Yummy Brisket (first time, curious about what you all would change/do)

[Smoke Meats Everyday]

Made my first brisket this past weekend- followed a recipe from some website that came up for 'smoking brisket like a boss'.

Rested it overnight after brushing it with olive oil, red wine vinegar and garlic. After that I added the Traeger Beef Rub mixture.

It was a fifteen pound full brisket before I trimmed the fat off- unsure how much but I removed all the hard fat.

Loaded the brisket onto the smoker using a blend of hardwood pellets at 200F. When it reached 150F, I had my wife/father-in-law wrap it as I was at a work event. Air temperature that day was hovering between 10F and 20F, so it was cold (thanks to Traeger for the insulation blanket, not that it was free but yay it exists). I wanted to wrap it at 160F but it is what it is. That was about eight hours in, when it slowly made its way to 203F. It ended up being a 22 hour smoke- then we wrapped it in two beach towels and stored it in a cooler for about 4 hours till we ate it. It was delicious.

Curious about a few things: first, what spice blends do yall use? second, fat side up or fat side down? Finally- any tips or resources on learning how to trim the fat the best way?

Thanks!

 

[ifitsdeadsmokeit]

I think both your questions are personal preference. I make my own rub and there are many to choose from. Jeff (owner of site)has a texas rub that is good on brisket you can buy. A lot if people prefer pepper based rubs. I try to tend to avoid those with a lot of sugar because it burns so easily.
Fat up or down? I use fat down to try and protect the bottom from drying out. Some prefer fat up because think the fat will render down into the meat making it more moist. If you trim all the fat off not sure it matters. When I trim I like to leave about a quarter inch layer which a little of will render out.
I would look into trying to cook at a higher temperature so not cooking for so long. I cook mine at 250-275 and takes 10-12 hours. The 203 is a good temp goal to cook to but many are done before that and some later. It is done when it is probe tender or when can easily slide a pointed probe in like hot knife through butter. I do wrap too cuz hate waiting on the stall.

 

[smokerjim]

Looks excellant, I'm no brisket pro but as mentioned rub and fat up or down is ones own preference. As for trimming fat I personally think a 1/4 inch of fat is good. I too would definitely up your temps to the 250-275.

 

[voyager 663rd]

AND save the HARD fat (not the mushy stuff) and then render it for the best tallow you will ever have. Use it for making french fries. Faaaaantastic !

 

[Astralogics]

That's a pretty good first try! Like said, up the temps, the difference between being cooked at 225 vs 275 is basically unnoticeable. I'd also say to wrap closer to 175-180 F, as this is closer to when your bark will set nicely.

Rubs are to your preference. For your second brisket, try it with just a simple salt and pepper rub (add garlic powder if you'd like). I like simple rubs since it lets the flavor of the meat really shine.

As far as fat up vs down, depends. Again, either your preference, or dependent on the cooker. I try to face the fat towards the heat source so that it acts as another means of protection for the meat. This logic applies to fatty vs lean too (point muscle faces heat source). If you have a second rack, I'd try fat up, but if not, fat down is fine on your Traeger.

And yes SAVE YOUR FAT. Throw some of that fat in a pan and let it render down while you cook your brisket. Then take that smoked tallow and throw it in when you wrap. Happy eating!

 

[Smoke Meats Everyday]

Out of curiosity, is smoking at higher temperatures just to cook faster? I only ask as I had been reading on a few other places that the low and slow makes for delicious fall apart brisket- do you still get that running at higher temperatures?

 

[BigW.]

Meat will not know the difference in temp cooked. You will get back a lot of time. 275 is what I shoot for. Some go even higher. Search "Hot & Fast" brisket on this site. Since your heat source is below, I'd do fat side down.

 

[Astralogics]

Out of curiosity, is smoking at higher temperatures just to cook faster? I only ask as I had been reading on a few other places that the low and slow makes for delicious fall apart brisket- do you still get that running at higher temperatures?

Meat will not know the difference in temp cooked. You will get back a lot of time. 275 is what I shoot for.

Exactly this. Honestly, only reason for me to go as low as 225 is so I can chill outside drinking more beer... But, being realistic, I shoot for 250-275 so that I have more time to do other things.

To answer about tips on trimming, other than the standard 1/4in fat cap, lots of pretty good vids out there (Chuds BBQ, Mad Scientist BBQ, Aaron Franklin, Bar-A, etc.) All of those guys will have you up to speed in no time.

 

[sandyut]

275 for butts and briskets. the end product is exactly the same, just doesnt take a lifetime to finish the cook.

 

[Hijack73]

There are an awful lot of the 203f final temp fans here. I often cut the heat closer to 195f. I like mine a little less fall apart and with a touch of chew.

