Too soon for Brisket?

[Alex Douglas]

Hey Guys and Girls..


sooo .. Ive done a couple of Butts, Ribs and pork belly slices, ive not been smoking long... but everything I’ve cooked so far has been eaten and complimented on by friends and Family, im thinking of buying a full brisket and giving it a go,but advice is needed.. any advice you have..


Am i being too over confident? ive read they are very hard to get right.


Thanks
Al

 

[gmc2003]

They can be very difficult. The basic's for me are to smoke at 250 to 260*. Until I reach the stale. Put the brisket in an aluminum pan on a rack and add some beef broth to the bottom. Cover with foil and back on the smoker. When it reaches about 190ish I remove the brisket and pop it back down on the grates. Start probing with a tooth pick or something similar. When the probe slides in with basically no resistance your done. Rubs are a personal choice, I like SPOG. Once it's done let it cool down to about 170* then wrap in foil again and pop it either in a cooler or your oven to rest. Tough brisket is usually undercooked, crumbly brisket is overcooked. A slice of brisket should bend easily and break in two with just a slight tug. That's how I do them. Others have their own methods. All's good. I'm pretty sure Bearcarver and smokinAl have step-by-steps listed in their signatures if your need more info.

Chris

 

[SmokinAl]

A full packer brisket is a good choice to start with. There are a hundred threads on here on how to smoke a brisket. I like to do mine hot & fast, ie. 270-280 pit temp. They take about 45 minutes to an hour per pound & you won't get a stall at that temp. Also I don't wrap my brisket, unless I'm running out of time & need to get it done sooner. There is a hot & fast brisket thread at the end of my signature line, that you may find helpful.
Good luck!
Al

 

[Alex Douglas]

They can be very difficult. The basic's for me are to smoke at 250 to 260*. Until I reach the stale. Put the brisket in an aluminum pan on a rack and add some beef broth to the bottom. Cover with foil and back on the smoker. When it reaches about 190ish I remove the brisket and pop it back down on the grates. Start probing with a tooth pick or something similar. When the probe slides in with basically no resistance your done. Rubs are a personal choice, I like SPOG. Once it's done let it cool down to about 170* then wrap in foil again and pop it either in a cooler or your oven to rest. Tough brisket is usually undercooked, crumbly brisket is overcooked. A slice of brisket should bend easily and break in two with just a slight tug. That's how I do them. Others have their own methods. All's good. I'm pretty sure Bearcarver and smokinAl have step-by-steps listed in their signatures if your need more info.

Chris

Hey Chris,

thanks for your input on this, what reason do you put it into an aluminium pan is that just to keep it moist whilst passing the stall?

 

[gmc2003]

It's easier/quicker to plop the brisket in a pan and foil then it is to just foil. Plus your containing more of the juice for your dipping sauce.

Chris

 

[Alex Douglas]

Cheers Chris! Yeah that makes sense, I can’t actually comprehend how big a packer brisket is so I’m already at a disadvantage haha

 

[Alex Douglas]

.

 

[Alex Douglas]

A full packer brisket is a good choice to start with. There are a hundred threads on here on how to smoke a brisket. I like to do mine hot & fast, ie. 270-280 pit temp. They take about 45 minutes to an hour per pound & you won't get a stall at that temp. Also I don't wrap my brisket, unless I'm running out of time & need to get it done sooner. There is a hot & fast brisket thread at the end of my signature line, that you may find helpful.
Good luck!
Al

Thanks for the info, yes sorry I realise there will be many theads on this subject.

 

[radio]

gmc2003 gave good advice. I have got to the point I always foil or pan mine so I can have the wonderful goodness of the drippings. I brew 12-16 ounces of coffee and dissolve 2-3 tablespoons of beef base in it before adding to the pan with the brisket on a short rack to suspend it above the liquid. The drippings are bit strong when the brisket is done, so when I save the liquid, I taste it and add cold water until I get the strength I like. Put it in a container in the freezer to solidify the fat, or use a fat separator and you have the worlds best Au Jus, or a base for a killer gravy! If making gravy, heat the liquid in a sauce pan and use a flour slurry to thicken. I love brisket on a bed of mashed potatoes with the gravy over the top.

 

[phathead69]

Alex all the above I read many times before my first brisket. Like you some ribs and butts then I wanted to do a brisket. My plan after reading the long thread on "brisket defies logic " or something like that was just go low and slow. My advice to you would be to not plan on guests, pick a day with nothing going on as far as commitments to do your cook. So a low and slow with or without wrapping and babysit it. The one thing that is proven as mentioned is it is done when it's done. Probe not temp dictates that. I tried the hotter and faster method once and didn't turn out well for me but I'll try it again one day. The low and slow has worked for a lot of more experienced on here and it worked for me. Thanks to all who have contributed on here.

