Well next time you will know to leave a little more fat on. How was the flavor?
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Christmas dinner....
- Thread starter inkjunkie
- Start date
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I wish you were closer, I'd love to see what it looks like in person. Looks good from my recliner.
inkjunkie
Master of the Pit
- Nov 25, 2014
- 2,020
- 50
I am planning on leaving more fat next time. Way to easy to go OCD when trimming. It didn't have much of a fat cap on it. What was there had a cottage cheese look to a lot of it.
Wish you were closer as well....if for nothing else than to educate me on the probe feeling.
I really do need to pay more attention when I am brisket shopping.
Well it happens to us all. Next time dont trim so much or any at all. and I do it fat cap up.
Either way Merry Christmas buddy
Either way Merry Christmas buddy
inkjunkie
Master of the Pit
- Nov 25, 2014
- 2,020
- 50
I was following the method that is raved about on another forum...or at least I tried to follow it. I realized, after I stepped back and took a look at it, that I went overboard on the trim. I know folks rave about the saltnpepper rub.....but it was awfully bland.
Next one I am only going to take,the hard fat off. The fat cap will remain intact. Will do the 50-50, by weight, saltnpepper rub. But it will have onion/garlic/paprika added to it.
One thing I would like to try and avoid is that rock hard crust, I mean bark. While I will gnaw on it the wife just picks it off. And I would prefer not gnawing on it. Perhaps I should just stick with Tri Tips?
Merry Christmas
I like your plan for next time. Ive done SPOG, Used my rub, Used Montreal Steak Seasoning, and just Salt and Pepper. They all are good but I find with the plain salt and pepper I need to be a bit heavy handed with applying it.
I cook to about 160 then wrap with some Apple juice and it turned out good. I get great flavor on the crust aka bark but its not tough like jerky. Also the fat that renders out leaves a nice fat crust treat that is wonderful.
Man I think I need to buy a brisket now. :yahoo:
I cook to about 160 then wrap with some Apple juice and it turned out good. I get great flavor on the crust aka bark but its not tough like jerky. Also the fat that renders out leaves a nice fat crust treat that is wonderful.
Man I think I need to buy a brisket now. :yahoo:
mickhlr
Smoke Blower
inkjunkie, I feel for you man. Below is my brisket from Saturday, the 26th. And, let me say that I've tried a lot of different rubs on brisket, but the old stand-by of just salt and pepper is by-far the best, and definitely not bland...if done properly and enough used. All the best barbecue joints in Texas ONLY use salt and pepper. And, I always do mine somewhat like Wayne Mueller, at Louie Mueller's Barbecue does...except not quite as peppery. Wayne will tell you his rub is very complicated, so get a pen and paper and get ready, and he'll tell you what all is in it...then, he'll say 9 parts course ground black pepper to 1 part Kosher salt. Mine is probably more like 4 or 5 to 1. And, I smoke beef ribs the same way. That's all beef needs, because beef is so flavorful, that you want to taste the beef, not a rub.
When I smoke a brisket, I usually get up at 4:00 and have it on the smoker by 5:00, because you just never know how long a brisket might take. According to "the stall" and your smoking temp it could be anywhere from 6 to 12, even 14 hours. And, even though I learned a long time ago to smoke brisket at about 275*, instead of lower temps, you still never know. And, the main thing is patience, watching the smoker temp, and playing with the fire. I enjoy all that, as well as sipping on some good whiskey. And, that's the thing with brisket, I can start it at 5:00am, while drinking coffee...and by 9:00am be coffee'd out and graduate to whiskey. Of which, my preference is Garrison Brothers Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey. It was actually the first "legal" bourbon distilled outside Kentucky...a tad on the expensive side, but so good at 9:00am.
I posted the below on the Old Country Wrangler smoker thread, because that's what I use. The Old Country Wrangler is a fairly inexpensive smoker ($500) that does a really good job smoking meat.
This is the fatty side, and will go up in the smoker. I leave a good 1/4" of fat when trimming the brisket.
And, the bottom:
Just put it on the smoker, about 5:00am:
Smoker temp holding at 275*.
I keep a pretty good fire going in the smoker box, with the air inlet door always wide open, along with smoke vent...good air flow is imperative. I can adjust the smoker temp from the wood. And, I don't use little chunks of wood...I use my fireplace wood, about 14"-16" splits. To get to 275*, I start with a chimney of charcoal, and at least one, sometimes two, post oak splits. Below, you can still see some of the charcoal, as well as two splits. I always start with one, but sometimes it takes that second one to get up to temp.
