*****************************************************************DISCLAIMER:***********************************************************************
Please understand that this is just armchair speculation put into action. At present, I do not advocate brining beef, nor am I seeking to turn the brisket world on its head, just looking to see if I can make this idea work. Folks new to and familair with the smoking world alike are welcome to read this, but I must say that following the tried and true methods of handling a brisket is the sure way to smoked beef nirvana. Thank your for your time.
Ordinarily, brisket's just a fairly standardized system: salt and pepper, maybe some cayenne if I'm feeling saucey, 90 minutes a pound or so on the smoke, foiling sometimes, usually keeping the flat and point separate... relatively consistent, and good, but today I've decided to upset the established order some, and experiment. I'm going to try brining a brisket. Not so much to "corn" it, just trying to inundate it with a little extra juice, and some extra flavor.
Before I got into the project itself, here are the rules I set.
1. I cannot interfere with the beef flavor.
Everything about this brine must act in a way to reinforce the natural taste of the meat. All, if any, spices cannot be dominant, but subtle, and provide more heat than taste. I like my cow to taste like cow.
2. Keep the salinity manageable.
I can always add salt and pepper as needed, I can't easily take it away. Furthermore, I have no interest in pickling, or curing this meat, so lower amounts of salt than usual, and no curing compounds. Reading shows that meats will retain relatively similar amounts of liquid, be it high in salinity, or not (http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/rubs_pastes_marinades_and_brines/zen_of_brines.html), so... what the heck.
3. Maintain a balance.
I love to sweeten pork a bit, there't nothing in this world like the right amount of molasses in the pork; but beef has it's own rich flavor that doesn't take to sugars so well, so I'd like to balance the sugars so they're there to help the smoke "stick" to the meat, but not present enough to kill it.
4. Have fun doing it.
The most important rule.
At this point, I took out my note pad, and my professor pipe, and got to work. Questions swirled around my head:
Which salt to use? Which flavors do I want to augment? Do I want to add fruit juices or pieces to this? Should I add tenderizers, or acids? What should be my source of sugar? What's better than water for a brine?
And then I thought:
"Beef"
This became my goal. I don't want brisket to taste like molsses, so that's out, I don't want my brisket to taste like corned beef or pastrami, so pickling and table salts are out. I don't want it to taste like cherries, or apples, or pineapple, or papayas, so fruits are out. I want this to stay semi-firm in the first bite, and not dissolve into mush, so tenderizers, like papain are definitely gone, nor do I want it to have a tangy pickled taste, so vinegar and curing compounds are way gone.
I did want: Savory beefy goodness, a little zip without dominating spices, so heavy spices like curry, tumeric, and cloves were reserved for vindaloo, and gingerbread men respectively. However chili powder or flakes were welcome. I also wanted the spices to form a "primer" for the smoke, so I dropped the red pepper flakes for chipotle, and added some of my southwestern rub, which has smoked paprika in it.
I also really like when garlic and rosemary play second (and third) tenor in a beef roast, so I invited them to the party. Sauteed onions would definitely enhance the flavor some too.
All the pieces began to come together.
Please understand that this is just armchair speculation put into action. At present, I do not advocate brining beef, nor am I seeking to turn the brisket world on its head, just looking to see if I can make this idea work. Folks new to and familair with the smoking world alike are welcome to read this, but I must say that following the tried and true methods of handling a brisket is the sure way to smoked beef nirvana. Thank your for your time.
Ordinarily, brisket's just a fairly standardized system: salt and pepper, maybe some cayenne if I'm feeling saucey, 90 minutes a pound or so on the smoke, foiling sometimes, usually keeping the flat and point separate... relatively consistent, and good, but today I've decided to upset the established order some, and experiment. I'm going to try brining a brisket. Not so much to "corn" it, just trying to inundate it with a little extra juice, and some extra flavor.
Before I got into the project itself, here are the rules I set.
1. I cannot interfere with the beef flavor.
Everything about this brine must act in a way to reinforce the natural taste of the meat. All, if any, spices cannot be dominant, but subtle, and provide more heat than taste. I like my cow to taste like cow.
2. Keep the salinity manageable.
I can always add salt and pepper as needed, I can't easily take it away. Furthermore, I have no interest in pickling, or curing this meat, so lower amounts of salt than usual, and no curing compounds. Reading shows that meats will retain relatively similar amounts of liquid, be it high in salinity, or not (http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/rubs_pastes_marinades_and_brines/zen_of_brines.html), so... what the heck.
3. Maintain a balance.
I love to sweeten pork a bit, there't nothing in this world like the right amount of molasses in the pork; but beef has it's own rich flavor that doesn't take to sugars so well, so I'd like to balance the sugars so they're there to help the smoke "stick" to the meat, but not present enough to kill it.
4. Have fun doing it.
The most important rule.
At this point, I took out my note pad, and my professor pipe, and got to work. Questions swirled around my head:
Which salt to use? Which flavors do I want to augment? Do I want to add fruit juices or pieces to this? Should I add tenderizers, or acids? What should be my source of sugar? What's better than water for a brine?
And then I thought:
"Beef"
This became my goal. I don't want brisket to taste like molsses, so that's out, I don't want my brisket to taste like corned beef or pastrami, so pickling and table salts are out. I don't want it to taste like cherries, or apples, or pineapple, or papayas, so fruits are out. I want this to stay semi-firm in the first bite, and not dissolve into mush, so tenderizers, like papain are definitely gone, nor do I want it to have a tangy pickled taste, so vinegar and curing compounds are way gone.
I did want: Savory beefy goodness, a little zip without dominating spices, so heavy spices like curry, tumeric, and cloves were reserved for vindaloo, and gingerbread men respectively. However chili powder or flakes were welcome. I also wanted the spices to form a "primer" for the smoke, so I dropped the red pepper flakes for chipotle, and added some of my southwestern rub, which has smoked paprika in it.
I also really like when garlic and rosemary play second (and third) tenor in a beef roast, so I invited them to the party. Sauteed onions would definitely enhance the flavor some too.
All the pieces began to come together.