brisket tips

[tonylongoriafan]

so i'm trying to perfect my brisket cooking techniques...i got most of it down just trying to fine tune...my marinade and rub are good, i just don't know how long to cook it...when to cover, etc., etc...i have a small smoker so i'm limited.

i did this brisket this weekend, hickory and oak smoked for 18 hours...it was by far the best brisket i have ever made...but the non-lean part of the brisket was a little tough...this was a 15 pound sucka i got at sams...i ended up covering the brisket with foil about 10 hours in cause my rub is brown sugar-based and it was camarlizing and i didn't want it to burn.

here's my dilemma: the lean part of the brisket was perfect, the fatty part was tough...how do i balance the two? i had good temperature control (even in the rain) 200-300 for 18 hours. should i have covered it up and say crank up the temperature to about 400 the last few hours or do i need to smoke it even longer?!?!?! :bang

i use charcoal and wood logs, cook fat side down and do not flip the brisket...any tips, suggestions are appreciated.

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs227.snc1/7430_154903596361_553836361_3155725_6858215_n.jpg

http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs227.snc1/7430_153982191361_553836361_3146958_3168598_n.jpg

http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs227.snc1/7430_153856826361_553836361_3145926_711252_n.jpg

[chode_regulator]

fat side up and wrap in foil the whole time i believe

[lebomb]

You should cook your brisket over a pan of water. Place the pan directly beneath the brisket and place the coals around the pan. This will keep the entire brisket moist while cooking.

[CosmicCowboy]

Wow...I don't even know where to start...

You cooked a lot hotter and a lot longer than I would have. I'm amazed your brisket didn't fall apart like a pot roast as long as you had it wrapped in foil...

I normally cook at 215 for 50 minutes per pound. That's a pretty good rule of thumb. I will typically buy 10-12# briskets and just buy more than one if I need more meat...that way I don't get into those all day/all night cooking marathons like you can with the really big briskets...

I like a little bark on my briskets so I don't wrap them...I just pull them off when they are done, wrap them in a towel and put them in a small ice chest I use especially for briskets for a couple more hours...this method gives them a great smoke ring and a thick soft crust...

[lebomb]

Yep.............like CosmicCowboy said.............I dont wrap my brisket either. The liquid in the pan keeps it moist, yet allows it to smoke and Q.

[Sportcamper]

I seriously think that Cosmic should write a book of short stories & a cook book…

The Real Life Adventures of a Cosmic Cowboy…

Smoking, grilling & bar be cue…(Always cook what you shoot)…

[chode_regulator]

Wow...I don't even know where to start...

You cooked a lot hotter and a lot longer than I would have. I'm amazed your brisket didn't fall apart like a pot roast as long as you had it wrapped in foil...

I normally cook at 215 for 50 minutes per pound. That's a pretty good rule of thumb. I will typically buy 10-12# briskets and just buy more than one if I need more meat...that way I don't get into those all day/all night cooking marathons like you can with the really big briskets...

I like a little bark on my briskets so I don't wrap them...I just pull them off when they are done, wrap them in a towel and put them in a small ice chest I use especially for briskets for a couple more hours...this method gives them a great smoke ring and a thick soft crust...

Yeah 18 hrs at 300* seems pretty long.
Isn't the whole point of smoking to cook it at a low temp over time?

[Taco]

fat side up

+1 :tu


I seriously think that Cosmic should write a book of short stories & a cook book…

The Real Life Adventures of a Cosmic Cowboy…

Smoking, grilling & bar be cue…(Always cook what you shoot)…

:lol

I second that :tu

[CosmicCowboy]

I seriously think that Cosmic should write a book of short stories & a cook book…

The Real Life Adventures of a Cosmic Cowboy…

Smoking, grilling & bar be cue…(Always cook what you shoot)…

:lmao

That might be fun. I could self publish like AngelLuv, just not on the same goody two shoes site...

[Twisted_Dawg]

Hey.....you did cut across the grain didn't you?

[tonylongoriafan]

Wow...I don't even know where to start...

You cooked a lot hotter and a lot longer than I would have. I'm amazed your brisket didn't fall apart like a pot roast as long as you had it wrapped in foil...

I normally cook at 215 for 50 minutes per pound. That's a pretty good rule of thumb. I will typically buy 10-12# briskets and just buy more than one if I need more meat...that way I don't get into those all day/all night cooking marathons like you can with the really big briskets...

I like a little bark on my briskets so I don't wrap them...I just pull them off when they are done, wrap them in a towel and put them in a small ice chest I use especially for briskets for a couple more hours...this method gives them a great smoke ring and a thick soft crust...


i didn't wrap it in foil, i put a foil on the grill and laid the brisket on top of it and after 10 hours i made a tent...my temperature was closer to 200 most of the time and only fluctuated up to 300 when i had to add more logs/coals after the overnight session cause, well, it was raining, i over slept a little, and my smoker is small...it came out in one peice and didn't fall apart and the lean portion was actually pretty tender and delicious, my concern is the fatty part...i thought the brisket was too big and i actually thought it could have use a few more hours...

i used a charcoal/oak/hickory combination on this last one.

this weekend i'm going to use a charcoal/pecan/maybe mesquite combo...but my mesquite always burns to hot...i think i'm going to start soaking now :wow i'm going to try the towel/ice chest move this weekend.

[CosmicCowboy]

I don't pay attention to time as much as I do to temperature...I cook them slow (210-215) and pull them off when the internal temp hits 185-190, then wrap the brisket in a towel and put it in the ice chest. They will continue to "cook" in the cooler for another hour or so...Foil on briskets is for rookies.

[BacktoBasics]

CC is right on. At least keep the temps down around 250 or less. Under 225 is ideal but its hard to get down below 250 on an average smoker its not the end of the world if you end up hovering around that mark.

Like he said above 185-190 internal is ideal and rest it for at least an hour once it peaks. He does a towel but I just lay a piece of foil over it and cover the cooler. Its called tenting. Do not wrap it.

HEB carries those nice digital thermometers. They run about 25 bucks. They work within about 20 degrees of actual temps so they're not too bad. They come with probes. One for the grill top and one inserted in the meat. Its a good learning tool.

[BacktoBasics]

I don't pay attention to time as much as I do to temperature...I cook them slow (210-215) and pull them off when the internal temp hits 185-190, then wrap the brisket in a towel and put it in the ice chest. They will continue to "cook" in the cooler for another hour or so...Foil on briskets is for rookies.Righto friendo. Time does not tell you when its done. Internal temps do. Time is just a rough base to work off of.

[lebomb]

http://sidesalad.net/archives/Cold%20Weather%20in%20Florida%20-%20Making%20a%20brisket%20in%20the%20smoker.JPG


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:hungry: