help with first brisket

[ralphbrown05]

ok never done a brisket but i would like to do one...question being...besides good fat content...what would be a good size, pound wise would be best for my brinkmann snp...also rub choice..same rubs that i use for my ribs and pork shoulder?

 

[controlfade]

you can fit  a whole packer in your SNP. I look for one that can easily fold in half and touch tip to tip. You will want to trim the hard fat off and the debate goes on whether you place fat side up or down. I personally start it fat down then flip fat up after a few hours. Once I get mine to about 165 degrees I wrap it in foil with some butter and real maple syrup. Also, spritzing it every hour or so until wrapping with some apple juice. As far as the rub goes. I use the same rub on just about everything. I did ribs yesterday with Jeff's recipe and that is a very easy rub to mix and it's great.

 

[mythmaster]

I'd start out with a pre-trimmed brisket -- maybe 5-6 pounds.

Now here's where I lose most people, lol, but MAN IS IT AWESOME!  I marinate mine overnight then rub it and let it sit out while the smoker is coming up to temp (about 1 hour).  Here are the marinade and rub recipes that I use: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/wiki/brisket-marinade-and-rub

Then, I'll smoke it at 250* with Mesquite (fat cap up) for 3 hours (it should have a nice bark and be around 165* at this point), after which I will foil it for the next 2 hours or so that it takes to get it up to a slicing temp (195*).  Afterwards, I'll keep it foiled, wrap a towel around it, and place it in a cooler for a couple of hours to rest.

This is a very fast and easy method, and it produces some tender and juicy and tasty brisket every time.  You should try it at least once before you knock it.

I hope this helps.

 

[rhankinsjr]

as was said earlier, you can fit pretty much any brisket in that SNP just find one that fits your need.

Every pit man has his own version of what to do, i do mine very similar to the way mythmaster does his.  Trim off hard fat... rub her up... let her sleep overnight... heat up the SNP to 225... slap her on till 165-170 then foil until 190-195... rest... relax... slice and eat.

You can use your pork rub if you like it.  There are no hard and fast rules.  I just salted & peppered it and slapped some rosemary on it since I was lazy.

 

[helljack6]

Personally, low and slow on a brisket is fine if you want to constantly tend to the smoker and there's nothing wrong with that if you do. I cook my packer briskets (12lbs or larger) Hot and Fast, 325-350 until 160-165 (about 2 hours), foil, take up to 350-400 and finish at 4 hours, when the probe slides in like a hot knife through butter, its' done. Wrap and rest in a cooler for about an hour or so, slice and serve.

I've never had a full packer brisket go over 4 hours 10 minutes using this method. Note, the last part of the cook is NOT cooked to temp, but to a specific tenderness. It works, cooked over 100 of them this way to date. You don't get the same type of bark that's traditionally expected with low and slow, but you still get an awesome juicy cut of meat. (The same method is applied by Smitty's in Lockhart, TX when they cook their Beef Shoulder Clod which is an even better cut of meat than the brisket).

Credit: I got this technique from Kevin Krueger who has this process down to a fine science over at the Weber Virtual Bullet website.

 

[mballi3011]

Now I do disagree with Le (helljack) boldly too. I personally like my brisket and most of all my smoking anything LOW and SLOW. That has always been the way things have been done here for a long long time. Now I would agree with the method of smoking that anyone else here has given you. If you get a brisket that will fit in your smoker then just do smoke it at like everyone here has told you. Believe me you will like it too.

 

[smokingriley]

I also like the slow and low method. I have not been able to try the hot and fast method simply because the MES and my SNP will not go that hot. I personally like doing the full packers. I got one sitting in the frig right now and plan on putting her on around 5pm tonight. I usually rub mine with Jeff's Rub because I know it a good all around rub. I also inject it. I have been lazy with my injections and just been injecting mine with Cajon Injectors butter and garlic marinade. The bad part about a full packer is the lenth of the smoke. 12-14 pound briskets can take anywhere from 16 to 24+ hours. The best part about doing a full packer is you get the flat - which I like to slice up. You also get a point - which I like to make Burnt Ends. If you havn't had Burnt Ends you have to give it a try, two words to describe it "Meat Candy". Your SNP should have no problem smoking a full packer.

 

[harryho]

I smoke my briskets low as slow as well.........1.5 hours per pound.

As far as rubs, it all depends on what you want......personally, I don't use brown sugar on any sweetening agent for that matter in my rubs for any beef cuts that I smoke. I would like the quality of the beef that I smoke to be the highlight of the meal. For briskets, I use a rub comprised of paprika, cayenne, rosemary, chili and garlic powder, coarse sea salt and coarse cracked pepper.