 

[noboundaries]

Alex, the first thing you need to decide is what you are calling "brisket." Most folks around here think "Packer" when a brisket is mentioned. A lot of newbies though see "brisket" at the grocery store and it is in fact a trimmed "Flat" portion of the brisket, the hardest part of the brisket to get right. It will usually weight 5-7 lbs. It is a leaner cut of meat that gets its juices from melted collagen, not fat. So it has to be smoked to a high enough internal temp, usually 195F-205F, until it probes tender. I can't remember the last time I smoked a flat only. I used to braise them a lot to make pot roast, which is an entirely different animal.

The part of the brisket called the "Point" is less readily available, but VERY easy to smoke. It is full of fat and extremely forgiving. I rate Points as easy to smoke as a pork butt. They are usually in the 4-6 lb range and nicely marbled. Even a Select grade point will have nice marbling. Smoked to 195-200F, they make great, melt in your mouth slices. Or you can make "burnt ends" out of a Point. Lots of threads on burnt ends. I prefer to slice mine if I'm not cutting it up for chili or soup after throwing 3-4 hours of smoke on it. The issue with a Point is that it will fake you out that it is done. A Point can probe tender as low as 180F. Try eating it then and you'll feel like you're chewing a fatty piece of stringy meat.

The Packer is a big hunk of meat that contains both the Flat and the Point. The secret to a good packer is to smoke it until the Flat probes tender. The hardest part of smoking a packer is LEAVING IT ALONE IN THE SMOKER! It takes a while to be ready. You thinking about it, checking progress, etc, won't help it get done any more quickly, and in fact will set you up for failure. Heat, smoke, and time are the only thing that will make it ready, and that last factor, time, can drive you insane. The longer a hunk of meat takes to smoke tender, the higher your anxiety level may grow as you start thinking "I've done something wrong." "It should be done by now." "Why's it taking so long?" "I'm going to dry it out." An underdone Packer will taste tough and dry. An overcooked packer will be so tender it crumbles and can also taste dry. One done right will be tender, juicy, and delicious.

There's only one way to get it right: practice, practice, practice. When you get it right, it's wonderful. If you screw it up, make chili, soup, stroganoff, beef spread, etc. out of the leftovers. Trust me, I speak from experience, and ate a lot of chili, soup, stroganoff, beef spread, etc.

 

[phathead69]

noboundaries has covered better than anyone. I stick by my advice though on don't plan it for supper that night for the reasons he mentioned. But thanks to everyone on here you stand a good chance getting it right the first time. Worked for me and I'm green as spinach on smoking knowledge.

 

[Alex Douglas]

gmc2003 gave good advice. I have got to the point I always foil or pan mine so I can have the wonderful goodness of the drippings. I brew 12-16 ounces of coffee and dissolve 2-3 tablespoons of beef base in it before adding to the pan with the brisket on a short rack to suspend it above the liquid. The drippings are bit strong when the brisket is done, so when I save the liquid, I taste it and add cold water until I get the strength I like. Put it in a container in the freezer to solidify the fat, or use a fat separator and you have the worlds best Au Jus, or a base for a killer gravy! If making gravy, heat the liquid in a sauce pan and use a flour slurry to thicken. I love brisket on a bed of mashed potatoes with the gravy over the top.

Thanks for the advice, radio.

 

[Alex Douglas]

Alex all the above I read many times before my first brisket. Like you some ribs and butts then I wanted to do a brisket. My plan after reading the long thread on "brisket defies logic " or something like that was just go low and slow. My advice to you would be to not plan on guests, pick a day with nothing going on as far as commitments to do your cook. So a low and slow with or without wrapping and babysit it. The one thing that is proven as mentioned is it is done when it's done. Probe not temp dictates that. I tried the hotter and faster method once and didn't turn out well for me but I'll try it again one day. The low and slow has worked for a lot of more experienced on here and it worked for me. Thanks to all who have contributed on here.

Thanks Phathead

 

[Alex Douglas]

Alex, the first thing you need to decide is what you are calling "brisket." Most folks around here think "Packer" when a brisket is mentioned. A lot of newbies though see "brisket" at the grocery store and it is in fact a trimmed "Flat" portion of the brisket, the hardest part of the brisket to get right. It will usually weight 5-7 lbs. It is a leaner cut of meat that gets its juices from melted collagen, not fat. So it has to be smoked to a high enough internal temp, usually 195F-205F, until it probes tender. I can't remember the last time I smoked a flat only. I used to braise them a lot to make pot roast, which is an entirely different animal.

