Brisket And Burnt Ends!

[daricksta]

I bought a whole 14 lb. beef brisket from Costco awhile back and yesterday finally took the time to smoke it in my MES 30 Gen 1. I used a Kansas City Sweet and Smoky Rub from one of my grilling books. It's my favorite old standby for ribs and brisket. The set point was around 235-242°F (with the minor fluctuations of the controller) and I loaded the AMNPS with oak pellets. I had to cut the brisket into two halves, one of them was the point with half the flat attached. Putting the two brisket halves in at 11 am yesterday morning, the flat only section was done in about 7 hours with an IT of 200°F. The point took all day and night. I pulled it at 212°F at 5:30 am this morning. 

I think I nailed both the flat and the burnt ends this time. It's the best brisket I've ever made and it was virtually problem free. 

Forgot to mention the most important part--I didn't wrap either brisket section--they both stay naked through the entire smoke. The foil you see is what I wrapped the brisket sections in right before I stuck them in a portable cooler and placed a thick towel over them. The flat went in on Sunday night and the point went in early this morning. 

Now what am I going to do with the 30-some-odd feet roll of butcher paper I bought off Amazon last year?

Brisket Flat.jpg

• daricksta
• Jul 31, 2017

Brisket Point Overlit But Closer View.jpg

• daricksta
• Jul 31, 2017

Brisket Point.jpg

• daricksta
• Jul 31, 2017

Burnt Ends.jpg

• daricksta
• Jul 31, 2017

The top photo is the flat. The middle two are close up and a farther away, less brightly lit shot of the point. The last photo, the best burnt ends I've ever made. The entire brisket--doneness, bark and flavor--turned out exactly as I had hoped. 

 

[dr k]

Looks great! I remember you saying you had a brisket and you're trying to find the time to smoke it. Did you wrap with your butcher's paper?
-Kurt

 

[daricksta]

Looks great! I remember you saying you had a brisket and you're trying to find the time to smoke it. Did you wrap with your butcher's paper?
-Kurt

Thanks, Kurt. I just added the comment in my post that I didn't. I set out to experiment with leaving it naked--just the way Aaron Franklin cooks his--and it worked. I bought a Craftsy class BBQ class taught by Ray Lampe and he went for the Texas Crutch at about the stall point. I wanted to prove to myself that I could smoke a great brisket without it, and that's what I did. 

We're in the middle of a heat wave here, and I realized I do have the time now. Hoping to also smoke some cheeses and turn out another batch of beef jerky this week, too. 

My next brisket project will be to try my hand at smoking a classic, old-fashioned Jewish pastrami. Already got the brisket flat and the curing compound. Just need to read up on brining. 

 

[SmokinAl]

Your brisket & burnt ends look fantastic!

Nice job!

Point!

Al

 

[daricksta]

 
Your brisket & burnt ends look fantastic!

Nice job!

Point!

Al

Thanks, Al! Overall, I'm amazed at how easy it all was. I even slept through the night while the point was in the smoker. When I went to bed the IT was at 180°. I just happened to wake up at the right time the next morning when the IT just happened to be where I wanted it.

 

[bbqwillie]

That's a good looking brisket. Definitely worth a point. World class bark on that bad boy!

 

[daricksta]

 
Your brisket & burnt ends look fantastic!

Nice job!

Point!

Al

Thanks, Al!

 
That's a good looking brisket. Definitely worth a point. World class bark on that bad boy!

Willie, your praise means a great deal to me. This is only the second BE I've made and it turned out exactly how I wanted it. I followed a really simple recipe, and luck--dumb or not--smiled down on me.