After 2 hours, we have an internal temp of 148*. No need to do any spritzing or anything like that. This isn't a pork butt. That top layer of fat will render down into that meat and keep it moist and juicy. Also, notice I put the point toward the firebox, as that's the hottest side in my smoker, and I keep my Maverick lead toward the firebox as well. That way, normally, the point and the flat will be about the same temp internally, as the flat will actually cook at a slightly lower temp. Even though I have baffles in the bottom chamber to even out the air flow, my smoker will still be a little hotter on the firebox side.
After 5 hours, we have an internal temp of 175*...it went right on through the stall, and is looking great! If it sits on 160* to 170* for an hour or so, I go ahead and take it off and wrap it, and maybe even crank up my smoker to 300*, just to get it through the stall. But, sometimes, like this one, it will go right on through it.
So, I take it off, wrap it in foil or butcher paper and put it back on until it's done. This time I used foil. You can see I had a small water pan in there as well. If you want it a tad crunchier bark, use butcher paper.
After 3 more hours, we're at 205* internal temp, and it "feels" good. I know some people say take them off earlier, but when I take them off at a lower internal temp they always seem tougher to me. And, I've got to where I can go more by feel, than internal temp. I want it to "feel" very loose and pliable in the foil...kinda like a dead fish. I keep it in the foil, and set the pan and all in an ice chest, to rest, until we're ready to eat. You should always let a brisket "rest" for at least an hour or two, to release its juices. If not, the flat especially will be too dry. I actually let this one rest in the ice chest for 4 hours. And, when I took it out to slice, it was still so hot that I had to use my insulated food gloves to hold it.
Very tender, very juicy...perfect taste with the salt and pepper only. It sliced like butter.
I always ask when carving, lean or fatty. It seems all the women will say "lean", which I definitely don't mind. They can have all the flat they want. I always want the point...where all the marbled fat is located. So, brisket, potatoes, and beans. I don't know about the flat, but the point was so tender and juicy, it almost chewed itself.
When I smoke a brisket, I usually get up at 4:00 and have it on the smoker by 5:00, because you just never know how long a brisket might take. According to "the stall" and your smoking temp it could be anywhere from 6 to 12, even 14 hours. And, even though I learned a long time ago to smoke brisket at about 275*, instead of lower temps, you still never know. And, the main thing is patience, watching the smoker temp, and playing with the fire. I enjoy all that, as well as sipping on some good whiskey. And, that's the thing with brisket, I can start it at 5:00am, while drinking coffee...and by 9:00am be coffee'd out and graduate to whiskey. Of which, my preference is Garrison Brothers Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey. It was actually the first "legal" bourbon distilled outside Kentucky...a tad on the expensive side, but so good at 9:00am.
I posted the below on the Old Country Wrangler smoker thread, because that's what I use. The Old Country Wrangler is a fairly inexpensive smoker ($500) that does a really good job smoking meat.
This is the fatty side, and will go up in the smoker. I leave a good 1/4" of fat when trimming the brisket.
And, the bottom:
Just put it on the smoker, about 5:00am:
Smoker temp holding at 275*.
I keep a pretty good fire going in the smoker box, with the air inlet door always wide open, along with smoke vent...good air flow is imperative. I can adjust the smoker temp from the wood. And, I don't use little chunks of wood...I use my fireplace wood, about 14"-16" splits. To get to 275*, I start with a chimney of charcoal, and at least one, sometimes two, post oak splits. Below, you can still see some of the charcoal, as well as two splits. I always start with one, but sometimes it takes that second one to get up to temp.
After 2 hours, we have an internal temp of 148*. No need to do any spritzing or anything like that. This isn't a pork butt. That top layer of fat will render down into that meat and keep it moist and juicy. Also, notice I put the point toward the firebox, as that's the hottest side in my smoker, and I keep my Maverick lead toward the firebox as well. That way, normally, the point and the flat will be about the same temp internally, as the flat will actually cook at a slightly lower temp. Even though I have baffles in the bottom chamber to even out the air flow, my smoker will still be a little hotter on the firebox side.
After 5 hours, we have an internal temp of 175*...it went right on through the stall, and is looking great! If it sits on 160* to 170* for an hour or so, I go ahead and take it off and wrap it, and maybe even crank up my smoker to 300*, just to get it through the stall. But, sometimes, like this one, it will go right on through it.
So, I take it off, wrap it in foil or butcher paper and put it back on until it's done. This time I used foil. You can see I had a small water pan in there as well. If you want it a tad crunchier bark, use butcher paper.
After 3 more hours, we're at 205* internal temp, and it "feels" good. I know some people say take them off earlier, but when I take them off at a lower internal temp they always seem tougher to me. And, I've got to where I can go more by feel, than internal temp. I want it to "feel" very loose and pliable in the foil...kinda like a dead fish. I keep it in the foil, and set the pan and all in an ice chest, to rest, until we're ready to eat. You should always let a brisket "rest" for at least an hour or two, to release its juices. If not, the flat especially will be too dry. I actually let this one rest in the ice chest for 4 hours. And, when I took it out to slice, it was still so hot that I had to use my insulated food gloves to hold it.
Very tender, very juicy...perfect taste with the salt and pepper only. It sliced like butter.
I always ask when carving, lean or fatty. It seems all the women will say "lean", which I definitely don't mind. They can have all the flat they want. I always want the point...where all the marbled fat is located. So, brisket, potatoes, and beans. I don't know about the flat, but the point was so tender and juicy, it almost chewed itself.
mickhlr
Smoke Blower
Thanks Gary S...good to talk to you again. I used to live at Holly Lake Ranch, just north of Tyler.
See that butter knife on my plate...that was for the potatoes, not the brisket. LOL!! The brisket only needed a fork.
Also, here's a link to some beef ribs I did last month. I smoke them just about the same as brisket, and I like them better than the best steak I've ever had.
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/227817/beef-short-ribs#post_1486364
See that butter knife on my plate...that was for the potatoes, not the brisket. LOL!! The brisket only needed a fork.
Also, here's a link to some beef ribs I did last month. I smoke them just about the same as brisket, and I like them better than the best steak I've ever had.
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/227817/beef-short-ribs#post_1486364
- Jan 6, 2011
- 26,253
- 4,709
Yep, it's been a while, you doing OK, You got some of that bad weather we had. I'll check out your ribs,
Don't be a stranger, start posting, good to hear from you.
Gary
inkjunkie
Master of the Pit
- Nov 25, 2014
- 2,020
- 50
No disrespect meant...but to say any particular rub is "the best" is a bit foolish. Developed a sinus infection in 95 thanks to the hot, dry, nasty air in the Phoenix area. Had this infection the entire time I lived there...and still deal with it from time to time. Thanks to this my sense of taste is far from "normal". I can't taste the difference between Apple/Maple/Cherry etc. Only thing I taste is the smoke. So a plain saltnpepper rub, unless the meat is buried in it, just doesn't do that much for me. While our brisket apparently was overdone one thing that both of us did say was it was pretty flat tasting. Neither one of us likes a crusty bark. We made Tamales last year using about 20 pounds of meat I smoked. Ernestina sat watching TV picking every piece of bark she could find out of the pulled beef/pork. Different strokes for different folks. Again, no disrespect but when people start claiming that their way of doing something is the best I tend to chuckle..inkjunkie, I feel for you man. Below is my brisket from Saturday, the 26th. And, let me say that I've tried a lot of different rubs on brisket, but the old stand-by of just salt and pepper is by-far the best, and definitely not bland...if done properly and enough used. All the best barbecue joints in Texas ONLY use salt and pepper. And, I always do mine somewhat like Wayne Mueller, at Louie Mueller's Barbecue does...except not quite as peppery. Wayne will tell you his rub is very complicated, so get a pen and paper and get ready, and he'll tell you what all is in it...then, he'll say 9 parts course ground black pepper to 1 part Kosher salt. Mine is probably more like 4 or 5 to 1. And, I smoke beef ribs the same way. That's all beef needs, because beef is so flavorful, that you want to taste the beef, not a rub.
When I smoke a brisket, I usually get up at 4:00 and have it on the smoker by 5:00, because you just never know how long a brisket might take. According to "the stall" and your smoking temp it could be anywhere from 6 to 12, even 14 hours. And, even though I learned a long time ago to smoke brisket at about 275*, instead of lower temps, you still never know. And, the main thing is patience, watching the smoker temp, and playing with the fire. I enjoy all that, as well as sipping on some good whiskey. And, that's the thing with brisket, I can start it at 5:00am, while drinking coffee...and by 9:00am be coffee'd out and graduate to whiskey. Of which, my preference is Garrison Brothers Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey. It was actually the first "legal" bourbon distilled outside Kentucky...a tad on the expensive side, but so good at 9:00am.
I posted the below on the Old Country Wrangler smoker thread, because that's what I use. The Old Country Wrangler is a fairly inexpensive smoker ($500) that does a really good job smoking meat.
This is the fatty side, and will go up in the smoker. I leave a good 1/4" of fat when trimming the brisket.
And, the bottom:
Just put it on the smoker, about 5:00am:
Smoker temp holding at 275*.
