The Official Brisket Thread

[Bo Diddley]

My smoked brisket right before wrapping them in foil:

smoked brisket after smoke.jpg

My smoked brisket finished:

Smoked Brisket.jpg

The sous vide brisket after 24+ hours of 155 degrees, just prior to smoking:

sous vide before smoke.jpg

The sous vide brisket after smoke, cut and served:

Sous vide brisket.jpg

My brother cut each of his 14 pound briskets into three pieces, then vacuum sealed. Next stop was my smoker at 300 degrees. He planned to leave them there for 3 hours, after an hour I checked on them, and they were spilling all sorts of juice out, and the internal temperature was 200 degrees. I convinced them to put them into a hold.

I turned my smoker down to Low Smoke, which is supposed to be 160 degrees. The plan was to infuse for smoke into them. I guess my controller has a problem, as it was cycling from 215-230 degrees (that's more what my High Smoke setting should do). So after another hour of that setting, I pulled them and did the FTC hold since my other briskets were filling my bottom oven, and there wasn't room enough in the top oven for all of his brisket pieces.

My two 16# briskets were started at 3:00 am at 225 degrees. Smoked for 5 hours, then foiled and placed in the oven on 225. I finally pulled them from the oven a little after 2. The temp got up to about 197 or so. I let them cool for a few minutes, then placed them back in the oven to hold at 170. We cut and served everything at 5:30.

There was plenty of meat. In fact, a full fourth of the meat was left-overs. My briskets turned out great. I followed the Dude's instructions as closely as I could, and they were awesome! Thanks, Dude!

As for taste, I'm sure I'm a little biased, but I liked mine better than my brother's. I felt like the sous vide left some sort of faint stale taste that I don't know where it came from. It's possible that he just needed a little more smokey flavor. It was tender and moist, and even had a good bark on it. I just wasn't digging the flavor quite as well as I was mine.

[Donuthole]

The Official Brisket Thread

155 is absolutely scorching for beef. Those things are going to be grayer than Adam Duritz's gray guitar.

[ATTACH]8984[/ATTACH]

Swish!

Btw, your brisket looks great, Bo.

[old_gregg]

sous vide looks like dog meat

[Eddie]

I'm making plans to smoke my first brisket tomorrow. Picked up a 15 lb packer from Costco last night. And I've got a couple of questions, if any of you pro's have some advice -

I'm planning to get up early and put it on the smoker at 225 until it gets to somewhere around 150-165 and starts to stall. Then I'll wrap in foil and toss in the oven at 225 until it hits about 200. At that point, I was going to FTC it and let it sit for a couple of hours (or whatever time I have) until it's time to eat.

Is there any big benefit to using a steamer pan and covering that with foil instead of wrapping in foil? I mean - besides maybe easier cleanup? I'm trying to decide if a pan does a better job of keeping it moist rather than just wrapping it. I'm assuming it probably is easier to open the top for access if you're checking the temp with a thermapen.

Also - I keep hearing that brisket is harder than your basic pork but, that it's easy to mess up due to the differing thicknesses of the point versus the flat, etc. If there's any tips to avoid a rookie mistake and increase the chances of this turning out, I'd love to hear them!

Thanks!

[Jeff Lebowski]

I'm making plans to smoke my first brisket tomorrow. Picked up a 15 lb packer from Costco last night. And I've got a couple of questions, if any of you pro's have some advice -

I'm planning to get up early and put it on the smoker at 225 until it gets to somewhere around 150-165 and starts to stall. Then I'll wrap in foil and toss in the oven at 225 until it hits about 200. At that point, I was going to FTC it and let it sit for a couple of hours (or whatever time I have) until it's time to eat.

Is there any big benefit to using a steamer pan and covering that with foil instead of wrapping in foil? I mean - besides maybe easier cleanup? I'm trying to decide if a pan does a better job of keeping it moist rather than just wrapping it. I'm assuming it probably is easier to open the top for access if you're checking the temp with a thermapen.

Also - I keep hearing that brisket is harder than your basic pork but, that it's easy to mess up due to the differing thicknesses of the point versus the flat, etc. If there's any tips to avoid a rookie mistake and increase the chances of this turning out, I'd love to hear them!

Thanks!

The steamer pan is more of convenience thing, IMO. Easy to carry. Doesn't leak, etc. Works fine either way.

Good luck!

[All-American]

I'm making plans to smoke my first brisket tomorrow. Picked up a 15 lb packer from Costco last night. And I've got a couple of questions, if any of you pro's have some advice -

I'm planning to get up early and put it on the smoker at 225 until it gets to somewhere around 150-165 and starts to stall. Then I'll wrap in foil and toss in the oven at 225 until it hits about 200. At that point, I was going to FTC it and let it sit for a couple of hours (or whatever time I have) until it's time to eat.

