First Brisket, any tips?

[calhoun1]

I have the green light from SWMBO to do my first smoked brisket for Easter Sunday, now I need to find a dry rub and figure out any other tips to make sure it turns out good.

I have a traeger and oak pellets right now. So that will be my cook method. As I said, I am unsure of the dry rub I will use, and am very much open to suggestions.

What else should I look for? Any other tips for the smoke?

Thanks!

 

[ThomasR]

You might look up some home made versions and tweak one to your taste. As far as store bought rubs, around here I get either one from Stubbs or Atkins, not sure if either are available in your area. I do all my smoking between 250 and 275. I cover brisket and ribs in regular yellow mustard, then apply the dry rub. Now here is where you will get different answers, but this is what I do. I smoke brisket fat side up for 2 to 3 hours, then flip for another 2 to 3 hours. After this time I cover in foil and finish cooking, after I take it off the smoker, I wrap it in a towel and put it in a cooler until time to slice and serve. I figure approx. 45 minutes per pound on cooking time..... lots of different methods, have fun and good luck.

 

[Dan-O]

I use A1 instead of mustard. Brisket is easy to screw up, I wouldn't do it for the first time for easter dinner.

 

[Matt_Bloodletter]

A brisket is a great risk to take for a first time because it takes a long time to finish and thus there is ample room for correction. The proper temps have been mentioned. I would opine that the essential of rub is half brown sugar and half salt. Beyond that, the additions are often subtle but can be important. You can't go wrong with a mix of 50/50 brown sugar and salt, then add a bit of garlic powder, etc. A lot of people's "secret" ingredient is Old Bay. With the precision of ingredients out there, honestly it's the 50/50 that has the most impact.

There is a forum for Weber Smokers which has some great recipes and suggestions, including rubs, internal temps and cook times. Your equipment may vary. The important part is the photos - it helps to see what it should look like.

Main tips for the smoke:

* Have a meat thermometer that is both calibrated, accurate and reliable. You don't want to second guess here.
* A little over done beats underdone for brisket but too done and it becomes like dry pot roast.
* Give it plenty of time (hours) to rest before serving. Rest is wrapped in foil, then wrapped in a large towel and then placed in a cooler to maintain heat. Wife doesn't need to know about towel.
* Read up on cutting it if you are not familiar with the anatomy of the brisket. Different parts have different grains and when you do it right it's incomparable.
* You will likely trim a lot of fat but place the trimmed fat (at least some) on top of the brisket to keep it basted. That rendered fat does become delicious.
* Be ready for people to ask for "barbecue sauce" even though it's a crime to douse that beautiful smoked and rubbed meat in sauce. Eventually the good host learns to let it pass. There are some great lighter sauces that allow the flavor to shine through though.

Bottom line just enjoy the ride. I've done marginal briskets for a group and some really good ones. Everyone has always been gracious and had a good time. The fun is in the practice.

 

[Osborn Cox]

I just did one last weekend for a birthday party on my Traeger that turned out best of my attempts to date. Here's what I did for a 12.5# packer brisket:

made about 3 cups of injection using beef stock, 1/4 cup worchestershire, 3T of rub(I used Head Country) and some dried minced onion. Simmered for about 20 minutes and cooled. Meanwhile, I heavily seasoned the brisket with more rub and garlic powder, I think you can go very heavy on seasoning on a brisket, it can handle it. Once cooled, I strained the injection through cheese cloth, and injected into the brisket about 12 hours before starting the cook, covered on a pan and refrigerated.
(reserve the juice/broth in the pan for foiling later)

total cook time was 15 hours

put on the Traeger on smoke (160-175*) (with a foil pan of oil/water on the drip tray) before going to bed. In the morning after about 7 hours, bumped temp up to 225* spraying with Apple juice every 45 minutes until IT hits 160*. Wrapped in foil tightly with 1/2 cup of reserved broth, and then back on until IT hits 200* and then started checking for tenderness by using meat probe to see how easily it goes in to the meat, should go in with very little resistance. Final temp was 203*. Rested for 2 hours and sliced (IT was still 150*). Don't under estimate the rest on pieces of meat that are cooked to very high temps like briskest and butts. If you try to slice them at too high of a temperature they will dry out very quickly.


Good luck, it'll be fine, give yourself plenty of time, having it done 3-4 hrs before you want to serve it is not a problem as long as you keep the temp above 135-140 degrees. I've thrown them in the oven at 170* if the temp starts to drop to much with no ill effects.

BTW- I used a mixture of hickory/maple/cherry pellets.

 

[Jim]

Salt and pepper are 95% of what I use. I would never use sugar on a brisket. Oak is very nice with beef. Don't get hung up on time, let the meat tell you when it's done.

