LET'S TALK BRISKET!!

[lemans]

Nite before

 

[stickyfingers]

Refresh my memory......205-210 finish temp? 

 

[bruno994]

Sticky, anytime after the brisket gets to 200 degrees, it could finish up. My suggestion would be to check it with a toothpick every 3 to 4 degrees after the 200 degree mark. Majority of my briskets finish toothpick tender (easily push in a toothpick like into butter) above the 208 mark. Once you pull it, don't forget the single most important part of a brisket cook, the rest, minimal 2 hours. The hunk of meat ideally needs to be back down in the 160's on IT before a knife ever hits it. I try and give them at least a 4 hour rest, seems to be the sweet spot.

 

[ghaith]

Hey guys
this is my first post and im desperate for your help.
Where i live we dont have premium briskets i had to teach the Butcher how to cut the brisket in the first place. Unlike US we dont have grading like choice or prime.
However im starting my own pit bbq place, do u think i have to tenderize the briaket with acid base marination to ensure its tender the apply dry rub, or should i go with different smoking technique like let it smoke for 2 hours unwrapped then foil it loosely until IT 165 then wrap it tightly until 205.
Thanks in advance for ur help

 

[lemans]

Hold on.. you smoke the brisket until you reach a color you like . Dark Mohogany.. then you wrap it in butcher paper until IT hit 205. Then you let it rest an hour or two.. 2 hour smoke? You might as well cook it in the oven!!!

 

[ghaith]

Yea but i use foil instead

Screenshot_20170601-205555.png

• ghaith
• Jun 1, 2017

But still its tough, do u think i should marinate it with with acid like vinegar for few hours?? To increase my chancea to be tender

 

[ozsmoker]

Hold on.. you smoke the brisket until you reach a color you like . Dark Mohogany.. then you wrap it in butcher paper until IT hit 205. Then you let it rest an hour or two.. 2 hour smoke? You might as well cook it in the oven!!!

Yea but i use foil instead

Screenshot_20170601-205555.png

• ghaith
• Jun 1, 2017

But still its tough, do u think i should marinate it with with acid like vinegar for few hours?? To increase my chancea to be tender

Do not marinate

How long are you cooking it for total and at what temperature?

It could be the quality of the meat, but even then, it shouldn't be that tough

You should be smoking at around 250F cooking temperature anywhere from 6-10 hours (+/- 2hrs), then wrap in foil or butcher paper or leave unwrapped and continue cooking until done. usually anywhere between 195-205 Fahrenheit

Have you tested your thermometer? A brisket is done when a probe/toothpick slides in like butter. Start checking around 195F.

Try using a water pan in the smoker, otherwise you may wish to spritz every hour with worcestershire sauce or water or apple cider vinegar

What smoker are you using? If temperatures are not consistent, you may be better off trying to bake a brisket in the oven, low and slow, but it would be a good idea to try and get some smoke flavor first (eg 4 hours in the smoker)

also, when done, make sure you rest it at least an hour. you want the temperature of the brisket to come back down, say to 160F before slicing. keep it wrapped for the resting time, but if wrapped in foil, let it air out for about 30 mins unwrapped, then wrap and rest.

good luck

 

[bruno994]

Completely agree with Oz, marinating a brisket is a futile process, injecting is better for such thick cuts of meat, marinating works well for chicken pieces and steaks, just not brisket.

Agree also that a brisket is not done, no matter what the IT says, until you can easily slide a toothpick or your therm probe into like a knife into butter.  At this point, pull it, vent it and rest.  

Oz suggests at least 1 hour, which is minimum, I strongly suggest you rest no less than 3 hours, preferably 4.  After a good 10-15 minute venting of the steam inside the foil, put it in a cooler with big beach towels on top to help hold the heat in better, after 3 to 4 hours, the temp should be right around 160, the idea temp to slice.  Huge suggestion, if you are planning on opening a BBQ joint, a large Cambro (or Cambros) will be a must for holding the meat during it's rest prior to serving.  

 

[marauderrt10]

Hey guys I just got a camp chef stx for my birthday coming up. Im new to the whole smoke game my expertise is dry aging beef.I'm going to be getting a brisket soon what's the optimal size packer for my smoker? What temp would be good? And what type of wood for my pellet smoker? The wood combo I have close to me is 60% maple/20% hickory/20% cherry. Is that a good combo? And since the heat comes from below the center of the grate do I offset the brisket and does it go fat side down???

