The Official Brisket Thread

[The_Douger]

IMG_1683.JPG

I finally got around to doing one of these. It was actually a smaller piece of meat, we hadn't planned on doing it, but my wife found a six pound flat at Harmon's and bought it. It was well marbled on the bottom and quite uniform in it's size and shape, so I thought I'd try to cook it really slow and we'd see how it went. I told her I wasn't sure how it would do, because you guys have generally cooked much larger ones. I copied the Franklin BBQ guys salt and pepper rub and let it sit overnight. I figured I wouldn't need to cook it all night so I put it on at about 8am and went to church. By noon it was at about 185 degrees when I got home, and I wrapped it up tight in aluminum foil and put it in the oven for three hours. Then I turned down the oven and let it sit in there all afternoon at 175. At 6pm, I took it out and let it sit for a half hour.

It was amazing. Super moist, great smoky flavor, slight amount of fat on the bottom. I appreciate the efforts of everyone on this thread, as it makes it easy for someone like me who has never done this cut of meat before to give it a try. That little corner is all that was left, I can't stop picking at it, even at this late hour. I honestly am never going to a BBQ restaurant again. Since my wife bought me this for Christmas, we've done pulled pork a bunch of times, 2 turkey breasts, tri tip a bunch of times, and chicken a couple times. Best present she's ever bought me.

[Drunk Tank]

I have been thinking lately that I need to get a good quality brisket knife. I have been using an electric knife which is highly efficient, but it frays the meat as it slices, leaving the edges kind of ugly looking. Here it a photo of brisket after using an electric slicer (notice the shaggy edges on upper left slices):



After doing some research, I bought this little baby:



http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ilpage_o06_s00

A little pricey, but wow, it works beautifully. Got to try it for the first time yesterday and here are the results.

Great looking brisket! BTW, same knife I use and I love it. I planned on smoking a brisket yesterday but I opted for some pork chops and sausages due to a time constraint. Maybe this next weekend. I must say though, the more I use my little reverse flow stick burner, the more I like it.

[Donuthole]

Nice. Alton Brown's knife of choice, IIRC.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I have been thinking lately that I need to get a good quality brisket knife. I have been using an electric knife which is highly efficient, but it frays the meat as it slices, leaving the edges kind of ugly looking. Here it a photo of brisket after using an electric slicer (notice the shaggy edges on upper left slices):



After doing some research, I bought this little baby:



http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ilpage_o06_s00

A little pricey, but wow, it works beautifully. Got to try it for the first time yesterday and here are the results.

[hostile]

Hostile and Lebowski...Very nice cooks.

Few things I have learned from your posts.

1. Hostile has some very nice tastes in appliances and knives. Wolf, Sub-Zero and Shun...oh my!
2. I need to find a cutting board that fits into a sheet pan like the one Hostile has. I have a nice Boos cutting board that I put a towel underneath to catch the drippings on. A sheet pan would be better I think.
3. I need to find cooling racks that fit inside half pans like Lebowski. Very nice.

I'm not sure who the manufacturer is for my cutting board. I bought it at Gygi's, a local restaurant supply place. Having it fit inside the sheet pan was serendipitous but it made the cleanup much easier.

[cowboy]

Today might be a record day for me. Brisket for 400 people at a wedding and pulled pork for 150 at another family diner. On top of that, my folks are the grand marshals of the local town celebration (we're a Mormon settlement, so it's the Saturday closest to the 24th) and I'm pulling them in my carriage with my big team, and then the team will be pulling the bride and groom after the wedding but before the meal. As if that isn't overwhelming enough, I got in from Chicago this morning at 3:00, just in time to wrap meat that my cowboys had put on yesterday at 4 pm. I need to learn to say no.

I'll post pics of the brisket if I get a chance, but I'm afraid I may have screwed up. I noticed a strong smoke - almost creosote taste to the bark this morning. I'm hoping that wrapping them will mellow it out, but I think I may have smoked them too long, or that I put too much charcoal in this morning when I got home to bank it and it picked up some early charcoal smoke. Any thoughts?