 

[YetiDave]

Mesquite on beef for me

 

[Alacrity59]

I'd have a backup plan. I remember my first brisket. I thought it would take 8 hours. I recall thinking that by getting up early I'd have it done by 5PM. After dark I gave up on doing it outside and finished it in the oven. I had my first taste at 9:30 or 10PM.

 

[shimsham]

Salt and pepper are 95% of what I use. I would never use sugar on a brisket. Oak is very nice with beef. Don't get hung up on time, let the meat tell you when it's done.

I agree with this. I just smoked a brisket for dinner tonight. It took 14 hours at 210*. I use SPOG (salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder). I pulled this one at 194* when a toothpick slid in and out with no resistance.

 

[Jim]

Brisket does very well at somewhat higher temps. For large pieces of meat you must be aware of holding at temps that are too low for periods exceeding 4 hours. The danger zone is generally considered 45 to 145. Minimum smoker temps for me is 230 to 250. I will work my temps slowly up to 325.

 

[langod]

If you haven't looked at it, the AmazingRibs website has some great tips and techniques. In addition to the massive knowledge here on B&B, Amazingribs is my next major resource. "Meathead's" step-by-step guides are amazing and nearly foolproof. And he DOES have one for Brisket: http://amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/texas_brisket.html
It's a long read, but basically covers everything you could possibly need to know from buying the meat to slicing it at the end.

 

[TexLaw]

This is what you want to know, right here:

http://forum.texasbbqrub.com/showthread.php?t=24789, although I do some things differently (see below).

Texas BBQ Rub is the best storebought stuff I've ever put on meat (pick the sort that sounds best to you, but you can't go wrong). I usually add more freshly ground black pepper and coriander to it, but that's my taste.

Like some others, above, I tend to cook my briskets at 250-275 and wrap them at around 165F (if I can push it to 170F, I'll do that). Depending on the size and "temperament" of your brisket, you really ought to plan on 12-18 hours. Particularly stubborn ones could take longer. That said, I know some folks that just do an "eight-hour brisket," where they put it on the pit for four hours, wrap it, put it back on for four more, rest it a bit, and then slice it up. It's not the best, but it will eat.

Oak, hickory, mesquite, and pecan all work well with brisket and other beef cuts. My particular taste for beef is about 1/2 oak, 1/4 mesquite, and 1/4 pecan (sometimes leaning more towards the mesquite). I recommend staying away from the fruit woods for brisket (apple, cherry, peach, etc.), but burn whatever blows your skirt up. You're the cook.

I do put the mustard coating on the brisket when starting out. I've done it without, but it misses something that I like. It doesn't taste like mustard at all, once it's all cooked, but it gives a certain depth.

You really do not need to worry about the "danger zone" while you're cooking, as long as your pit is at a proper cooking temperature. Pathogens aren't going to grow on the inside of a solid cut in the same way they might with ground meat. It's the surface you need to worry about, and that will rapidly get to be 200+ degrees.

Now, once you take the brisket off, you do need to think about the "danger zone" if you are going to store the brisket for more than an hour or so before serving. My favorite way to keep a brisket for any length of time is to double-wrap it in heavy duty foil, stuff some towels in a cooler, set the wrapped brisket on top, fill the cooler with more towels, close it up, and relax. That can hold you just fine for several hours. If I really want to feel sure about a long period of time, I put a couple of fire bricks on the pit or in the oven and place them inside those towels on the bottom of the cooler. I've taken a steaming brisket out of a cooler 12 hours later with that trick.

 

[jkingrph]

Trim and treat with whatever you choose for a rub. I found a recipe that uses some kind of brown sugar, lots of peppers and other spices which I like, but that's all personal. Salt and plain pepper can also work well. After applying I put my brisket in a large zip lock storage bag and stick it back in the refrigerator at least overnight, longer can be better. I am using a Big Green egg, with what they call a plate setter, that is essentially a baffle between the hot coals and the cooking grill. I have learned to place a large disposable roasting pan on top of that as a drip pan and fill with 1 or 2 inches of water, so the fats that drip off will not burn and smoke. I try to keep my temp around 200-225 degrees and generally go 10-11 hours. There is nothing wrong with removing after several hour and wrapping in foil and finishing in an oven, you can control the final hours of cooking easier in a good oven anyway, and for a first time that might be the way to go. If you are wanting to serve for Easter lunchtime, you should start cooking the day before, maybe mid to late afternoon on the smoker for 4-6 hours, then over night wrapped in the oven at 150-160 .

