Brisket inject or not?

[binnesman]

Planning on cooking a Cosco prime brisket was wondering if I should inject or not? Going to be using a basic SPG rub and Spritzing with a little apple cider vinegar and apple juice. Cooking on a pellet smoker, the first three hrs will be at max smoke setting temp will be around 200 to 220 after the three hr mark will peak and spritz if needed plan on wrapping once i push pass stall in butcher paper around 165 to 170. So do I need to inject?

 

[TNJAKE]

With a prime brisket you don't NEED to inject but you can if you want to add a deeper flavor profile. There is plenty of marbling to keep it juicy on its own though. It's a personal preference thing so do what your comfortable with

 

[binnesman]

if I inject was going to beef stock Worcestershire sauce and a few garlic gloves soaking in it. Was going to make it 24hrs before I need it. Anyone have any good brisket injection secrets?

 

[thirdeye]

I agree with @TNJAKE in that injection is a tool, not a rule. I inject all briskets, usually with a weaker version of a competition style injection from Kosmos or Big Poppa Smokers.... but my old standby recipe still works and it's roughly 50:50 mix of beef soup base (or thinned down beef consume) and beef aujus (any of the paste or powder mixes work fine, just adjust to your tastes.) I shoot for 1 ounce per pound and will pour any leftover into the bag with the brisket. This mixture will be a little salty, but consider the brisket will be cooking for 8, 10, 12 hours and the flavors do meld with the beef.

There is one trick called a 'late injection', and you need some savory au jus, not too salty. Maybe 4 ounces or so. I do add a shake or two of Worcestershire to this. When your brisket is in the stall warm up this injection, and shoot the brisket in an even pattern. All you are doing here is giving the meat a flavor boost, and adding moisture.

If you like a more complex au jus, here is the recipe I serve with prime rib and it freezes well.

RRP AuJus - ~thirdeye~ version
(My version begins with beef consume for a deeper beefy flavor, uses dry onion soup mix, and more water as the consume is saltier and thicker than beef broth. I went heavier on Wooster and added soy sauce to increase the umami*, and added a couple of other ingredients).

1 14 oz can Beef Consume
1 packet Lipton Beefy Onion Soup (dry mix)
1-1/2 of the soup can cold water
5 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 splashes of Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon of garlic salt
2 teaspoon Herb-OX beef bullion (or other trusted brand)
2 teaspoons Montreal Steak rub
1 teaspoon Smokin’ Guns Rub (or your favorite rub)
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Bring ingredients to a low simmer in a saucepan, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Try to avoid having the liquid come to a boil. Additional water can be added if flavors are too strong, or if liquid gets too thick. AuJus is a thin table sauce, NOT a gravy. Pour through strainer to remove the onions and coarse pieces from the Montreal Steak rub. Serve warm

 

[gmc2003]

I don't inject brisket or butts. I like the beef or pork flavor to be the star of the show. You can always add a dipping sauce to change things up alittle.

Chris

 

[zwiller]

I inject everything I do but my thoughts are to tame the flavor a bit and add a baseline of salt and umami. I admit that I have not run brisket that often but have done tons of PP. My injection takes the gaminess or what I call the "oink" out. Also a big fan of STPP. One thing not mentioned often is that injecting also bumps the yield. Is it necessary? NOPE. That said, if I did not inject I'd probably rub a few days before smoking.

 

[binnesman]

I am also going to put a Beef Tallow down on the paper when I wrap.

 

[912smoker]

I am also going to put a Beef Tallow down on the paper when I wrap.

I've seen all the videos but never tried it. I'm a fan of the cosmos brisket mop

 

[jcam222]

If I inject I like pretty basic strong mix of Minors beef and / or au jus. If you want to try an excellent commercial injection order some Butchers BBQ Prime injection. Love the stuff. His bird booster is great too.

 

[noboundaries]

There are five elements to a brisket flavor profile; the meat purchased, the rub used, the smoke wood, injection used, and spritzing ingredients. Personally, I don't inject or spritz.

