Afraid of Brisket

[whistlepig]

I have asked for advice about brisket several times here and have received some really excellent advice. To the point that I think I am becoming a pest. I have some really good rub and injection recipes that you folks have given me and have saved them. I'm OK on that part. I just can't seem to get the timing for cook time right in my head. So please correct me if I am wrong. I am wanting to do an overnight smoke.

Smoke @ 225 degrees for four hours and then probe?

Probe after foiling?

Will it be @ 165 degrees after four hours so that I can foil it and go to bed?

How much time per pound after foiling?

195 degrees for slicing and 200-205 degrees for shredding?

Our local grocery has choice briskets in the 6#  to 10# range. I fondled a couple of briskets today but just couldn't get the nerve up to try brisket today. I have a MES30. I do have Chef Jimmy's recipe for Au Jus. I am going to do his Au Jus for sure. I don't have an AMNPS yet. Do I need an AMNPS to do brisket? I'm thinking I could smoke with wood chips for four hours and then go to bed after foiling.    

 

[damon555]

Get yourself a wireless thermometer so you don't need to guess at when it hits the foiling temp. My guess is is that a brisket like you describe won't take all night to cook...(maybe the heavier ones if you don't foil)....and you defanitly won't be sleeping after you foil it. Briskets that small finish up pretty quick once they are wrapped.

I'm no expert but I've done enough to know a few things....someone with more experience will answer sooner or later. Good luck.

 

[flash]

I have asked for advice about brisket several times here and have received some really excellent advice. To the point that I think I am becoming a pest. I have some really good rub and injection recipes that you folks have given me and have saved them. I'm OK on that part. I just can't seem to get the timing for cook time right in my head. So please correct me if I am wrong. I am wanting to do an overnight smoke.

Smoke @ 225 degrees for four hours and then probe?

Probe after foiling?

Will it be @ 165 degrees after four hours so that I can foil it and go to bed?

How much time per pound after foiling?

195 degrees for slicing and 200-205 degrees for shredding?

Our local grocery has choice briskets in the 6#  to 10# range. I fondled a couple of briskets today but just couldn't get the nerve up to try brisket today. I have a MES30. I do have Chef Jimmy's recipe for Au Jus. I am going to do his Au Jus for sure. I don't have an AMNPS yet. Do I need an AMNPS to do brisket? I'm thinking I could smoke with wood chips for four hours and then go to bed after foiling.    

I smoked a 13 1/2 lber, full packer, sliced in two to fit my smoker in 9 1/2 hours.  The point pulled well at 195º, the flat sliced well at 195º.

Will it be 165 after 4 hours, maybe, maybe not.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/117521/super-bowl-brisket

 

[adiochiro3]

I have asked for advice about brisket several times here and have received some really excellent advice. To the point that I think I am becoming a pest. I have some really good rub and injection recipes that you folks have given me and have saved them. I'm OK on that part. I just can't seem to get the timing for cook time right in my head. So please correct me if I am wrong. I am wanting to do an overnight smoke.

Smoke @ 225 degrees for four hours and then probe?  I don't probe for 5-6 hours to see when it hits 165*ish.

Probe after foiling?  Once I foil, I leave the probe in so I can actively monitor Internal Temps...

Will it be @ 165 degrees after four hours so that I can foil it and go to bed?  Hard to say; every piece of meat is different.  That's why we cook to IT rather than time.

How much time per pound after foiling?  Again, hard to say (see above answer).  I've had packer briskets done in ~10 hours and others have taken close to 16  hours (same basic size & method).  

195 degrees for slicing and 200-205 degrees for shredding?  190* does it for slicing.  I've even seen folks post that 185* is great for slicing, but I haven't tried it.  We generally prefer to pull our briskys.

Our local grocery has choice briskets in the 6#  to 10# range. I fondled a couple of briskets today but just couldn't get the nerve up to try brisket today. I have a MES30. I do have Chef Jimmy's recipe for Au Jus. I am going to do his Au Jus for sure. I don't have an AMNPS yet. Do I need an AMNPS to do brisket? I'm thinking I could smoke with wood chips for four hours and then go to bed after foiling.    By all means, save that liquid love!  We use it for stock, gravy, au jus, etc.!!  You can pour it into ice cube trays and freeze for easy retrieval & use down the road...

 

[sprky]

I have asked for advice about brisket several times here and have received some really excellent advice. To the point that I think I am becoming a pest. I have some really good rub and injection recipes that you folks have given me and have saved them. I'm OK on that part. I just can't seem to get the timing for cook time right in my head. So please correct me if I am wrong. I am wanting to do an overnight smoke.

