My 4th attempt at brisket

[jbriggs]

you can get prime brisket Packers cut at Costco. It's perfect for smoking. It has beautiful marbling throughout the meat because it's a prime cut.and the good news is the price is really reasonable. You can't go wrong with a brisket from Costco.

 

[ron eb]

You separated the point from the flat before cooking?

I have been doing Que for about a year now, mainly pork and chicken.

I got shoulder down. Looking to get into some brisket.

I am using a modified Brinkmann charcoal smoker and having

great success with temp control. Any tips would be great.

I have the same cookbook.

 

[thekrazyraven]

nope, kept them together

watch the aaron franklin videos on youtube for brisket, i really only paid attention to the trimming one and the slicing one

 

[seandog]

I did my first brisket last Saturday. 12 hour in an electro smoker. It was fantastic. I read on this forum about the "stall", and worked through it. Given the type of smoker, I was a little worried it was in way to long. When the temperature reached around 185 I took it out and let it rest. I finished today and it was still very tender. I guess I did something right! Hickory chips, mop, and a spicy rub.

 

[djsmokesupreme]

Absolutely beautiful KrazyRaven.  How did the crust turn out?

 

[djsmokesupreme]

I did my first brisket today. It wasn't juicy at all. You cooked to 203 internal temp? Mine was 170. The rub was amazing and it was just ok.

You are running smack dab into your very first experience with "the plateau" or "the stall". This is a point at which the internal temp will stay the same, or maybe even drop 5-10 degrees, for 2-4 hours. The best explanation for this that I have heard is that, at that temp, the evaporation from the inside of the meat is cooling the meat at the same rate that the smoke is heating it. If you raise the smoker temp, you end up with jerky. Experts can cook right through it, but it takes skill and experience to keep the meat from drying out.

For the weekend smoker, try foiling your brisket. Cook your brisket unwrapped, low and slow, just as you would normally do. When the internal temp gets up to around 165-175, put the brisket into heavy foil. Before wrapping it, add 1/2 cup of liquid, made of equal parts bourbon, apple juice and beef broth and insert the probe for your digital meat thermometer into the thickest part of the brisket. then wrap it up tight and put it back in the smoker. When your internal temperature reads 190, unwrap the brisket, reserve the liquid for a nice finishing sauce and put the brisket back in the smoker until it hits 195-205. This should be just long enough to crisp up your bark without drying out the brisket.

BTW, this technique is called "The Crutch" or "The Texas Crutch" if you want to learn more about it.

 

[seandog]

I worked through it with a " mop ". Simple beer,cider, spice mop. I was worried , but it turned out fine. I will definitely use your tips though.