The part of the brisket called the "Point" is less readily available, but VERY easy to smoke. It is full of fat and extremely forgiving. I rate Points as easy to smoke as a pork butt. They are usually in the 4-6 lb range and nicely marbled. Even a Select grade point will have nice marbling. Smoked to 195-200F, they make great, melt in your mouth slices. Or you can make "burnt ends" out of a Point. Lots of threads on burnt ends. I prefer to slice mine if I'm not cutting it up for chili or soup after throwing 3-4 hours of smoke on it. The issue with a Point is that it will fake you out that it is done. A Point can probe tender as low as 180F. Try eating it then and you'll feel like you're chewing a fatty piece of stringy meat.

The Packer is a big hunk of meat that contains both the Flat and the Point. The secret to a good packer is to smoke it until the Flat probes tender. The hardest part of smoking a packer is LEAVING IT ALONE IN THE SMOKER! It takes a while to be ready. You thinking about it, checking progress, etc, won't help it get done any more quickly, and in fact will set you up for failure. Heat, smoke, and time are the only thing that will make it ready, and that last factor, time, can drive you insane. The longer a hunk of meat takes to smoke tender, the higher your anxiety level may grow as you start thinking "I've done something wrong." "It should be done by now." "Why's it taking so long?" "I'm going to dry it out." An underdone Packer will taste tough and dry. An overcooked packer will be so tender it crumbles and can also taste dry. One done right will be tender, juicy, and delicious.

There's only one way to get it right: practice, practice, practice. When you get it right, it's wonderful. If you screw it up, make chili, soup, stroganoff, beef spread, etc. out of the leftovers. Trust me, I speak from experience, and ate a lot of chili, soup, stroganoff, beef spread, etc.

Noboundaries,

Thanks for all that info,
I’m looking at a packer brisket it’s 6KG (13lbs)
It’s around £50 which is $70 so I don’t know if it’s a good deal or not.

I can get a point or flat separate if needed.

All your info is very helpful

 

[jbellard]

Alex,
That’s probably not too bad of a price being that you’re in the U.K.
probably not too many people smoking brisket there.

Enjoy and remember BE PATIENT!

 

[tallbm]

You are getting a lot of great info here. Just to summarize and add my 2 cents I'll give a simple bulleted list:

1. Pick and understand the meat you are using (packer vs flat, etc.)
2. Brisket is ready when it is TENDER, temp is just the guide to tell you to and check for tenderness usually by stabing with tooth pics, I use bamboo skewers
3. Determine if you want to wrap or not. I personally do not wrap as I don't like messing with the meat if I don't have to (it's simpler this way) and I find the flavor and bark to be MUCH better than when wrapping!
4. Brisket can easily stand up to stronger wood smoke (good thin blue smoke though) and it's better to use a stronger wood rather than a milder wood. I use 100% Mesquite wood pellets but you may not have that wood there in the UK. In Texas Oak is used a lot and it is a middle ground wood that does well even though Hickory is stronger. Figure your wood out and get to it!
5. Start early with cooking a brisket and understand that you can double wrap in foil and wrap in towels and it will hold temp for 4+ hours no problem so plan to finish early as you can't really speed things up. I like to rest for 4 hours or so though many have different opinions on resting. I just like having it done early, rested, and ready to go when it is time to slice and eat.
6. Not mentioned yet, Trim off any meat that will burn up or crust up as it just gets lost that way. If you trim it off so everything is close to uniform thickness in the flat you can save the good meat and use for other stuff or just throw in later on in the smoke so it cooks up too without burning/crusting up. See my example trim pic here:
   
   

   BrisketFlatTrimAway

   • tallbm
   • Oct 7, 2017

Best of luck!

 

[oddegan]

I would like to add to tallbm's post with the note that all of the trim can be ground for fantastic burger or added to sausage. Nothing need go into the trash except maybe the tallow and I believe Bearcarver even had a thread about rendering that. No loss!

 

[oddegan]

Oops! Sorry tall. I see now you did mention that.

 

[mrad]

Noboundaries,

Thanks for all that info,
I’m looking at a packer brisket it’s 6KG (13lbs)
It’s around £50 which is $70 so I don’t know if it’s a good deal or not.

I can get a point or flat separate if needed.

All your info is very helpful

If you can get just the point, you may want to consider that. They are much more forgiving, and in my opinion, tastier due to the fat content. I wish I could find separated points in my area. I always wonder where they send them since I can always find plenty of flats.