Smoke @ 225 degrees for four hours and then probe? Yes This is when I start spritzing as well I spritz every hour to 2 hours no set time

Probe after foiling? If you are foiling before your finished  IT then you need the probe so you can tell when you hit your finish IT.  I do not foil till I hit my finished IT. If I am going to hold the brisket for some time in a cooler yes I leave the probe in, so I can mounter the temps. 

Will it be @ 165 degrees after four hours so that I can foil it and go to bed? hard too say. more times then not I am below 165 at 4 hours, but I am also doing full packers.

How much time per pound after foiling? you cook to IT not by time. darn near ever brisket is different, some will cook fast some slow you never know, that's why you cook to the IT.

195 degrees for slicing and 200-205 degrees for shredding?  Yes

Our local grocery has choice briskets in the 6#  to 10# range. I fondled a couple of briskets today but just couldn't get the nerve up to try brisket today. I have a MES30. I do have Chef Jimmy's recipe for Au Jus. I am going to do his Au Jus for sure. I don't have an AMNPS yet. Do I need an AMNPS to do brisket? NO, I as well don't have one yet I ordered it today. They make things much easier from what I understand. 

I'm thinking I could smoke with wood chips for four hours and then go to bed after foiling.  This is possible when you have an good remote thermometer with alarms like the ET-73 or ET-732. However I never do this any more I have slept threw the alarms. What I do is nap in-between spritz I set an alarm clock or clock radio alarm for no more then 2 hours, get up spritz add chips etc, reset alarm repeat. I set the alarm regardless if I am sleeping or doing something else. 

 

[SmokinAl]

I would start with a small brisket & put it on as early in the morning as you can and just keep an eye on it all day. This way you will learn a lot more & also be able to add chips as necessary.

Good luck & don't forget the camera.

 

[psycho dad]

Great, now I'm afraid of briskets.  Is there an advantage to cooking a large brisket in one piece, as opposed to cutting it in half so it will cook faster?

I need my beauty sleep and I'm not too keen on pulling an all-nighter unless absolutely necessary.

- Jay

 

[geerock]

Psycho,

Don't let these things make you ....... well psycho.  Brisket is not the easiest thing to master and you can get two different briskets from two different places the same weight and they will cook differently.  I would start with a flat instead of a whole packer as the point and the flat cook differently.  Smokin Al gives great advice with the day cook for a smaller piece.  And you absolutely should get yourself a wireless to monitor.  One thing I've learned is to not foil until AFTER you get thru the stall.  A lot of times I'll just let her go to 190 or a bit better so I get a good bark and then foil out of the cooker to get to over 200.  The most important thing is to not be impatient with these things.  If you yank them too early they are virtually inedible.

PS   you should have an AMAZE-N just to make life easier for all your smokes.  All the best.

 

[flash]

Great, now I'm afraid of briskets.  Is there an advantage to cooking a large brisket in one piece, as opposed to cutting it in half so it will cook faster?

I need my beauty sleep and I'm not too keen on pulling an all-nighter unless absolutely necessary.

- Jay

 I had to cut mine in two to fit the smoker.

As to the stall and foiling. I have had to foil, to get thru the stall before. Most briskets are foiled at 165º, if you go much longer you can risk drying it out. But doing a mop, or as I did, adding a bit of beef broth to the foil, deterred the drying out part.  Briskets are not like Butts, not as much internal fat. Pork butts I will leave unfoiled as long as I can.

 

[shooterrick]

Ok the fear is misplaced.  I have never had a brisket go so long I had to pull an all nighter.  If you start early in the morning say 6 am you can finish and have it in a cooler, hours before supper time no problems.  Here are a few things to take away the fear factor and replace it with sound procedures that have worked time and again for me.

First brisket start with a flat not a whole packer.  Rub it down after trimming the cap to 1/4 inch or so thick the night before.  If you are going to inject do it now after the rub.  Place in the fridge.

6 am the next morning start your smoker and get it stable between 225-250 F.  Remove the flat from the fridge and let it set at room temp for about 15-20 min. before going on the smoker. Dust lightly with rub again but just dust it and not rub in again.

If you injected it check internal temp at 4 hrs to insure you are at or over 140F.  Continue to smoke unfoiled until 150-160 F is reached.  Lighter smoke flavor 150F.  More smoke flavor 160F. 

Foil and add apple juice.  Just a couple ounces will do.  Place back on the smoker.

Continue to smoke until desired internal temp is reached.  190-195 F to slice, 205F or close to pull. 

It now should be around about 3 Pm in the afternoon.  Confirm your desired internal temp and place in a insulated cooler or any other insulated container.  I have use a microwave even to hold it.  