Injecting and spritzing are all about an advanced flavor profile. Yes, some unpronounceable ingredients can break down the collagen structure in the meat. Salts can help the meat retain more cellular water, but melted collagen and rendered fat make brisket juicy, not cellular water. Nothing guarantees a tender, juicy success unless you know how to probe a packer brisket to tell when it's done, then understand what happens during the resting period. I don't inject or spritz because the natural flavor profile of a beautifully smoked brisket is all the flavor I need.

If this is one of your first packer briskets, which I get the sense it is, keep it simple. Rub, smoke, wrap during or after the stall (a later wrap helps keep the meat from tasting like pot roast). Start probing through the wrap when the IT is in the neighborhood you want. Keep smoking until the FLAT probes tender (the point will fool you). Then take the wrapped brisket, put it in a pan, and throw it in a 170F oven to rest for 3-5 hours.

Too many believe that a 3-5 hour rest in a 170F oven will overcook and dry out the brisket. Nope. It may overcook the brisket, but it will be juicy, tender, and a little crumbly. It will still be the best brisket you will have ever eaten. If you took the brisket off a little too early, which is by far the most likely thing to happen, the oven rest will break down the remaining collagen and deliver the most juicy melt-in-your-mouth brisket that will rock your world.

Have a razor-sharp knife handy to carve the meat. An electric knife works well too. Carve across the grain and bask in the glory of the people you feed.

You've received a LOT of great ideas in all the posts. All smoked briskets are edible and usually better than what you can buy locally. But, when you taste a melt-in-your-mouth flavorful brisket smoked to perfection, it can bring tears of joy to your eyes.

Let us know what you did and how it turned out.

 

[jcam222]

There are five elements to a brisket flavor profile; the meat purchased, the rub used, the smoke wood, injection used, and spritzing ingredients. Personally, I don't inject or spritz.

Injecting and spritzing are all about an advanced flavor profile. Yes, some unpronounceable ingredients can break down the collagen structure in the meat. Salts can help the meat retain more cellular water, but melted collagen and rendered fat make brisket juicy, not cellular water. Nothing guarantees a tender, juicy success unless you know how to probe a packer brisket to tell when it's done, then understand what happens during the resting period. I don't inject or spritz because the natural flavor profile of a beautifully smoked brisket is all the flavor I need.

If this is one of your first packer briskets, which I get the sense it is, keep it simple. Rub, smoke, wrap during or after the stall (a later wrap helps keep the meat from tasting like pot roast). Start probing through the wrap when the IT is in the neighborhood you want. Keep smoking until the FLAT probes tender (the point will fool you). Then take the wrapped brisket, put it in a pan, and throw it in a 170F oven to rest for 3-5 hours.

Too many believe that a 3-5 hour rest in a 170F oven will overcook and dry out the brisket. Nope. It may overcook the brisket, but it will be juicy, tender, and a little crumbly. It will still be the best brisket you will have ever eaten. If you took the brisket off a little too early, which is by far the most likely thing to happen, the oven rest will break down the remaining collagen and deliver the most juicy melt-in-your-mouth brisket that will rock your world.

Have a razor-sharp knife handy to carve the meat. An electric knife works well too. Carve across the grain and bask in the glory of the people you feed.

You've received a LOT of great ideas in all the posts. All smoked briskets are edible and usually better than what you can buy locally. But, when you taste a melt-in-your-mouth flavorful brisket smoked to perfection, it can bring tears of joy to your eyes.

Let us know what you did and how it turned out.

Great advice on the rest and cutting. I can’t believe how many brisket sliced pics I see online that are cut with the grain. I mark the grain direction on the flat and point with a shallow cut prior to rubbing. Kind of a cheat lol but helps me get it right. I’ll also say the 14” granton edge slicer knife I got for Christmas made a HUGE difference in the quality of every meat I slice.

 

[binnesman]

I watched a tone of videos and a lot of people mark the brisket. Really tuff to do once it’s cooked