipe but get the response "Eww, it has ___ and I hate that."

Salt and pepper is the classic Central Texas rub for brisket.  I've been using a couple of commerical rubs that are OK, to be honest I haven't been able to tell much of a difference.  I think the smoke is more important and like to use oak.  Here is a link to Frankin's bbq rub, its pretty basic but I plan on trying it next.  Tell you what that jalapeno rub above looks like it would be real interesting if you like things a little hotter.

I am in East Texas  Salt and coarse ground black pepper.  It will make a good bark and you will taste the Brisket

Gary

Sorry Gary wasn't trying to leave East Texas out, should have said Central and East Texas.  I use a rub from the Salt Lick my wife picked up for me when going through the Austin airport. 

The Salt Lick is Good !!

Gary

200* should be just about fall apart tender for brisket, as in pull-able...slice fairly thick after a good foil/towel-wrapped rest (at least 1 hour, longer if you want more tender), and use an electric knife if you have one.

For slicing I usually go to around 185*, then probe for tenderness and give it another 5-10* if it acts like it wants it...usually 190 is hot enough to do a tender slice, but it depends on the smoker and methods, as well as the individual brisket.

Eric