 

[lancep]

Ok, after a very quick look at your smoker, just get a brisket. You should be able to fit just about any brisket on there. I recommend whole packers instead of flats because they just come out better. It looks like you have a diffuser so I wouldn't worry too much about placement. Cap up or cap down is a matter of preference but I prefer cap up because I burned myself once going cap down. As far as wood (pellets) I'm a firm believer in burn what you have. Yes, you can use different woods as any other ingredient but it's really just different flavors of good. At the end of the day, the only two things you have to do is put it on the smoker and wait for it to be done.

Lance

 

[marauderrt10]

Ok, after a very quick look at your smoker, just get a brisket. You should be able to fit just about any brisket on there. I recommend whole packers instead of flats because they just come out better. It looks like you have a diffuser so I wouldn't worry too much about placement. Cap up or cap down is a matter of preference but I prefer cap up because I burned myself once going cap down. As far as wood (pellets) I'm a firm believer in burn what you have. Yes, you can use different woods as any other ingredient but it's really just different flavors of good. At the end of the day, the only two things you have to do is put it on the smoker and wait for it to be done.

Lance

so for say a 10-12lb packer how long would I smoke it for and what temp? I plan on putting it on the smoker at 12am at night and I was hoping to pull it around 12pm lunchtime.

 

[lancep]

Are you trying to serve it a noon? Temp and time are dependent upon each other. Also, do you plan to wrap it? Every hunk of meat is different. They stall at different temps and for different durations of time. For a 10-12lb packer, Twelve hours could be cutting it close. I've also heard that pellet smokers don't put out much smoke at higher temps but I've never used one. So let's say this, put it on at 9pm @225. At 5am wrap it in a double layer of HD foil. Check IT periodically and when it hits 200 start probing. Once you can probe it anywhere and the probe slides in which no resistance, pull it off, wrap it in a towel and put it in a dry cooler till about a half hour before you want to slice.

 

[marauderrt10]

Are you trying to serve it a noon? Temp and time are dependent upon each other. Also, do you plan to wrap it? Every hunk of meat is different. They stall at different temps and for different durations of time. For a 10-12lb packer, Twelve hours could be cutting it close. I've also heard that pellet smokers don't put out much smoke at higher temps but I've never used one. So let's say this, put it on at 9pm @225. At 5am wrap it in a double layer of HD foil. Check IT periodically and when it hits 200 start probing. Once you can probe it anywhere and the probe slides in which no resistance, pull it off, wrap it in a towel and put it in a dry cooler till about a half hour before you want to slice.

no I plan on serving it for dinner? Say around 3-4?

 

[lancep]

Ok, then midnight should be good if you're wrapping. Wrap around 8am and you should be fine. If you want to go unwrapped, I would start earlier as it can stall for hours at lower temps. The last thing you want to do is pull it early. If you haven't read this whole thread, almost every single failure was due to pulling it early.

Lance

 

[marauderrt10]

Ok, then midnight should be good if you're wrapping. Wrap around 8am and you should be fine. If you want to go unwrapped, I would start earlier as it can stall for hours at lower temps. The last thing you want to do is pull it early. If you haven't read this whole thread, almost every single failure was due to pulling it early.

Lance

in your opinion do you wrap? If say I didn't wrap it how much longer does it usually take?

 

[lancep]

I can't answer that. I've always wrapped and I've never cared to fix what ain't broke. Not wrapping will add more time but how much will depend on a number of variables, some of which can't be accounted for.

 

[marauderrt10]

I can't answer that. I've always wrapped and I've never cared to fix what ain't broke. Not wrapping will add more time but how much will depend on a number of variables, some of which can't be accounted for.

ok so I'll take your suggestion and wrap it. Thank you sir!

 

[lancep]

Just make sure to post your results so we can all see how it came out. Good luck and happy smoking!!

Lance

 

[marauderrt10]

Well the only place around me that has brisket is 5.99/lb and all others carry USDA prime for 6.99/lb I'm going to be getting a 15lber and the gentleman nick at johns butcher shop in Nj is going to trim the deckle for me to keep the costs down. He said he smokes too and he seemed very knowledgeable and was quite honest that he wishes the prices were lower. We shall see!!!

 

[lancep]

Sadly, it seems you northern folk pay through the nose for brisket.