Me pulling at that lower temp comes with a caveat. I go straight into a warm oven and let it rest for hours and hours and hours. I'm never starving though I might take a little nibble or 3 when I first pull it, so I'm not really on a schedule. It wasn't always so. For bigger cooks for a crowd or a gathering or whatever and I need to keep a schedule, I'll pull it a little later but I really rarely hit 200. I didn't even own a probe therm until 2015ish, so I'm pretty decent on poking it with a skewer or toothpicks to tell when it is ready.

I had to re-learn how to cook a brisket after I got the probe. The internet was bound and determined to tell me that north of 200 was necessary for tender brisket. I made a lot of (IMO) overcooked meat until I went back to poking them.

225-250 is where I like to ride on chamber temp. And yeah, I've had to take a few north of 200 before they got probe tender. Very few and far between. I've had a few get close to boiling water temps, which is nuts to me, but it's happened.

Fat side up or down depends on my cooker. In my pellet, I like fat side down get better bark on the up side. I will flip too. I'll start fat side up and let it roll for a few hours then flip it. That helps with the fat not sticking to the grates. Took me a while to figure that out.

I don't really make them any more. Chucks fit my diet better. I'm the only one who will eat it more than twice so I just kinda gave up unless I get one on clearance and then I will corn it 75% of the time. I really don't care for it vac sealed and frozen, leftovers do not hit the same.

It's still my favorite bbq meat. I always said that a properly smoked brisket is what the Lord eats when He is hungry. I just can't eat 8 or 9lbs of brisket in a week anymore. God knows I've tried and succeeded a few times, but I can't eat like I used to.

Leftovers: Most go for chili. Chili is great. My favorite is stroganoff. Lots of mushrooms and chives and a thick creamy umami bomb sauce. I'm the only person who likes it........ my kids think chicken tenders and fries are good and stroganoff sucks. Weirdos.

 

[Fueling Around]

Trying to figure what hasn't already been posted.
I trim ALL the fat and save it. (We'll be getting you into sausage making in the future.)
Any rub on fat gets mostly rendered away. I've also watched people eat brisket and many trim away that outside fat.
I separate the point and flat. Personally, I don't like the point so it goes in the grind bowl.
I also trim the flat a bit to get uniform thickness.
The "experts" that state lower is better befuddles me. I don't know if that's where their smoker runs or if they do it to time for the restaurant opening. Meat is done when it is done
Also, once you wrap the meat smoke does not penetrate. I foil pan and cover with foil and into the kitchen oven. Why waste the pellets?
I vac pack and freeze brisket every cook which is mostly once a year for me.
A welding blanket over the Traeger insulation is an adder to keep the heat.

 

[millerbuilds]

Made my first brisket this past weekend- followed a recipe from some website that came up for 'smoking brisket like a boss'.

Rested it overnight after brushing it with olive oil, red wine vinegar and garlic. After that I added the Traeger Beef Rub mixture.

View attachment 713396
View attachment 713395

It was a fifteen pound full brisket before I trimmed the fat off- unsure how much but I removed all the hard fat.

View attachment 713397
Loaded the brisket onto the smoker using a blend of hardwood pellets at 200F. When it reached 150F, I had my wife/father-in-law wrap it as I was at a work event. Air temperature that day was hovering between 10F and 20F, so it was cold (thanks to Traeger for the insulation blanket, not that it was free but yay it exists). I wanted to wrap it at 160F but it is what it is. That was about eight hours in, when it slowly made its way to 203F. It ended up being a 22 hour smoke- then we wrapped it in two beach towels and stored it in a cooler for about 4 hours till we ate it. It was delicious.

View attachment 713398

Curious about a few things: first, what spice blends do yall use? second, fat side up or fat side down? Finally- any tips or resources on learning how to trim the fat the best way?

Thanks!

Nice work!
The debate of fat side up vs. fat side down is ongoing and it comes down to personal preference and probably will always be a debate. Same with Rub. I personally prefer a simple SPG, but again if you ask 100 people you will get 100 different "best rubs for brisket" opinions. Once again personal preference and you need to find what fits your and your families flavor profiles.


Good luck and great looking brisket!

- Jason

 

[texomakid]

Man just enjoy the whole experience of cooking a brisket. Everyone has great advice so I can't really add anything. Best thing I've learned is they will keep (rest) for a LONG time @ 140 deg and don't slice it until you're ready to serve. I saw a video the other day and they described it as "Brisket dies on the cutting board" and that's pretty accurate but there isn't a better bite in BBQ than sliced brisket off the cutting board. Congrats that's a solid looking piece of meat!

 

[coltranem]

For me I use salt and pepper as the rub. I cook at 250 to 275 in an offset do that moght be different with your pellet smoker. I don't wrap until after the bark is set and the stall is over. Around 170 F. I cook until probe tender and hold in 150 F oven for hours before serving (usually at least 12).