Going to try my first brisket today

[Faarg]

And I'm hooked! My wife was at the local Costco Business Center today and I asked her to pick up another brisket. 13-pound prime this time around. My goal is to get the brisket in the smoker by 8 pm on Friday night and look at taking her off hopefully a little bit after noon. I've definitely learned a few tricks and will try to put them in play this time around.

1) My Amaz-n tube wasn't burning the first 4 hours last time -- that won't happen again;
2) I'm going to start off on a middle shelf rather than the top shelf;
3) I'm going to put a pan under the brisket to catch some of the droppings that I wasted on my last cook;
4) I'm going to trust my Themopro and avoid the temptation to double check the temperature at 200 degrees and let the brisket run up to closer to 203 degrees before checking it;
5) I have better knives to cut off the fat during the prep stage and to slice it after it has cooled down after the smoke;
6) I am going to try some Montreal Steak seasoning on top of the rub and cut some cross hatches in the fat layer so that the rub and smoke can penetrate better; and
7) I now actually truly understand where the point and flat meet so I can better separate them and do burnt ends.

I'm sure that there were plenty of other things that could have been done better but this is my focus on this time around.

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

Faarg that is an awesome piece of beef. What a great job you did with that. I'm now just chomping at the bit for the 4th. That's when I will be making my next brisket. Enjoy those leftovers. They are the best kind.

George

 

[E's Smokin]

That looks soooo good

 

[tallbm]

And I'm hooked! My wife was at the local Costco Business Center today and I asked her to pick up another brisket. 13-pound prime this time around. My goal is to get the brisket in the smoker by 8 pm on Friday night and look at taking her off hopefully a little bit after noon. I've definitely learned a few tricks and will try to put them in play this time around.

1) My Amaz-n tube wasn't burning the first 4 hours last time -- that won't happen again;
2) I'm going to start off on a middle shelf rather than the top shelf;
3) I'm going to put a pan under the brisket to catch some of the droppings that I wasted on my last cook;
4) I'm going to trust my Themopro and avoid the temptation to double check the temperature at 200 degrees and let the brisket run up to closer to 203 degrees before checking it;
5) I have better knives to cut off the fat during the prep stage and to slice it after it has cooled down after the smoke;
6) I am going to try some Montreal Steak seasoning on top of the rub and cut some cross hatches in the fat layer so that the rub and smoke can penetrate better; and
7) I now actually truly understand where the point and flat meet so I can better separate them and do burnt ends.

I'm sure that there were plenty of other things that could have been done better but this is my focus on this time around.

Sounds like a good plan for improvement. I'm looking forward to see how it comes out and what the next iteration of improvements looks like. Brisket is seriously one of those cuts that teaches you something all the time and seems to always have room for improvement in the process :)

 

[SmokinAl]

Well I think congratulations are in order!
For your first attempt at a brisket you did a fantastic job.
It looks tender & juicy & perfectly cooked.
Nicely done & congrats on making the carousel!
Al

 

[radio]

Congrats on a great job on your first brisket! Carousel worthy for sure!

 

[Suam461]

That slice shot is a thing of beauty! Can't wait to try a brisket, it's one of my favorites.

 

[Faarg]

And attempt #2 was a success. I added a lot more smoke this time but didn't get as good of a smoke ring. But the crowning achievement was getting the point properly separated and making burnt ends. I've never had them before and they were amazing!

 

[Ishi]

For your first Brisket you nailed it. Looks very juicy Like!

 

[nyupstater]

View attachment 366906 The taste and texture was amazing. But I had a tough time carving slices. The meat kept falling apart as I cut it. I think that part of the problem was not having the right knife for the job. But not bad for my first attempt.

What smoker is that your using?

 

[Faarg]

What smoker is that your using?

I'm using a Masterbuilt propane smoker.

 

[blathnac]

Brisket looks great. Put a pan of Dutch's wicked baked beans under it to catch the drippings like you said on plan bullet point #4