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re: First Time Smoking a Brisket... Advice?
Posted on 5/26/16 at 2:17 pm to TexasTiger
Posted on 5/26/16 at 2:17 pm to TexasTiger
quote:
Don't flip it just wrap it after about 6 hours
Every brisket's different. I prefer to use something more consistent, like internal temp, to gauge when to wrap it. I usually do it at around 165-170 I think.
2
Posted on 5/26/16 at 2:34 pm to SUB
For those with a BGE.
A brisket is the only thing I haven't smoked on this thing and I plan to do one this weekend.
Do you find, let's say for a 12 hour smoke, that you have to refill the charcoal during the smoke or is it able to last?
If not, when do you find yourself having to refill?
A brisket is the only thing I haven't smoked on this thing and I plan to do one this weekend.
Do you find, let's say for a 12 hour smoke, that you have to refill the charcoal during the smoke or is it able to last?
If not, when do you find yourself having to refill?
Posted on 5/26/16 at 2:39 pm to SUB
quote:
Every brisket's different. I prefer to use something more consistent, like internal temp, to gauge when to wrap it. I usually do it at around 165-170 I think.
I hear you...for me I want a good dark bark more than I worry about internal temp before the wrap. And if your pit temp is in the 225-275 range a good bark is usually in the 5-6 hour time frame.
Posted on 5/26/16 at 3:07 pm to TexasTiger
quote:
I want a good dark bark more than I worry about internal temp before the wrap.
Agreed. Just seems to me that in most of my smokes the bark is formed pretty good about the time the stall is happening so the wrap kills two birds. The internal temp is irrelevant in relation to "when should I wrap" but usually falls in the 150-165 degree range.
Concerning injection...I followed Aaron's methods pretty much to the tee except for this part. I injected my last one with a little beef broth and was pleased with the results. But if you're thinking of using something like Dale's or Cajun Injection, etc...dear God no. Just enhance the beef flavor if anything with your injection.
Posted on 5/26/16 at 3:11 pm to GeauxTigers0107
Thanks for all the responses everyone. 
Posted on 5/26/16 at 3:32 pm to TexasTiger
quote:
.for me I want a good dark bark more than I worry about internal temp before the wrap
Most definitely!
Posted on 5/26/16 at 3:35 pm to Mavtiger
No problem. It's simple yet very time consuming but highly rewarding when you finally get it right. I think the key things we all can agree on are salt/pepper rub, oak for smoke (white or post), wrap with paper , pull it at ~195 (which is when the probe will slide in with little resistance) and rest it for an hour before SLICING ACROSS THE GRAIN (don't think that's been noted yet).
Posted on 5/26/16 at 3:37 pm to GeauxTigers0107
What about hickory? I just happened upon a shitload of hickory. Doing my first one this weekend as well.
Posted on 5/26/16 at 3:39 pm to Dannunzio
I'll be able to tell you in a few hours. Im using a hickory/pecan mixture on my first brisket.
Posted on 5/26/16 at 3:41 pm to RonFNSwanson
Awesome. Looking forward to it.
Posted on 5/26/16 at 3:49 pm to Dannunzio
I love hickory on most anything. It's probably the best all-around wood for smoking. You can get away with varying degrees of hick smoke on everything. But in the case of brisket (12 hour smoke), you're gonna use quite a bit more wood as opposed to post oak simply because it doesn't burn as hot nor as long.
Posted on 5/27/16 at 1:41 am to GeauxTigers0107
Can't agree more about the hickory. Or a hickory/post oak mix. Try to avoid fruit wood for beef, and especially brisket. It is just too rich for some reason and doesn't fit the beef flavor well. Also I would avoid Mesquite for similar reasons, it's just too strong. Go to Atwoods or Wal Mart and get two or three of those big 9lb bags of Hickory chunks, it will be worth it. 
As for everyone talking about Franklin's methods, yes they work very well, but it is very labor intensive and takes almost constant fire tending because temperature consistency is really the key to great BBQ, especially brisket because it cooks for so long.
Also concerning Franklin, his books and videos all show him just using salt/pepper as a rub. This is not what he uses at his restaurant.
This is his real rub recipe:
After you've trimmed your brisket, rub it down with a half and half mixture of regular yellow mustard and dill pickle juice before sprinkling the rub on.
Rub:
8 parts coarse ground pepper
3 parts Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
3 parts kosher salt
1 part granulated garlic
(For pork/chicken use the same recipe, but add 2 or 3 parts paprika or chili powder for color and more of a traditional flavor)
After 4 or 5 hrs of cooking open the lid every 80 minutes or so and spray/mop the brisket with either water, water/cider vinegar mixture, or some kind of water based wet mop. It will help keep the meat moist, it also gives you a chance to see if your meat is getting too hot in any place, if so put a piece of foil over that spot or move your brisket to a cooler place in the cooker. Many cookers will have hot spots and cool spots in the chamber, so be aware of this.
Other posters have gone in depth about wrapping, just take their advice. You can usually tell by the bark. Good bark = good airflow over the meat.
Here is all of Aaron Franklin's PBS series episodes, besides the brisket one also be sure to watch the ones about the smoker, the wood, and the cook.
LINK
Good luck, practice, meat grade, and knowing your cooker is really the key to good brisket.
As for everyone talking about Franklin's methods, yes they work very well, but it is very labor intensive and takes almost constant fire tending because temperature consistency is really the key to great BBQ, especially brisket because it cooks for so long.
