re: BBQ Q&A - Brisket

I have tried a few briskets and I have been pleased with the results. I cut the fat down to about 1/2 inch all around. I rub with kosher salt, coarse grind black pepper and some granulated garlic. I will start it in the evening on my Weber kettle grill until the first batch of charcoal and wood burns down (about 2-3 hours). Then I will move it to a pan, cover with foil, and put it in the oven at 210 overnight. I am a little nervous about leaving a pit going all night long. I don't get any burnt ends obviously but I think the brisket comes out pretty good.

quote:

---

The plan was to save ribs for last. It's the one meat that got me started in bbq, that I feel the most passionate about, the one that I've had the most success with in competition, and the one that I feel like I'd have the most to offer.
I've struggled over the last day or so wether I should even do another bbq q&a, much less the one that will probably receive the most backlash. It's a meat that everyone thinks they make the best or knows someone that has the best, that they're method of cooking is the best and yours is terrible, that is cooked and served in so many different ways. It's basically the crawfish of the bbq world.
And the fact that someone would down vote a mere suggestion for it tells me a lot.

---

Crawfish, ignore the downvotes. They have clowns throughout this site who will downvote just to be jackasses. No other reason. Do what I do, pay no attention to the votes. You can see the positive response from quite a few of us who enjoy the serious discussions with a competition pro.

I love this thread! I’m more of a lurker than a poster but love smoking bbq and I am always wanting to learn and read more about good q.

Alwaysatigr- tell us more about your set up. What type of cooker are you using and is it direct heat or indirect? One of the things I picked up on was the wrapping in foil. If you are going to wrap in foil when it comes off the pit try letting it rest for a good while before you wrap. When it goes straight into the foil it’s still at a cooking temp and the foil makes it more roast like. You could let it rest an hour or so sitting on the counter with a towel over it for an hour or so, then wrap and put it in a cooler or eat it.

quote:

---

Alwaysatigr- tell us more about your set up. What type of cooker are you using and is it direct heat or indirect? One of the things I picked up on was the wrapping in foil. If you are going to wrap in foil when it comes off the pit try letting it rest for a good while before you wrap. When it goes straight into the foil it’s still at a cooking temp and the foil makes it more roast like. You could let it rest an hour or so sitting on the counter with a towel over it for an hour or so, then wrap and put it in a cooler or eat it.

---

BGE - one brisket at a time.

Use lump charcoal (B&B oak) with post oak wood chunks.

I install a plate setter to make it indirect heat. No longer use a water pan but do set a drip pan on top of the plate setter to try and keep the juices from dropping onto the charcoal.

From the OP, I think I prefer fat cap down but have thought about flipping it during the smoke.

I love brisket and think I should be able to do much better. Seems like a lot of variables to account for.

The stall is real, baw

Happy Father’s Day baw

I wrap during the stall. The ole Texas crutch. I’m sure you can’t crank the temp up some when it’s wrapped and be fine. I’m just going to baby this one up to 200 today since I’m still 6hrs away from eating it.. .

Got through it. First time I’ve ever seen one drop. Went from 181° to 174.5°, then hit 190° pretty soon there after. I wrapped it in paper, and towel, and it’s in an ice chest. I’ll get a sliced up picture this afternoon.

Gotta say, fat down left a couple of nice little tastes of shtuff on the grate. It was like candy.

quote:

---

AlwysATgr

---

Didn’t want to get in the brisket arguement because it’s a futile effort. There are competitions and fight for a reason... if it was a simple as a steakhouse more would make money doin it.

I tried my best to get simple tips and the one that makes the biggest difference to me is a 5 Hour rest.

Pinkerton’s & Pit Room in Houston do it very similiar. Ive talked to Grant at Pinkertons and he has a wall of Yeti’s at his place n Houston.... smokes good Prime Creekstone Beef... at 225 for 16 hours. Period. Wraps and puts in icechest for 5-6 hours depending on demand. Never less than 5. Sambrooks is a huge believer in the rest for brisket and beef ribs. Not all have time or desire... but that’s where fatty brisket lovers find the melted fat they want.

Sure, brisket can b tender and fall apart if you cook it long enough.... but juicy and fatty without sacrificing texture is hard to do.

You follow the above if you love fatty brisket and u will enjoy the texture - seasoning us on ur preference.... there will be parts that don’t fit what you are looking for.... get creative for those parts. 1 big brisket can serve many uses on 1 cook - not just sliced beauty.