Is there any big benefit to using a steamer pan and covering that with foil instead of wrapping in foil? I mean - besides maybe easier cleanup? I'm trying to decide if a pan does a better job of keeping it moist rather than just wrapping it. I'm assuming it probably is easier to open the top for access if you're checking the temp with a thermapen.

Also - I keep hearing that brisket is harder than your basic pork but, that it's easy to mess up due to the differing thicknesses of the point versus the flat, etc. If there's any tips to avoid a rookie mistake and increase the chances of this turning out, I'd love to hear them!

Thanks!

The only suggestion I'd have is to make sure you have plenty of time. The only times we've done brisket where I thought the results weren't as good as they could have been were the times the temperature took longer to climb than we expected and we had to rush through the last few hours. You can always hold longer if you get done too quickly.

Were I doing a brisket tomorrow I'd start cooking at 16 hours before mealtime, and maybe 18.

[Eddie]

The steamer pan is more of convenience thing, IMO. Easy to carry. Doesn't leak, etc. Works fine either way.

Good luck!

Thanks! That's kind of what I thought.

The only suggestion I'd have is to make sure you have plenty of time. The only times we've done brisket where I thought the results weren't as good as they could have been were the times the temperature took longer to climb than we expected and we had to rush through the last few hours. You can always hold longer if you get done too quickly.

Were I doing a brisket tomorrow I'd start cooking at 16 hours before mealtime, and maybe 18.

I was vacillating between starting late tonight and getting up early. Sounds like maybe I need to start late tonight and just hold it for longer if it gets done early. Thanks!

[Jeff Lebowski]

Thanks! That's kind of what I thought.



I was vacillating between starting late tonight and getting up early. Sounds like maybe I need to start late tonight and just hold it for longer if it gets done early. Thanks!

If I am planning on lunch, I put it in and midnight at get up at 4am to foil.

If am planning on dinner, I put it on at 4am and foil at 8am.

Briskets generally take 7-8 hours to hit temp on my smoker. I like to hold for 5-6 hrs or more.

[Eddie]

If I am planning on lunch, I put it in and midnight at get up at 4am to foil.

If am planning on dinner, I put it on at 4am and foil at 8am.

Briskets generally take 7-8 hours to hit temp on my smoker. I like to hold for 5-6 hrs or more.

So you don't typically smoke until it reaches a certain temperature, you are mostly looking at time? 4 hours of smoke and then foil?

[Jeff Lebowski]

So you don't typically smoke until it reaches a certain temperature, you are mostly looking at time? 4 hours of smoke and then foil?

Yep. After 4 hrs you aren't really getting any additional smoke penetration. Keep things simple.

[hostile]

Yep. After 4 hrs you aren't really getting any additional smoke penetration. Keep things simple.

The last few briskets that I have done have taken quite a bit longer to hit temperature - up to 24 hours. Not sure if it is my smoker or oven (I set both at 225). I agree with using the foil pans. Easy to use and helps contain the mess. Get the ones at Costco as they are bigger than anything I have found at the grocery stores.

I did four packers for our high school football fundraiser. I did 2 several days early, sliced them and put them in ziplock bags then reheated in a steamer pan. The other 2 I did the day of the event. Verdict from the crowd was no difference. My favorite quote, “I grew up in Texas. I know brisket. This is as good as anything I’ve had and as good as R&R”.

[Jeff Lebowski]

The last few briskets that I have done have taken quite a bit longer to hit temperature - up to 24 hours. Not sure if it is my smoker or oven (I set both at 225). I agree with using the foil pans. Easy to use and helps contain the mess. Get the ones at Costco as they are bigger than anything I have found at the grocery stores.

I did four packers for our high school football fundraiser. I did 2 several days early, sliced them and put them in ziplock bags then reheated in a steamer pan. The other 2 I did the day of the event. Verdict from the crowd was no difference. My favorite quote, “I grew up in Texas. I know brisket. This is as good as anything I’ve had and as good as R&R”.

You definitely have a problem with your smoker. Never had a brisket go more than 10-11 hrs. 8 hrs is most common for me.

I had a cook recently with pork butts that went way longer than usual (18 hrs vs the normal 10). Then I noticed I put the pit probe much closer to the heat source than normal. Moved it back to the normal location on the next cook at it was back to 10-hr cook time.

[hostile]

You definitely have a problem with your smoker. Never had a brisket go more than 10-11 hrs. 8 hrs is most common for me.

I had a cook recently with pork butts that went way longer than usual (18 hrs vs the normal 10). Then I noticed I put the pit probe much closer to the heat source than normal. Moved it back to the normal location on the next cook at it was back to 10-hr cook time.

My temp after about 6-8 hours on the smoker was 160. It took another 12+ hours in the oven to come up to 195

[creekster]

My temp after about 6-8 hours on the smoker was 160. It took another 12+ hours in the oven to come up to 195

Sounds like hostile's 'brisket' is abnormally large or JL's is sort of tiny.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Sounds like hostile's 'brisket' is abnormally large or JL's is sort of tiny.

Hey!