Brisket

[KnightsAnole]

One of my favorite things to do on the weekend is light the grill, light a cigar and spend a few hours in the backyard. I’m no pro at grilling but, I’ve been getting more experimental, did a nice smoked pork shoulder last weekend. So next weekend my plan is to attempt brisket. Never done it and know almost nothing about it. So, any recipes, tips or procedures would be a great help. Assume I know nothing, (true) so details would be most helpful.

[Rhinoww]

Lots of help on YouTube. Issue really is about keeping temp low and consistent. 

I have a Kamado Joe. They are made for the low and slow. Brisket needs a lot of time at heat to break down the connective tissue and make it moist 

my favorite rub remains kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. 

 

Be aware brisket is another deep hole of a hobby. Lots of good forums and Facebook groups. 

[Colt45]

Recently saw an episode of Cook's Country where they used a Weber kettle to smoke one. I'd like to try it myself. If you google cooks country Texas brisket, the vid should pop up.

Good luck!

[Lomey]

I like to smoke my briskets at 275-300 indirect heat.  I think pecan wood is the best for brisket with a mix of cherry or apple wood.  Rub with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder.  Keep it simple.  Sometimes I use Montreal Steak seasoning with onion and garlic powder.  Once the brisket stalls (usually 160-165) or is the color you like and has a nice bark, wrap it in foil and take it to internal temp of 200 or so.  Pull it off the smoker and still in foil, wrap it in beach towels and put in a cooler for at least an hour up to 4 hours.  This step is important so don't skip it.  It made a huge difference in my briskets.  Slice against the grain.  Also very important.  I think using a whole packer is easier than just a flat.  Also, start with a good piece of meat.

 

To make burnt ends, cut the point into 1 inch cubes, add more seasoning, smoke for a little while longer then add bbq sauce of your choice and smoke for a little while longer.  I never time these.  Just heat them up and don't dry them out.  Awesome stuff!

 

Don't make it more difficult than it is.  Brisket is the hardest meat to smoke imo so practice.  Feel free to ask anymore questions.

 

Good luck!

[Burningman]

YouTube channels to help steer you in the right direction:

How to BBQ Right

T-Roy Cooks

Good luck!

Edited October 5, 2019 by Burningman
Spelling/auto correct

[El Hoze]

I find brisket difficult to get just right on the grill. I know this is technically “cheating” but if I were telling a “non-expert” how to cook a brisket using a straight grill for best results I would say to brown it on the grates on high heat....transfer it to an aluminum casserole dish on top of onions, garlic, beer....top it w aluminum foil, and basically braise it for a few hours on indirect heat on the grill.....then finish it off back on the grates if you needed more crust. 

[In-A-Gadda-Davidoff]

Good advice above.  Your method of cooking brisket can vary greatly depending on a lot of factors.  Get a packer brisket if possible, test for bend when you are handling it.  I haven't really noticed much difference between smoking a brisket graded at prime vs. a choice brisket.  I usually will opt to buy a prime brisket because the cost isn't usually much higher for prime.  Select one where the meat of the flat is as thick as possible.  Lots of good videos on YouTube on trimming a packer.  For seasoning I prefer kosher salt and cracked black pepper.  I use an UDS (Ugly Drum Smoker) and always get great results.  I use the minion method for cooking using lump charcoal for heat and 6-7 chunks of hickory or pecan for the smoke.  I've cooked briskets both ways low and slow and hot and fast.  Low and slow, (225 degree cook with a cook time of around 15-17 hours) definitely develops a better bark.  However, I tend to cook brisket hot and fast.  I smoke it at 300 degrees for 3 hours.  After the 3 hours in the smoke, I put it in an aluminum pan with a couple splashes of beef broth and seal with foil.  Continue cooking at 300 degrees.  After a couple hours you can check it to see if it is done.  This is more by feel than by temp.  When you insert your meat thermometer into the point of the brisket you want it to feel like the consistency of inserting the thermometer into room temp butter.  Internal temp will vary here because each brisket will breakdown differently, but in general somewhere between 205 and 210 degrees internal temp is the range when the thermometer inserted feels right.  I remove the brisket from the smoker and wrap the pan in moving blankets.  Resting is critical.  I rest my brisket for 2 -3 hours once removed from the smoker.  After the rest period slice and enjoy.  Sorry for the novella, happy smoking!

