Slow v fast brisket, thoughts

[Smokensalt]

Seen a fair few vids on low slow v hot fast for brisket which got me thinking of trying the hot fast method.

Has anyone here tried both and see a comparable difference in taste, bark etc? Not overly bothered about money & time saving as it's my wife and sons bday this weekend. Got a load of friends round and happy to do what it takes to have great food. Never tried hot and fast so.....questions

I'ts a 5kg full UK brisket still in vac pack but not huge fat cap on from what I can see. Some sites say marinade the entire brisket once out the wrapper then dry and cook. Some say pat and dry rub it. Others say do both.

Any tips and ideas are most welcome.

 

[tx smoker]

First off, welcome to the forum. Sounds like you're one to do research on your own then ask the right questions to dial in the fine points. Kudos to you for that.

For a long time I only did low and slow then one day on a whim I tried hot and fast. I'll never go back to low and slow. There is no noticeable difference in flavor between the two but the bark you get, especially on briskets and pork butts, is much better with higher heat. I typically put a brisket on early in the morning at 285 and just let it go all day. At some point I'll pull it (no less than 8 hours) and put it into a roasting pan on low heat with some type of au jus I make up and let it finish to tender in the roasting pan.

Robert

 

[SmokinEdge]

Yup, I agree with Robert. I go 275-300F some go even higher, I’d rather stay at or below 300F just for the smoke value, but heck yeah nothing wrong with hot-N-fast brisket or butts.

 

[Smokensalt]

First off, welcome to the forum. Sounds like you're one to do research on your own then ask the right questions to dial in the fine points. Kudos to you for that.

For a long time I only did low and slow then one day on a whim I tried hot and fast. I'll never go back to low and slow. There is no noticeable difference in flavor between the two but the bark you get, especially on briskets and pork butts, is much better with higher heat. I typically put a brisket on early in the morning at 285 and just let it go all day. At some point I'll pull it (no less than 8 hours) and put it into a roasting pan on low heat with some type of au jus I make up and let it finish to tender in the roasting pan.

Robert

Thanks for that. Prob going to unpack it tomorrow, rub it and then start the hot method. Will take pics and share them once it's done.

Damn, I love this forum. It's like a live encyclopedia of heaven. I can smell, taste and even drool at some of the posts here. Lol.

 

[Smokensalt]

Yup, I agree with Robert. I go 275-300F some go even higher, I’d rather stay at or below 300F just for the smoke value, but heck yeah nothing wrong with hot-N-fast brisket or butts.

Was interested in a vid I saw earlier saying the hot method plumped up the brisket which makes sense as that gives it more areas to hold the liquid and render the fats while the quicker forming bark.helps keep the juices in. So hungry for it already. Butcher is also popping off a 5kg pork butt for me to start on Sat morning. Excited. :)

 

[SmokinEdge]

Go up in the forum search and search hot and fast brisket. There have been some real good cooks posted of this method.

 

[civilsmoker]

I'm in the hot and fast camp as well! I like putting brisket on in the AM and having it for dinner. 275-280 is a good place to start and then if you can hold it in your home oven at 155 for an hour or 2 till dinner that really helps.

Here is an example of hot and fast that has been "covered" in a pan, nice bark and tender tasty goodness.
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/copper-pot-quick-brisket.301235/

Here is an example of hot and fast that hasn't been wrapped... This works well for a point cut, I do think the flat does better wrapped like above.
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/butter-knife-brisket.314282/

Here is a trick to adding crazy flavor...if you look at the pic with the pan, there is some rendered juice in the rendered fat. Save the fat and juice and put a light drizzle of a mixture of the fat/juice over the slices. This is the benefit of foil wrapping or a foil pan.

 

[DougE]

Like the others said, I do brisket and pork butt hot and fast, and there is no noticeable difference between ones smoked at 225* vs 255~285*

 

[motocrash]

Hot and fast turns out good, so much so that 225* seems like a waste of time.
Here is a 2 step method from a talented and respected member, chilerelleno .

Prime Packer Brisket, Extreme Hot-n-Fast

Found a decent 22.3lb prime packer brisket at Costco. Y'all know where I'm going with this don't ya, yep, another Extreme Hot-n-Fast brisket cook. 2.5 hours of mixed Hickory and Mesquite smoke at 275°-300°. Then kicking the temp up to 375°-400°. Once the IT hits 165° it'll be wrapped in paper...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[1MoreFord]

Part of a bbq cook depends on what kind of cooker you're using. Back when I had my offset I've cooked briskets at 325°F and they turned out fine but sometimes they finished at a higher temp than when cooked slower. Doing one this way don't be concerned if you get up to around 210°F IT before it probes tender.