[Jeff Lebowski]

Hostile and Lebowski...Very nice cooks.

Few things I have learned from your posts.

1. Hostile has some very nice tastes in appliances and knives. Wolf, Sub-Zero and Shun...oh my!
2. I need to find a cutting board that fits into a sheet pan like the one Hostile has. I have a nice Boos cutting board that I put a towel underneath to catch the drippings on. A sheet pan would be better I think.
3. I need to find cooling racks that fit inside half pans like Lebowski. Very nice.

Here you go:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...rch_detailpage

[Drunk Tank]

Hostile and Lebowski...Very nice cooks.

Few things I have learned from your posts.

1. Hostile has some very nice tastes in appliances and knives. Wolf, Sub-Zero and Shun...oh my!
2. I need to find a cutting board that fits into a sheet pan like the one Hostile has. I have a nice Boos cutting board that I put a towel underneath to catch the drippings on. A sheet pan would be better I think.
3. I need to find cooling racks that fit inside half pans like Lebowski. Very nice.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Looks terrific. What rub?

Black Ops.

[kccougar]

Looks terrific. What rub?

[Pelado]

Brisket was a huge success. Probably the best one I have ever done.

Trimmed it yesterday and injected with Butcher's BBQ prime brisket injection mix. Let it sit for seven hours or so. Threw it on the smoker at midnight. Got up at 4 am to foil. It was done at 10 am. Let it rest at 160 until 3:15. Let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes and carved. Ab-fab. A few pics:

Ready to go in the smoker. This was a large chunk of meat. Note the rack just below the meat. First time I have tried this. I found a cooling rack just the perfect size to fit in a full-size steamer pan. Keeps the meat off the bottom by 0.5-1.0 inch.



Fully cooked.



Note how the rack keeps the meat out of the juice. You get the simple foiling and cleanup with the pan, but it doesn't end up swimming in juice.



Slicing the flat:



Close-up of the slices. I need to get a new slicing knife (just ordered one). Slices were perfect for the bend test and pull test. Nice deep smoke ring.

Beautiful.

[clackamascoug]

That's the best looking piece of meat I've ever seen. I'd have loved to have tasted it. I think you've reached commercial class brisket skill. Do you use Beaver Brand Horseradish?

[Jeff Lebowski]

My wife picked up a 17 pound PRIME brisket at Snyders butcher shop yesterday. Going to cook it up for a group of friends tomorrow. That is one expensive hunk of meat! I hope I don't screw it up.

Brisket was a huge success. Probably the best one I have ever done.

Trimmed it yesterday and injected with Butcher's BBQ prime brisket injection mix. Let it sit for seven hours or so. Threw it on the smoker at midnight. Got up at 4 am to foil. It was done at 10 am. Let it rest at 160 until 3:15. Let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes and carved. Ab-fab. A few pics:

Ready to go in the smoker. This was a large chunk of meat. Note the rack just below the meat. First time I have tried this. I found a cooling rack just the perfect size to fit in a full-size steamer pan. Keeps the meat off the bottom by 0.5-1.0 inch.



Fully cooked.



Note how the rack keeps the meat out of the juice. You get the simple foiling and cleanup with the pan, but it doesn't end up swimming in juice.



Slicing the flat:



Close-up of the slices. I need to get a new slicing knife (just ordered one). Slices were perfect for the bend test and pull test. Nice deep smoke ring.

[Joe Public]

Lately I have been doing 160.

Keep in mind that ovens are notoriously inaccurate on temps.

I'll have to try that. I keep an oven thermometer in the oven, so I should be pretty close to the desired temps. This was the first time I've tried holding in the oven.

[Jeff Lebowski]

How do you guys hold a brisket in the oven? I had one foiled that I left in the oven for three hours at 180F degrees, and the flat was dry as a bone. My first guess would be to hold at a lower temperature - maybe 150F degrees or so?

Lately I have been doing 160.

Keep in mind that ovens are notoriously inaccurate on temps.