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

This is what you want to know, right here:

http://forum.texasbbqrub.com/showthread.php?t=24789, although I do some things differently (see below).

Texas BBQ Rub is the best storebought stuff I've ever put on meat (pick the sort that sounds best to you, but you can't go wrong). I usually add more freshly ground black pepper and coriander to it, but that's my taste.

Like some others, above, I tend to cook my briskets at 250-275 and wrap them at around 165F (if I can push it to 170F, I'll do that). Depending on the size and "temperament" of your brisket, you really ought to plan on 12-18 hours. Particularly stubborn ones could take longer. That said, I know some folks that just do an "eight-hour brisket," where they put it on the pit for four hours, wrap it, put it back on for four more, rest it a bit, and then slice it up. It's not the best, but it will eat.

Oak, hickory, mesquite, and pecan all work well with brisket and other beef cuts. My particular taste for beef is about 1/2 oak, 1/4 mesquite, and 1/4 pecan (sometimes leaning more towards the mesquite). I recommend staying away from the fruit woods for brisket (apple, cherry, peach, etc.), but burn whatever blows your skirt up. You're the cook.

I do put the mustard coating on the brisket when starting out. I've done it without, but it misses something that I like. It doesn't taste like mustard at all, once it's all cooked, but it gives a certain depth.

You really do not need to worry about the "danger zone" while you're cooking, as long as your pit is at a proper cooking temperature. Pathogens aren't going to grow on the inside of a solid cut in the same way they might with ground meat. It's the surface you need to worry about, and that will rapidly get to be 200+ degrees.

Now, once you take the brisket off, you do need to think about the "danger zone" if you are going to store the brisket for more than an hour or so before serving. My favorite way to keep a brisket for any length of time is to double-wrap it in heavy duty foil, stuff some towels in a cooler, set the wrapped brisket on top, fill the cooler with more towels, close it up, and relax. That can hold you just fine for several hours. If I really want to feel sure about a long period of time, I put a couple of fire bricks on the pit or in the oven and place them inside those towels on the bottom of the cooler. I've taken a steaming brisket out of a cooler 12 hours later with that trick.

Your brick is probably close to 1000 degrees. "pre-heating" the cooler with boiling water works wonder as well!

Trim and treat with whatever you choose for a rub. I found a recipe that uses some kind of brown sugar, lots of peppers and other spices which I like, but that's all personal. Salt and plain pepper can also work well. After applying I put my brisket in a large zip lock storage bag and stick it back in the refrigerator at least overnight, longer can be better. I am using a Big Green egg, with what they call a plate setter, that is essentially a baffle between the hot coals and the cooking grill. I have learned to place a large disposable roasting pan on top of that as a drip pan and fill with 1 or 2 inches of water, so the fats that drip off will not burn and smoke. I try to keep my temp around 200-225 degrees and generally go 10-11 hours. There is nothing wrong with removing after several hour and wrapping in foil and finishing in an oven, you can control the final hours of cooking easier in a good oven anyway, and for a first time that might be the way to go. If you are wanting to serve for Easter lunchtime, you should start cooking the day before, maybe mid to late afternoon on the smoker for 4-6 hours, then over night wrapped in the oven at 150-160 .

I'd hold it in the oven a higher than that. Closer to 180-200. I know people rarely get sick from BBQ but there are reason eateries and smokehouses are required to hold meat above 165. If the oven is at 150-160 there is no way the meat will go above that.

Lowest I ever smoke at is 200 unless I'm cold smoking and if I'm cold smoking I have nitrates in the rub/brine.

No one wants the whole family to get sick.

 

[Jim]

Thanks John,
As a trained pro you have addressed some of my concerns in this thread. No reason to push the envelope at the expense of safety.

 

[TexLaw]

Your brick is probably close to 1000 degrees. "pre-heating" the cooler with boiling water works wonder as well

I know you are exaggerating, but the brick(s) will not be anywhere close to that hot. I don't put them over the fire, just in the pit. Really, they are usually in there, anyhow, to add some mass and help keep temps steady.

In addition, they will store more energy than a preheated cooler wall and release it slowly to be highly effective.

And, I don't have to boil any water or handle a large amount of boiling water. It's just done with the fire I already have.

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

Its hot. Thats what counts and you pre-heat the cooler which is crucial. You're doing it right! A cold cooler will suck heat so quick...

 

[Jim]

Its hot. Thats what counts and you pre-heat the cooler which is crucial. You're doing it right! A cold cooler will suck heat so quick...

So I should dump the ice out first....

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

beer braised smoked brisket?

 

[Jim]

beer braised smoked brisket?

HMmmm. beer and Brisket! what could go wrong.