Also concerning Franklin, his books and videos all show him just using salt/pepper as a rub. This is not what he uses at his restaurant.
This is his real rub recipe:
After you've trimmed your brisket, rub it down with a half and half mixture of regular yellow mustard and dill pickle juice before sprinkling the rub on.
Rub:
8 parts coarse ground pepper
3 parts Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
3 parts kosher salt
1 part granulated garlic
(For pork/chicken use the same recipe, but add 2 or 3 parts paprika or chili powder for color and more of a traditional flavor)
After 4 or 5 hrs of cooking open the lid every 80 minutes or so and spray/mop the brisket with either water, water/cider vinegar mixture, or some kind of water based wet mop. It will help keep the meat moist, it also gives you a chance to see if your meat is getting too hot in any place, if so put a piece of foil over that spot or move your brisket to a cooler place in the cooker. Many cookers will have hot spots and cool spots in the chamber, so be aware of this.
Other posters have gone in depth about wrapping, just take their advice. You can usually tell by the bark. Good bark = good airflow over the meat.
Here is all of Aaron Franklin's PBS series episodes, besides the brisket one also be sure to watch the ones about the smoker, the wood, and the cook.
LINK
Good luck, practice, meat grade, and knowing your cooker is really the key to good brisket.
This post was edited on 5/27/16 at 1:57 am
Posted on 5/27/16 at 6:13 am to Jack Ruby
I watched Franklins YouTube videos last night. Didn't see anything about mustard or pickle juice just salt and heavy on the black pepper.
Posted on 5/27/16 at 6:31 am to RonFNSwanson
quote:
Im using a hickory/pecan mixture on my first brisket.
This is what I always use for brisket and ribs. I use two pieces pecan for every one piece of hickory. I have a bag of mesquite but have never used it.
OP, since this is your first brisket I would definitely wrap like others have said. When I first started doing briskets I was doing overnight cooks on a WSM. Sometimes a brisket would take 10 hours and sometimes as much as 18 hours to get to temperature. By wrapping I now know exactly when it will be ready.
What I do now is smoke at 225 for five hours and then wrap in foil for four hours. I don't even check the temperature of the meat anymore.
If I want the brisket to pull, after I foil I open the vents on the smoker and don't care how hot it gets. The brisket just falls apart this way and makes great sandwiches. If I want it to slice I will leave the smoker at 225 for the four hours of wrapped cooking.
One thing I would recommend is to start an hour earlier than you have planned. Since you are using a gas grill you shouldn't have trouble getting it to temp but some of the other processes - getting the brisket ready and wrapping may take a little longer than anticipated. If you finish early just leave it wrapped and put it on towels in an ice chest.
Posted on 5/27/16 at 8:25 am to Tiger Ree
My first brisket is officially in the books. I used 4 parts each sea salt and black pepper, and one part red pepper. Smoked with some pecan logs I cut when a big limb fell from my tree and precut hickory from a bag. I am very happy with the overall flavor, so I think I will stick with that next time.
I have an offset smoker, and this was my longest cook besides ribs. Managing the heat was the most difficult part for me. For a few hours, there was nothing I could do to get the temp under 300. The flat came out a little dry, I am assuming this is the reason why.
I cut several strips from the flat and a few pieces of burnt ends. They were tender and juicy, best part for sure.
Total cook time was right at 11 hours, I pulled at 201 degrees. I wrapped in foil at about 175 degrees, last 3ish hours.
I have an offset smoker, and this was my longest cook besides ribs. Managing the heat was the most difficult part for me. For a few hours, there was nothing I could do to get the temp under 300. The flat came out a little dry, I am assuming this is the reason why.
I cut several strips from the flat and a few pieces of burnt ends. They were tender and juicy, best part for sure.
Total cook time was right at 11 hours, I pulled at 201 degrees. I wrapped in foil at about 175 degrees, last 3ish hours.
This post was edited on 5/27/16 at 8:28 am
Posted on 5/27/16 at 8:28 am to Tiger Ree
quote:
If you finish early just leave it wrapped and put it on towels in an ice chest.
Build in time to do that. The time in the ice chest is like magic, and the meat will hold temp in there for a few hours.
Posted on 5/27/16 at 8:35 am to RonFNSwanson
quote:
The flat came out a little dry,
Did you wrap the brisket?
Posted on 5/27/16 at 8:56 am to Jack Ruby
quote:
his real rub recipe
First I've ever heard of that. And I've watched a lot of his videos. Where did you get that?
Posted on 5/27/16 at 9:12 am to RonFNSwanson
quote:
I have an offset smoker
So do I and by far...the hardest part is running your fire. As far as you having trouble getting your temp under 300, it could be a few things IMO...
a) You're putting too much wood on at a time
b) Your vents are wide open
c) Your temp gauge is bad
If you closed all the vents and it still stayed over 300 then it's one of the reasons listed. My fire box is on the lower right hand side of the smoking chamber so when I do brisket, the flat (thinnest) part of the brisket is as far left as I can put it.
eta: pic looks great
This post was edited on 5/27/16 at 9:14 am
Posted on 5/27/16 at 9:24 am to GeauxTigers0107
quote:
c) Your temp gauge is bad
It could also be that the probe is touching the metal on the grill, which can throw things off. I've made that mistake before and it took me a while to figure out.
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