Pack towels over and around the flat in the cooler and forget about it for at least 1 hour.  Even 5 hrs later it will still be hot.

Unwrap it for supper saving the drippings for a finishing sauce.

ENJOY!

Notes:  It is all about internal temps and not the time.  I have never had a brisket flat go more than 10 hrs and usually it is 6-8 hrs.  I have never had a tough brisket smoking at 250F but I would not go over that. 

It is not something to be fearful of just enjoyed. 

 

[redclaymud]

Never fondle a brisket.  Your grocer may call the cops if he sees you doing that.

Four hours at 225 seems like a nice start.  Four more hours at 225 may be a nicer finish . . . if it doesn't stall, and depending on the brisket, they often stall.  If yours is nicely trimmed it may not take as long, but nicely trimmed briskets tend to cook and dry out faster than their untrimmed counterparts.  Each roast is different.  Moisture is key to these beef beasts and the less amount of butchering, the moister the meat.

Use your internal thermometers and rely on them more than the temperature inside your smoker.  To pull it at 165 and expect it to go to 40 degrees higher is unrealistic.  Since your intent is to shred, that's out of my ball park.  Around here they would hang me for serving shredded brisket.

Just saying.

Also, since this is your first, keep it simple. Smoke for 4 hours, pull and wrap in foil, and finish in the oven.  You'll have all the smoky flavor you would want and a good control over internal temps and serving time.
 

I have asked for advice about brisket several times here and have received some really excellent advice. To the point that I think I am becoming a pest. I have some really good rub and injection recipes that you folks have given me and have saved them. I'm OK on that part. I just can't seem to get the timing for cook time right in my head. So please correct me if I am wrong. I am wanting to do an overnight smoke.

Smoke @ 225 degrees for four hours and then probe?

Probe after foiling?

Will it be @ 165 degrees after four hours so that I can foil it and go to bed?

How much time per pound after foiling?

195 degrees for slicing and 200-205 degrees for shredding?

Our local grocery has choice briskets in the 6#  to 10# range. I fondled a couple of briskets today but just couldn't get the nerve up to try brisket today. I have a MES30. I do have Chef Jimmy's recipe for Au Jus. I am going to do his Au Jus for sure. I don't have an AMNPS yet. Do I need an AMNPS to do brisket? I'm thinking I could smoke with wood chips for four hours and then go to bed after foiling.    

 

[redclaymud]

Great, now I'm afraid of briskets.  Is there an advantage to cooking a large brisket in one piece, as opposed to cutting it in half so it will cook faster?

I need my beauty sleep and I'm not too keen on pulling an all-nighter unless absolutely necessary.

- Jay

My best answer to that is, either go with the challenge or take your family out for bbq.  Personally, I would rather serve my family great brisket at 10pm than to admit defeat and head to some fast food bbq joint at 6pm.  The family will be more than anxious to wait once you prove yourself once.  Maybe brisket is too hard a challenge.  Try chicken or pork butt.  They are forever forgiving on mistakes made and promises given.

 

[psycho dad]

I've got pork butts nailed, I've done 4 since Christmas. I had one 4 pounder take 11 hours, but I found out my internal probe is way off.

Didn't mean to hijack yer thread Whistlepig, we seem to be in the same boat!

 

[venture]

You have received good advice here!

Don't let that brisket scare you?  It's just a muscle off a dead ole cow?

Good luck and good smoking.

 

[fyshmaan]

Help with smoking Brisket.

Hello, I recently joined SMF and really enjoy the information and camaraderie. I recently bought Traeger LiL Tex and am becoming a smoked meat fanatic. I have done chix, fish and some cuts of beef and pork with reasonable success.

Being my first brisket I think I have royally screwed up by, First, cutting  off too much fat and there is less than 1/10 of an inch left. Second, I ran out of time  and have to postpone 24 hours before I can start smoking which means the dry rub marinade will have been on the meat for 48 hours.

Question. Is there any hope to smoke the brisket?.  If so, I would appreciate any information. I will have between 6 and 8 hours to complete the smoke before I have to leave town on business.

In advance, thank you for the help.

Gary

 

[ghostred7]

I'm probably one of the newest smokers on these boards.  If you go through my posts, you'll see that I dove in head first with brisket as my 2d thing EVER.  This is due to the fact that we're a pork-free household and beef ribs are "meh."  I'm the type of person that only learns by trying things, regardless of whether or not they come out good.  

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/107498/small-brisket-flat-now-with-q-view  is my 1st one.