If you're cooking on a pellet rig then some time at a low temp to get some smoke on it is almost required. Then you can crank it up and finish it.

 

[noboundaries]

I've done both, and now I'm in the low n slow to start, then hot n fast to finish. Why? Not results or flavor or texture. I sleep during the low n slow, wake up, then finish hot n fast to probe tender. I throw it wrapped in foil into a 170°F oven to rest until time to eat, around 3-5 hours. There's never anyone hungry waiting for a smoke to finish around here.

Brisket loves heat over a long time. It hates being fretted over.

 

[sandyut]

same as most. 275. 225 is just too painfully slow and I dont think there is any difference in the product.

 

[Smokensalt]

same as most. 275. 225 is just too painfully slow and I dont think there is any difference in the product.

Thanks man but look at my Houston we have a problem post i just made. It wasn't a brisket you would recognised. The UK seem mainly to do the brisket cut as strips for rolled brisket. Still going to taste amazing but isn't a packer. My butcher is going to try and get me one but usually only specialist ones get the ones you guys get in Costco etc.

 

[civilsmoker]

Take a look at my Butter Knife Brisket example, I separated the point from the flat and the remainder is two thinner sections like what you have. If you leave the fat on both they smoke up very nicely in smaller pieces. I smoke briskets a lot like this a lot when time is short.

 

[Smokensalt]

Take a look at my Butter Knife Brisket example, I separated the point from the flat and the remainder is two thinner sections like what you have. If you leave the fat on both they smoke up very nicely in smaller pieces. I smoke briskets a lot like this a lot when time is short.

Certainly will do, but shall need to be on the next one I smoke. My brisket turned out to be 3 separate bits folded over. See pics in my other Houston thread. Been looking about for packer briskets here in UK and they are £15-20/kg upto some crazy £40/kilo. That's not even a wagyu!!!

 

[civilsmoker]

Certainly will do, but shall need to be on the next one I smoke. My brisket turned out to be 3 separate bits folded over. See pics in my other Houston thread. Been looking about for packer briskets here in UK and they are £15-20/kg upto some crazy £40/kilo. That's not even a wagyu!!!

Understood, Just passing long food for thought.... sometimes you have to just work with what you have. Due to price these days on pork ribs I buy the whole rib section and trim them down to SL spares and that leaves me lots of little smaller pieces. These smaller pieces are gold for me, I always smoke them into rib tips as they are call and as burnt ends for simply just sliced boneless rib size (see the example below). These smaller pieces are usually my favorite because they are full of flavor have more bark to meat ratio.

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/simple-321-spares-with-bourbon-maple-glaze.310857/

This approach could be used to the brisket "pieces" you are able to get.

 

[Smokensalt]

Understood, Just passing long food for thought.... sometimes you have to just work with what you have. Due to price these days on pork ribs I buy the whole rib section and trim them down to SL spares and that leaves me lots of little smaller pieces. These smaller pieces are gold for me, I always smoke them into rib tips as they are call and as burnt ends for simply just sliced boneless rib size (see the example below). These smaller pieces are usually my favorite because they are full of flavor have more bark to meat ratio.

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/simple-321-spares-with-bourbon-maple-glaze.310857/

This approach could be used to the brisket "pieces" you are able to get.

Interesting, hadn't actually though of that. I get full racks pretty cheap but they have the big thick strands of cartilage stuff, shoelaces as my you gest calls them. Taste amazing, but am going to do your method next week after this cook is finished. Mine are nothing to yours but still yummy

 

[civilsmoker]

Interesting, hadn't actually though of that. I get full racks pretty cheap but they have the big thick strands of cartilage stuff, shoelaces as my you gest calls them. Taste amazing, but am going to do your method next week after this cook is finished. Mine are nothing to yours but still yummy

Yours look pretty tasty for sure! And "rib tips" are a pretty common menu item on this side of the pond!

 

[Smokensalt]

Yours look pretty tasty for sure! And "rib tips" are a pretty common menu item on this side of the pond!

Thanks, I do so much at once on the KJ to be efficient that I can't often specialise. Thw ribs looked dry louisiana but we're super tender and delicious. I'd done the ribs for hours, then added wings low for an hour in s&p & baking powder, skin on chicken breast in mango chutney, then once they were done cranked it up for rib eye and burgers and crisp up the wings. Was all awesome. Wife and kids loved it, especially the ketchup, vinegar, sugar, treacle, garlic, thyme sauce I make

 

[sandyut]

The UK seem mainly to do the brisket cut as strips for rolled brisket.

Right, there is or was another UK smoker who started a thread about this…. Seems odd, but I am sure there are many things we do to food here that you guys cringe at. Any way to talk to a butcher and have them save one whole? Maybe a local grower?