[In-A-Gadda-Davidoff]

I overlooked the part on the original post about the grill.  I've never done a brisket on a grill.  I think it would be very difficult to do on a grill.

[KnightsAnole]

Would be doing it in a Kamado smoker not a grill. Great tips here. Was planning on using lump charcoal and hickory and cooking at low temps. How do you determine when the brisket has stalled?

[Rhinoww]

Kamado Joe has a great Facebook page. Lots of great links. Every brisket is different. But if you keep your variables consistent and only change one variable cool to cook you can fine tune. 

You will see there are a few leading people on the kamado pages. There is a reason. They know what they are doing. They have a lot of cooks under their belts. A few forums will also quickly rise to the top. 

[Lomey]

Would be doing it in a Kamado smoker not a grill. Great tips here. Was planning on using lump charcoal and hickory and cooking at low temps. How do you determine when the brisket has stalled?

A stall is when the internal temp stays the same and doesn't rise for over about 1/2 hour. Usually it does a steady slow climb.

 

Hickory is fine to use. I just like the mellower pecan and fruit wood mix.

 

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[In-A-Gadda-Davidoff]

5 hours ago, KnightsAnole said:

How do you determine when the brisket has stalled?

Brisket stall usually occurs in the 150 -160 range.  Waiting out the stall can be frustrating.  For me the stall seems to last about 3-4 hours on average, although I had one stall for over 6 hours once.  This is the reason I generally smoke hot and fast.  Foiling the brisket helps power through the stall.  If you aren't on a specific time frame and can allow to wait out the stall then low and slow will do you good.  Smoking it hot and fast you can expect it to be done cooking in 5-7 hours and 2-3 hour rest.  Hot and fast makes planning when we will eat a little easier.  If I'm going to do a low and slow smoke I usually put the brisket on the smoker at midnight and let her smoke all night.  A 15-16 lb brisket will finish up early afternoon generally.

[MPS]

I love smoking brisket. Whole packer is best but nothing wrong with a cut if you don’t have an army to feed. I use oak and smoke at 225 till around 180 then wrap in butcher paper until it feels like peanut butter when you poke it. Usually close to 205. I use a Traeger because of the convenience. Learned everything I could from Aaron Franklin BBQ videos on YouTube. Hope to up my game when I get more time on my hands. Honestly gave up grilling with gas once I got my smoker. 
 

 

[Euripidespants]

 

[Euripidespants]

The link I sent above is the first of 3...Franklin bbq is the best brisket (close second is snow’s) ...watch those videos do eveything right and you’ll still f it up until you know your smoker right. It’s a long process.

The thing to know is brisket is the art of bbq...it’s the hardest thing to cook right, but when done correctly it’s a beautiful thing. 

[reliefdvm]

amazing ribs    https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/beef-and-bison-recipes/smoked-brisket-texas-style   has quite a bit of useful info from choosing your piece of meat to trimming  and cooking. specifically he addresses the stall and to foil or not. If I don't wrap the brisket it will take 18 hours to 22 hours' at 225. Personally I'm lazy, so I have been using a pellet grill for 10 years. 

[Oscar300]

21 hours ago, Rhinoww said:

Lots of help on YouTube. Issue really is about keeping temp low and consistent. 

I have a Kamado Joe. They are made for the low and slow. Brisket needs a lot of time at heat to break down the connective tissue and make it moist 

my favorite rub remains kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. 

 

Be aware brisket is another deep hole of a hobby. Lots of good forums and Facebook groups. 