Do yourself a favor....do NOT be intimidated.  The experts here and on TV all say that brisket is one of the toughest (pun slightly intended) cuts to do well on a regular basis.

Just whatever you do, don't probe it until after the 4hr mark.  There's no need and only risk shoving bacteria into the meat that could be on the surface.  After 4hrs, you should be clear to probe.  I got the Maverick ET-172 (which I *LOVE*) which rocks and makes it so you don't have to hover (like a 200-300' distance).

I didn't brine, inject, or anything like that.  What I do is cover w/ thin layer of mustard and then rub on top of that.  Let the rub sit while prepping my fuel (lump).  Aside from that, instead of water underneath it....i used a cake pan with a mix of 1/2 apple juice and 1/2 beer.  Took the same mix and put it in my spray bottle.  When I added smoke (about every 1-1.5hrs), I misted the apple juice/beer mixture on it.  We had a storm hit which was killing my little smoker/grill temp control.  So as soon as it hit the 165* mark, I foiled and moved it into the oven until it was 190* IT.  There, I just cut the oven off and that was the resting instead of moving it to a cooler.  I'm now sold :D

Like others have said....save the juice (Au Jus).  I kept mine and have used it quite a bit.  One thing I do as soon as I drain it is move it to the fridge so I can skim some extra fat out when it cools.  you'll still have plenty left over.  I've done 1 packer brisket so far and the only thing wrong w/ it was I cut it with the "grain" instead of across the "grain."

Heads up, don't be scared, and like others have said....better to feed your family late w/ something from your own labor of love than to go to Joe Blows BBQ down the road.

 

[smokinhusker]

I haven't done a brisket yet, but it is in the not too distant future. I keep reading everything on here and when it comes time to smoke one, I'm going to dive in head first. That's the only way to learn for me. 

 

[kryinggame]

Ok the fear is misplaced.  I have never had a brisket go so long I had to pull an all nighter.  If you start early in the morning say 6 am you can finish and have it in a cooler, hours before supper time no problems.  Here are a few things to take away the fear factor and replace it with sound procedures that have worked time and again for me.

First brisket start with a flat not a whole packer.  Rub it down after trimming the cap to 1/4 inch or so thick the night before.  If you are going to inject do it now after the rub.  Place in the fridge.

6 am the next morning start your smoker and get it stable between 225-250 F.  Remove the flat from the fridge and let it set at room temp for about 15-20 min. before going on the smoker. Dust lightly with rub again but just dust it and not rub in again.

If you injected it check internal temp at 4 hrs to insure you are at or over 140F.  Continue to smoke unfoiled until 150-160 F is reached.  Lighter smoke flavor 150F.  More smoke flavor 160F. 

Foil and add apple juice.  Just a couple ounces will do.  Place back on the smoker.

Continue to smoke until desired internal temp is reached.  190-195 F to slice, 205F or close to pull. 

It now should be around about 3 Pm in the afternoon.  Confirm your desired internal temp and place in a insulated cooler or any other insulated container.  I have use a microwave even to hold it.  

Pack towels over and around the flat in the cooler and forget about it for at least 1 hour.  Even 5 hrs later it will still be hot.

Unwrap it for supper saving the drippings for a finishing sauce.

ENJOY!

Notes:  It is all about internal temps and not the time.  I have never had a brisket flat go more than 10 hrs and usually it is 6-8 hrs.  I have never had a tough brisket smoking at 250F but I would not go over that. 

It is not something to be fearful of just enjoyed. 

Excellent advice. This is what I've been searching for.

 

[fester]

Just do it! You know all the key things to do. I've done mine many different ways some better than others but always good.

 

[big game cook]

dive in and swim. its not rocket science. get a therm probe type and start at 5 am on a day off. it wont take long to figure it out. ive done a bunch. flipped em not flipped em. all were good. this was one of my first few.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/72750/talladega-beef

main thing is done let it dry out. ive started them late in the day and had them stall and needed to go to bed. foiled and stuck them in oven on 250 over the night. they fall apart next morning. the smoker had done its job the first 5-6 hrs. all oven did was break down the fibers over night with low heat.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/79032/big-uds-smoke-for-the-weekend-q-view

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/77375/another-smoke-filled-weekend-q-heavy

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/102286/couple-old-brisket-qs-i-never-got-on

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/121882/brisket-games-back

thats what i had on the forums from the past. makes me want a brisket sammie lol. just watch the temps and dont do it to hot as it can be a lil tough still. longer lower and slower the more the heat breaks down the tough fibers. only one way to learn. fire it up. have fun.

this was an experiment. sliced up the fat layer to get rub in deep and turned out great.  this was a shreadder.