Good morning my SMF Brothers and Sisters!
I'm sure many of you get the same periodic newsletter emails from Thermoworks that I get...they sometimes have links to good blog articles on smoking techniques and how-to's. To those of you who've seen this already...sorry for posting repetitive information, but I found this to be a good read and thought members here - both the veterans and the newbies - might enjoy the step by step tutorial on smoking a brisket "Texas Style" ala Aaron Franklin.
Anyway, here's the link to that article:
http://blog2.thermoworks.com/2016/0...eature&utm_campaign=Dec2016-Smoked-Brisket-cs
For most of the brisket veterans here, there's not much new information, but if you're like me you'll still enjoy the read. Most of us who view ourselves as experienced brisket cooks have perfected a process and a technique that we are happy with, but I still like to see how others are doing it. I've tweaked my methods over the years based on what I've read and learned from the many expert pitmasters here at SMF. And for the brisket newbies, this is as good a step-by-step tutorial as any others I've read, although I want to give some DAP to other veteran members here who've posted excellent brisket tutorials in the past (gary s, Danny, et al). This article does a pretty thorough job of explaining why certain methods are done to get the best end product.
The one tidbit that interested me the most relates to using a water pan. The question of whether or not to use a water pan is an old debate here at SMF. I for one, don't use one. But this article gives a reasonable argument for re-thinking that.
From the Blog:
[h4]➤ KEEP THE COOKER HUMID[/h4]
During the first stage of our cook, we’ll use a pan full of water to keep the smoking environment humid as we bring the brisket up to 150°F (66°C). The humid environment is necessary to slow down moisture evaporation, collagen breakdown, and fat rendering, so that all those processes can occur simultaneously.
Cooking brisket in a moist atmosphere also preserves tackiness on the surface of the meat, which is necessary for the best smoke penetration.
I've read many times the claim that a moist chamber promotes more smoke penetration...that's not really a new concept to me, although I've never been unhappy with the smoke penetration I get from a dry chamber. But the first statement, explaining the other benefits of a water pan (evaporation, collagen breakdown, fat rendering), is what interests me. I made up my mind years ago that a water pan provided no discernible advantages over a dry chamber...so if I ever tried to smoke a brisket with a water pan in the cooker, I don't remember it. Reading this article makes me want to try it and see if the results are different/better.
Many of my friends here are much more experienced brisket cooks than I, so please feel free to weigh in...
Red
I'm sure many of you get the same periodic newsletter emails from Thermoworks that I get...they sometimes have links to good blog articles on smoking techniques and how-to's. To those of you who've seen this already...sorry for posting repetitive information, but I found this to be a good read and thought members here - both the veterans and the newbies - might enjoy the step by step tutorial on smoking a brisket "Texas Style" ala Aaron Franklin.
Anyway, here's the link to that article:
http://blog2.thermoworks.com/2016/0...eature&utm_campaign=Dec2016-Smoked-Brisket-cs
For most of the brisket veterans here, there's not much new information, but if you're like me you'll still enjoy the read. Most of us who view ourselves as experienced brisket cooks have perfected a process and a technique that we are happy with, but I still like to see how others are doing it. I've tweaked my methods over the years based on what I've read and learned from the many expert pitmasters here at SMF. And for the brisket newbies, this is as good a step-by-step tutorial as any others I've read, although I want to give some DAP to other veteran members here who've posted excellent brisket tutorials in the past (gary s, Danny, et al). This article does a pretty thorough job of explaining why certain methods are done to get the best end product.
The one tidbit that interested me the most relates to using a water pan. The question of whether or not to use a water pan is an old debate here at SMF. I for one, don't use one. But this article gives a reasonable argument for re-thinking that.
From the Blog:
[h4]➤ KEEP THE COOKER HUMID[/h4]
During the first stage of our cook, we’ll use a pan full of water to keep the smoking environment humid as we bring the brisket up to 150°F (66°C). The humid environment is necessary to slow down moisture evaporation, collagen breakdown, and fat rendering, so that all those processes can occur simultaneously.
Cooking brisket in a moist atmosphere also preserves tackiness on the surface of the meat, which is necessary for the best smoke penetration.
I've read many times the claim that a moist chamber promotes more smoke penetration...that's not really a new concept to me, although I've never been unhappy with the smoke penetration I get from a dry chamber. But the first statement, explaining the other benefits of a water pan (evaporation, collagen breakdown, fat rendering), is what interests me. I made up my mind years ago that a water pan provided no discernible advantages over a dry chamber...so if I ever tried to smoke a brisket with a water pan in the cooker, I don't remember it. Reading this article makes me want to try it and see if the results are different/better.
Many of my friends here are much more experienced brisket cooks than I, so please feel free to weigh in...
Red
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