I keep a pretty good fire going in the smoker box, with the air inlet door always wide open, along with smoke vent...good air flow is imperative. I can adjust the smoker temp from the wood. And, I don't use little chunks of wood...I use my fireplace wood, about 14"-16" splits. To get to 275*, I start with a chimney of charcoal, and at least one, sometimes two, post oak splits. Below, you can still see some of the charcoal, as well as two splits. I always start with one, but sometimes it takes that second one to get up to temp.
After 2 hours, we have an internal temp of 148*. No need to do any spritzing or anything like that. This isn't a pork butt. That top layer of fat will render down into that meat and keep it moist and juicy. Also, notice I put the point toward the firebox, as that's the hottest side in my smoker, and I keep my Maverick lead toward the firebox as well. That way, normally, the point and the flat will be about the same temp internally, as the flat will actually cook at a slightly lower temp. Even though I have baffles in the bottom chamber to even out the air flow, my smoker will still be a little hotter on the firebox side.
After 5 hours, we have an internal temp of 175*...it went right on through the stall, and is looking great! If it sits on 160* to 170* for an hour or so, I go ahead and take it off and wrap it, and maybe even crank up my smoker to 300*, just to get it through the stall. But, sometimes, like this one, it will go right on through it.
So, I take it off, wrap it in foil or butcher paper and put it back on until it's done. This time I used foil. You can see I had a small water pan in there as well. If you want it a tad crunchier bark, use butcher paper.
After 3 more hours, we're at 205* internal temp, and it "feels" good. I know some people say take them off earlier, but when I take them off at a lower internal temp they always seem tougher to me. And, I've got to where I can go more by feel, than internal temp. I want it to "feel" very loose and pliable in the foil...kinda like a dead fish. I keep it in the foil, and set the pan and all in an ice chest, to rest, until we're ready to eat. You should always let a brisket "rest" for at least an hour or two, to release its juices. If not, the flat especially will be too dry. I actually let this one rest in the ice chest for 4 hours. And, when I took it out to slice, it was still so hot that I had to use my insulated food gloves to hold it.
Very tender, very juicy...perfect taste with the salt and pepper only. It sliced like butter.
I always ask when carving, lean or fatty. It seems all the women will say "lean", which I definitely don't mind. They can have all the flat they want. I always want the point...where all the marbled fat is located. So, brisket, potatoes, and beans. I don't know about the flat, but the point was so tender and juicy, it almost chewed itself.
Picked up several briskets and inspected them the other day. Far from knowledgeable in the art of brisket but I can safely say the brisket I just tried should have been ground. Fat cap was far from iniform. At its thickest it may have been 3/8". Not much in the way of marbling. Couple that with the fact that I went Edward Scissorhands on it and pulled off way to much fat.
I have made several mistakes in my brisket quest. The first being I don't keep very good notes...and I keep what little I do keep on my phone in such a manner it is almost impossible to find them. Next mistake I make is I make far to many changes between attempts. I will often intend to follow a particular method. Will be reading something on one of the bbq sites I frequent, see something that "makes sense" and then swerve off my intended path.
Will be trying g this again here shortly. May use the saltnpepper rub again. Simply because I will use this past experience as a baseline. The change I will be making is I will only be removing the rock hard fat. I will pay better attention in the store. If it doesn't have a decent looking fat cap I will not be bringing it home.
Again, please don't take anything I have said as disrespectful. I just have a serious problem when someone tells me that their rub/sauce/temperature etc is the best. I believe there is always more than one way to "skin a cat".
I do appreciate your comments....and all the pictures. Without folks like you taking the time to post up your methods....and just as importantly pictures....rookies like myself would have nothing to help us...
Happy New Year...
thesmokist
Smoking Fanatic
I leave most of the fat, rub with spog, cook at 250 and wrap and put in cooler for 2 hrs and they come out real good. I agree what one person likes another may not. Just have to experiment with what you like best.
Last edited:
inkjunkie
Master of the Pit
- Nov 25, 2014
- 2,020
- 50
On another note...I made a small chuck roast tonight...I need to improve my knife skills. When I cut up that last chuck roll I cut one of the roasts at an angle. Thinner side was probe tender after 2.5 hours in the RF at 250* or so. Took almost 2 hours in a DO with the Egg at 325* for the rest to get probe tender....anyways...
Just saltnpepper for a rub. Put WAY more rub on today than I do when I use my normal rub. Couldn't see any of the meat color thru the saltnpepper. While I liked this far more than my brisket attempt I still prefer my rub. My wife, however, was on the fence.
Just saltnpepper for a rub. Put WAY more rub on today than I do when I use my normal rub. Couldn't see any of the meat color thru the saltnpepper. While I liked this far more than my brisket attempt I still prefer my rub. My wife, however, was on the fence.
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