Missed the other thread for some reason but here is my method:
The meat
You have to get a "packer cut" brisket. The pre-trimmed ones have way too much fat trimmed, etc. I have found the packer's much harder to find in Utah than in Texas (not too surprising I guess). In fact, the only place I can consistently find them is Wal-Mart. And I hate to buy meat there but the briskets have been fine. Costco here seems to just carry 2-3 lb small pre-trimmed ones which are no good for what we are after. Aside from taking a look at it and making sure there is a good fat cap but not too much marbling throughout beyond that, I don't have any big secrets to choosing them.
Preparation
Packer cuts will be vacuum packed so can be wet aged for a week or two with no issues. So I try to get them that far ahead of time and leave them in the fridge. About 48 hours before the expected meal, I get them out and rub them (a recipe I came up with online and modified to taste at some point). It has some kick to it so YMMV. I'll post the rub recipe below. I apply the rub very liberally, to the point if you can see any meat, there is not enough. I then wrap the brisket in heavy duty foil and put it back in the fridge for 24 hours.
Smoking
I use a Bradley electric smoker. Have considered getting a Traeger but haven't pulled the trigger yet. This is a great smoker to get at Shaka's price point IMO. I got the OBS with manual temp control. Doing it again I'd get the digital just to make life a bit easier.
Anyway, I load the smoker with about 6 hours worth of mesquite (the only wood to use for brisket IMO), pre-heat the cabinet to 200, then put the brisket(s) in. You get a significant temp drop when you put the meat in. In fact, what I do is smoke it until the temp comes back up to 220, which is usually about 4-6 hours, depending on how much meat there is.
Cooking in the oven
I've found the 6 hours in the smoker to be plenty of smoke, so I finish it in the oven as it is just much easier to control the temp. At this point I move it to a roasting pan and douse it with apple juice. Enough to have an inch or so in the bottom of the pan. Put a meat thermometer remote probe in and cover tightly with heavy duty foil. Oven temp at 200 or so. At this point it just takes as long as it takes. I've had this stage be anywhere from 6-10 hours, depending on the meat, how much there is, etc. I pull it at an internal temp of 190.
FTC
Foil - Towel - Cooler. This is the true secret to all good BBQ. After taking the meat from the oven, I wrap it several times (about 4 layers) in heavy duty foil, then wrap in two or 3 layers of old bath towels, then put it in a cooler. Minimum 2 hours, as much as 4 or 5. Main thing is you don't want it to cool into the danger zone.
That's pretty much it. Low and slow, the sealed pan with apple juice to keep it moist, and FTC.
Rub
1 1/2 cup paprika
1/2 cup coarse black pepper
1/2 cup coarse salt
1/2 cup sugar
4 Tbsp chili powder
4 Tbsp garlic powder
4 Tbsp onion powder
4 tsp cayenne pepper
That makes enough rub for a couple of 10-12 lbs packers. I just keep it in a big tub and make enough to have plenty.
The meat
You have to get a "packer cut" brisket. The pre-trimmed ones have way too much fat trimmed, etc. I have found the packer's much harder to find in Utah than in Texas (not too surprising I guess). In fact, the only place I can consistently find them is Wal-Mart. And I hate to buy meat there but the briskets have been fine. Costco here seems to just carry 2-3 lb small pre-trimmed ones which are no good for what we are after. Aside from taking a look at it and making sure there is a good fat cap but not too much marbling throughout beyond that, I don't have any big secrets to choosing them.
Preparation
Packer cuts will be vacuum packed so can be wet aged for a week or two with no issues. So I try to get them that far ahead of time and leave them in the fridge. About 48 hours before the expected meal, I get them out and rub them (a recipe I came up with online and modified to taste at some point). It has some kick to it so YMMV. I'll post the rub recipe below. I apply the rub very liberally, to the point if you can see any meat, there is not enough. I then wrap the brisket in heavy duty foil and put it back in the fridge for 24 hours.
Smoking
I use a Bradley electric smoker. Have considered getting a Traeger but haven't pulled the trigger yet. This is a great smoker to get at Shaka's price point IMO. I got the OBS with manual temp control. Doing it again I'd get the digital just to make life a bit easier.
Anyway, I load the smoker with about 6 hours worth of mesquite (the only wood to use for brisket IMO), pre-heat the cabinet to 200, then put the brisket(s) in. You get a significant temp drop when you put the meat in. In fact, what I do is smoke it until the temp comes back up to 220, which is usually about 4-6 hours, depending on how much meat there is.
Cooking in the oven
I've found the 6 hours in the smoker to be plenty of smoke, so I finish it in the oven as it is just much easier to control the temp. At this point I move it to a roasting pan and douse it with apple juice. Enough to have an inch or so in the bottom of the pan. Put a meat thermometer remote probe in and cover tightly with heavy duty foil. Oven temp at 200 or so. At this point it just takes as long as it takes. I've had this stage be anywhere from 6-10 hours, depending on the meat, how much there is, etc. I pull it at an internal temp of 190.
FTC
Foil - Towel - Cooler. This is the true secret to all good BBQ. After taking the meat from the oven, I wrap it several times (about 4 layers) in heavy duty foil, then wrap in two or 3 layers of old bath towels, then put it in a cooler. Minimum 2 hours, as much as 4 or 5. Main thing is you don't want it to cool into the danger zone.
That's pretty much it. Low and slow, the sealed pan with apple juice to keep it moist, and FTC.
Rub
1 1/2 cup paprika
1/2 cup coarse black pepper
1/2 cup coarse salt
1/2 cup sugar
4 Tbsp chili powder
4 Tbsp garlic powder
4 Tbsp onion powder
4 tsp cayenne pepper
That makes enough rub for a couple of 10-12 lbs packers. I just keep it in a big tub and make enough to have plenty.
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