Why is brisket so popular?

[JckDanls 07]

I agree it's more about the challenge and prefecting it... Consistently... 10-12 hours for me and that includes a 1-2 hour rest... That's for a whole packard ...
About 5-6 hrs in the smoke
Wrap and up the temps for 3-4 hours
rest for 1-2 hours...
Eat at 1830 (6:30pm)
Share left overs with family and freinds ...

 

[normanaj]

I can only speak for myself but I get equal satisfaction out of everything I do in the smoker.

But to answer the title question:
Because it's yummy.

 

[forktender]

Your digital homie is full of beans.

Brisket is God's cut because up until 6 years ago it was stupid cheap. I started pumping them out when they were .79 a lb. When they went to .99/lb, they were still cheaper than chuck.

For that price, I used them for EVERYTHING. Stew meat? Cut up a brisket. Ground beef? Trim all the soft fat and grind it with only the deckle fat. Corned beef? Yep. In the same vein as corned beef - pastrami. Pot roasts? You ever turn a point into a pot roast? Of a whole packer for Christmas dinner? Me did - very very often.

I even made the damn things into beef jerky. The learning curve, in my opinion, is the smoker more than the brisket itself.

People jack up briskets by thinking that you should take them north of 200f. I bet if you search this forum, you'll see the number 203 as being extremely popular. It shouldn't be. Before a digital thermometer, I stuck a meat thermo in them by looks alone. The thermo could have been broken for all I cared. I was feeling it for texture. Now I use one.

I had probably made 100 perfect smoked briskets before I got a digital thermometer. The first 5 or 6 I made after, I screwed them ALL up. Why? Because the internet told me "the sweet spot for brisket is 203"

I didn't repeat the process I'd been using for at least 10 years. My bad. Thankfully brisket was still .99/lb

I moved in 2020. I went to a new smoker. I destroyed 3 briskets in a row (if I remember correctly, it may have even been 4) I had to learn the new smoker. My dumbass again forgot a basic rule of smoking. Throw a cheap butt on the smoker before you toss on $150 bucks worth of God's favorite dinner. That was in June or July of 2020. Remember what happened to prices 6 months into Covid? I do.....

Your probing should begin at roughly 190f. I pull the majority of mine between 193 and 195. I rest them in preheated oven pretty much until they are cool, and then some. I have had more than a few go north of 200 before they were done. Same with a chuck. Same with a butt. They are not all the same.



In summary - I LOVE brisket. It's as good as chuck and just about as easy.

All you really need is for someone to teach you (preferably in person, because this is ALSO a point that is FULL of internet wrongness) what the sweet spot is for the poke test, where you poke one with a toothpick or a fillet knife or a bamboo skewer (my favorite) and judge it's doneness by how much resistance you get. If you get the resistance of room temp butter - you overcooked it. It should absolutely have resistance. It should feel like you are sticking your probe into a jar of room temp peanut butter. I saw something on the net also saying a canister of cake frosting is a good medium - and on that I also agree. Not the whipped stuff, the old school made of crisco shortening stuff.

paging @thirdeye @civilsmoker @indaswamp @chilerelleno and any other OTBS members to check my thoughts on the subject.

I struggle with ribs myself. I ain't crazy about ribs, probably because I'm not insanely consistent with them.....

Brisket is the king of bbq in my opinion, and I suck at making them.
Rib are easy run your smoker up to 250 to 260 degrees. Once your temps have maintained toss some St Louis rib on that have been dusted with your favorite rub. Smoke them for 3.5 to 4 hour total, no need to wrap for ribs that you're cooking for yourself.
If the ribs are getting to dark just lay a piece of foil over them. When done internal temp between the bones should be 185 to 200 degrees between the bones. Thin down some sauce with beer or water, lightly glaze with sauce, and cook for 15 to 20 more minutes.
And they are done!!!!

 

[zwiller]

Brisket is the king of bbq in my opinion,

100% (and the queen is beef ribs). If you don't think so, you have not had good brisket. Done right it's BETTER than steak. Stole and RAN with this idea from @chopsaw: cut the brisket in half, then cut those in half. You now have 4 pieces. Make corned beef with flat, pastrami from point, and smoke the center 2 pieces. There is simply NO other way and is genius on so many levels. Yes this tasted as good or better than it looked. Only took 8 hrs too.

 

[mr_whipple]

Your digital homie is full of beans.

I broke out laughing when I read that!

Anyway, I really have nothing to add as I have never not once ever smoked a brisket. In fact I don't go out looking eat it but will if it crosses my path. That said, it is one of the items in bbq restaurants that lets me down more often than not. We're pork people here in SE Va.

 

[912smoker]

I love eating AND cooking briskets!
I also blame the rising cost of them (partially) due to more exposure and the popularity of social media.
Every other video is showcasing a
"How to" brisket cook.
Not saying that's a bad thing but a lot more people are learning about the great and mighty king!

Keith