Brisket time!

Jim Burr

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Reno, Nv
Since I'm out of school jail on monday, a brisket sounds good! 11lbs so I have every intention of starting it sunday night. The question is...temp and time? Trim or no trim?
Mucho thanks!
 
although Im not supposed to eat brisket, my wife or sisterinlaw will make one this coming jewish holidays, and I look forward to it more than anything else on the menu.
couldn't help you with the trimming or heat, Im just a diner.
 
:lurk:

I'd trim it some if there are some really thick pieces of fat but wouldn't get overly worked up about it. I like to start warm (~400f) and then drop temperature to around 220-250. If you keep the humidity up you'll have a hard time overcooking it at that temp so cook it until it falls apart :D probably 1 to 1.5 hours per lb should be close. Personally I'd brine it ahead of time, but then I like to brine everything :D
 
I typically trim fat to about 1/4" to 3/8", there's usually a large chunk between the flat and the point (http://www.cookshack.com/store/Smokin-Okies-101-Series/Brisket-101) that I will cut mostly out. The fat is where most flavor comes from, so don't cut it all out.

I typically rub mine, then smoke on the grid at 225* for about 5 hours spritzing with apple or grape juice every 15 minutes, then I'll transfer to a pan and cover tightly with a little beer poured in the bottom for steam. Cook until it hits about 185-190. Then wrap it up tightly in foil, a towel around it, and set it in a cooler for about an hour. To be honest, I will usually cook in the smoker until I pan the brisket, then move it to the kitchen oven inside as I don't have to watch the fire/temp as closely using the oven. Cooking time is about 10 to 12 hours total.
 
Question. What is this brine stuff? I think of brine as a salt bath/pack, like for canning pickles. Is it the same as marinate?

Yep - salt + water == brine. You can also add other seasonings like brown sugar or spices. An extreme example of a brined and spiced brisket is corned beef, its been left in longer than a normal "brine" though and the salt has had time to start changing some of the protein structures. Brining adds moisture and breaks down some proteins in the meat making it more tender. The moisture slows the temperature rise somewhat as well (due to evaporative cooling) which means the meat will hold at lower temps longer (good cooker temperature control obviates some of that advantage). A short brine would be comparable to just getting some salt on it and perhaps a bit deeper into the flesh than you would get from a rub.

Meat brines are usually somewhat less salty than a pickle brine would be. The amount of salt would vary somewhat depending on what you're cooking. I don't use the same recipes/exact amounts that these folks do: http://www.amazingribs.com/cooking_weights_measurements_conversions/ but its close. I prefer a smidge less salt, maybe 5% for what they call a "wet" brine and a bit more for a "dry".

I would consider a marinate to be more than a brine, although there are so many things that can go into a marinade that its hard to specifically pin down a real definition and I suppose a brine could legitimately be considered a subclass of a marinade.

Brining brisket is considered perhaps a bit controversial because the meat is generally pretty fatty so most claim it doesn't add as much value in that regard and that it "makes the meat less meaty". I won't argue that point as I haven't done enough both ways to have a really strong opinion on brisket. I do expect the purists to start throwing stones at me for suggesting it :poke:

I can definitively say that if you brine leaner meats like chicken or turkey before cooking it the lip smacking factor is definitely multiplied :D

Regardless of what meat it is, if you brine you do need to pat it dry and then let it air dry off for 30m-1hour after you take it out of the salt bath so that the skin (pellicle) reforms and it takes up smoke good.
 
Let me get caught up here!! First...this sucka is getting cut in half...it's 20" long and the label shows where to cut it...scary!!
Carol/Sharon - the brine I've been using is a one-zy...1 gallon of water, one cup of sea or kosher salt and 1,2,3 cups of apple juice.
Carol...make sure that your meat isn't brined already!! You'll see stuff like "Saline (0.9% salt) Added" of "Flavor(salt) Injected". If this is the case...you won't gain any flavor or moisture by brining, the diffusion gradient has been met and no fluid will move. BUT!! You sure can inject with fun flavors, and again, I like apple juice or white grape juice...or mix the two!
I'm going to do the flat and save the mid and point for later; after all it's just the two of us, unless Allen decides on a sky trip...we have a spare room and a really big TV!!

Thanks for the help so far....any thoughts on cutting into sections?
 
Getting braver here. I bought the brisket, but its going into the freezer because I don't time for this for the next few days. I still have to finish assembling the smoker and season it. I'm in last days here and crunched for time. In October more experimentation will occur. But I want to get the smoker dirty before the Dowells show up.
 
Getting braver here. I bought the brisket, but its going into the freezer because I don't time for this for the next few days. I still have to finish assembling the smoker and season it. I'm in last days here and crunched for time. In October more experimentation will occur. But I want to get the smoker dirty before the Dowells show up.

Oh heck no!! Let Brent get it dirty! Who better to learn from!
 
Heh....

Jim, Post a picture of your's. Youve been using it a lot, it doesn't take much for these things to get dirty. I bet it looks pretty black by now.
 
You know if your BBQ gets this yucky it's a criminal offense in some states! The best thing is fragrance when the door open...oh momma I want to fire it up again!!

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Good luck. Personally I have never had brisket that was worth eating. Most was near inedible. I know it is practically worshiped in Texas. But they do lots of things strangely in Texas. Now, I am a confessed beef addict but brisket is not on my list of things I like. Until I can be shown differently, I believe all brisket is dryer than old cardboard.
For BBQ, I'll take pork ribs or pulled. The ribs can be either Kansas City or Memphis style, I love 'em both.
 
Frank I thought the same thing about brisket because I'd never had it cooked properly...once that changed I can't get enough of it!

I've put more than a few obvious hints in the wife's ear about getting one of these smokers for xmas...although I think I might end up getting one sooner thanks to this cooking forum.! :D
 
Frank, I agree with Jeff. If the only brisket you've eaten was dry and inedible, you need to find better cooks. ;) (Granted, it's not the easiest cut of meat to cook right. I've overcooked my fair share of 'em.)
 
A little late to this party, but wanted to toss in something about brining. The only thing I've ever really brined is turkey. I like to inject pork with an apple juice based liquid and usually use only a rub on beef. The brine mixture I use for turkeys is basically water, a cup of salt and a cup of sugar. To that, I'll add oranges, lemons and limes - all quartered and squeezed into the mix. I normally do at least two turkeys, taking the wrapper off after they are partially thawed. I place them in an ice cooler, add the water and other stuff and leave it overnight. The next morning, I rinse the turkey, then stuff the cavity with some of the fruit and some onion. Inject with a butter and spice mix, then rub the exterior with a mild spice mix and let 'em sit in the smoke for a few hours. Oh, I start turkeys on the breast for about 90 minutes, then flip them for the rest of the cook.
 
Frank I thought the same thing about brisket because I'd never had it cooked properly...once that changed I can't get enough of it!

I've put more than a few obvious hints in the wife's ear about getting one of these smokers for xmas...although I think I might end up getting one sooner thanks to this cooking forum.! :D

The best thing Jeff...IMHO, is drop the meat in and walk away. I no longer have the time to tend a smoker all day. The MES and the like really do make it easy and fun.

I'm doing the biggest breast I can find for Thanksgiving this year Bill. Just the two of us so no sense in getting crazy with tryptophan.
Sharon, I was thinking about brining beef...it dawned on me at 1:30 this morning....whole different set of cocktails...that brisket is brined for corned beef and pastrami. Now for other than specialty meats, dunno.
I'm going to cut this brisket in half, freeze the point, inject and rub the flat today and let it sit in the fridge until Sunday evening then lock the door on the smoker after adding a health dose of mesquite.
 
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