A fellow Joe owner!  I tend not to cook it, not mad keen on it for some reason.  Salt and pepper is a staple texas rub for it though and those guys know.

[joey rockets]

Lots of brisket recipes here but the secret for a tender, juicy one remains cooking for a long time on low heat.  Most chefs speak of heat in the low 200 degree range for at least 10 hours depending on the weight of the meat.  If you're really getting good at it, compliments on the burnt ends arise.  Wood choice is regional.

[Brian24]

Some wrap during the stall, some don’t. I don’t and have never had an issue with a dry brisket. I usually just do the flat, as opposed to the whole brisket. The part they remove tends to have a different cook time, which leads to inconsistent results.

- rub on mustard. Rub on rub.
- make sure room temp before you put it on the smoker. 3-4 hours at room temp.
- don’t spray with apple juice or anything else for at least a couple hours. Otherwise you just wash the rub off.
- be patient thetough the stall. It’s just the fat breaking down and the meat cooling itself. This is a good thing.
- have fun, in my limited experience it is not as unforgiving as people say.

[zyxwvu44]

It's easier than you think, just don't overthink it and use a temperature monitor.

I thought this article was really informative, been using their style and every one has turned out amazing.

https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/beef-and-bison-recipes/smoked-brisket-texas-style

With all the fat run off you really do need about an uncooked pound per person.

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[DeskSmkr]

Hot and fast, don’t over cook.

South east Asian style cuts it in pieces about the size of four bundled fingers, leaving a chunk of fat on one end, then these pieces are butterflied, marinated in oyster sauce and garlic overnight under refrigeration in a covered bowl.

I like to let meat rest at room temperature for 30 min to one hour, so I pull the meat out of the fridge, toss the mixture around a few times while I prepare the grill and light the charcoal.

Eat hot, almost immediately after removing from grill as pieces are done, cook in small batches as consumed.

Prepare in ramikens a dipping sauce: fresh lime juice, fish sauce, fresh minced thai chili, and a pinch of msg.

Must be cooked quickly on a fairly hot grill, meat should be medium or medium rare. It will not be tender, like a filet or slow roast, but it will be delicious and have lots of texture and flavor. Expect it to be a little chewey but overcooking will ruin it and will result in tough, chewey meat.

[joey rockets]

I'm glad the fast and hot proponents acknowledged the lack of tenderness and cooking smaller pieces known as Korean bar-b-q in parts of the world.  For those in the dark, the brisket comes from this large lump of flesh/fat at the base of the neck of fattened beef.  The pastrami is an entirely different cut found on the belly of a fattened steer and equates to bacon in a hog.  Both cuts need to be chilled after cooking to thin slice for sandwich meats.

[BrightonCorgi]

Steady 225f and foil when around 160 and pull at a 190 is pretty fail safe.  I have done smoker for 3-4 hours and then transferred inside into the oven for the rest.  Makes the kitchen smell fantastic.

[Phillys]

Franklin's video pretty much nails it.

- Salt and pepper

-Smoke between 225 and 250 (or Hot and fast, both work)

- Oak is good, cherry works, others can do in a pinch

- at 160, I wrap with butcher paper, It's doesn't steam the meat like foil does

- I usually get it off the smoker around 195-205 depending on the piece, they are all different. I go by probe tenderness, to check if you got it right, do the pull test

- Rest 1-2 hours, one thing to keep in mind is if you pull it off and wrap it up immediately and place in a cooler, it will keep cooking for a while. I like to bring the temp done to 180 before storing it if it's done too early.   

[BrightonCorgi]

3 hours ago, Phillys said:

- Oak is good, cherry works, others can do in a pinch

Have to be careful with oak.  Oak in TX and Oak in MA look and taste dramatically different.   Use Oak in MA and you'll be eating a campfire.  Apple, maple, and cherry are the big ones up here.

I like use lump charcoal mixed in with some soaked pecan shells for flavor.  It's easy to make it too smoky; hard to keep it restrained.