The Brisket Thread - A place to share brisket cooks

StevenZ

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Trying out low and slow on my new Slow N Sear Kettle. Using a 2F Farms Akaushi brisket clocking in at 9lbs and probably 8.5lbs trimmed. Pit is holding steady around 245F. Spritzing with 50/50 ACV and apple juice. Post oak wood chunks and Weber charcoal.

Looking and smelling great so far.

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I didn't know SnS were doing their own kettles. I have the insert for the charcoal and it works really well.

Let us know your process when done. In the last year or so grocery stores up here now advertise brisket from time to time, when in the past it was never anything but special order (except for the bags 'o corned beef).
 
I didn't know SnS were doing their own kettles. I have the insert for the charcoal and it works really well.

Let us know your process when done. In the last year or so grocery stores up here now advertise brisket from time to time, when in the past it was never anything but special order (except for the bags 'o corned beef).
While it’s quite innovative it’s not quite the quality of Weber.
 
Look great.
Good idea on sharing cooking techniques.
I have itching to do a brisket lately too.
 
Look great.
Good idea on sharing cooking techniques.
I have itching to do a brisket lately too.
Yeah I hope to inspire others to share their cooks.

Almost forgot. Seasoned with HEB brand Salt & Pepper rub. All the salt and pepper is 16 mesh so it lays on perfectly even and nice. I did miss the larger piece of my other rubs but this was a great test.

Wrapped in foil at 175 and added about half cup of beef broth. Pulled probe at probe tender which was about 210F on this bad boy. Total cook time was 8hrs.
 
That is truly a masterpiece! Our youngest son has been experimenting with brisket the last year and a half, and although he's making progress, perfection has eluded him. I give him pointers that he dutifully ignores (like a son), but he'll get there on his own. I'm old school with a cinder block enclosed hardwood smoking rig (retired it a few years ago), and he's into modern techniques. It's fun being fed instead of always being the chef.

I'll be sure to share your photos with him for inspiration.
 
That is truly a masterpiece! Our youngest son has been experimenting with brisket the last year and a half, and although he's making progress, perfection has eluded him. I give him pointers that he dutifully ignores (like a son), but he'll get there on his own. I'm old school with a cinder block enclosed hardwood smoking rig (retired it a few years ago), and he's into modern techniques. It's fun being fed instead of always being the chef.

I'll be sure to share your photos with him for inspiration.
Thanks for the kind words. Brisket is definitely a learning process. I’ve used techniques from a lot of YouTube videos to finally achieve consistent results. There have definitely been a few duds though which turned into some pretty good chili and Brunswick stew.

The most recent trick I used is to remove it from the wrap after it probes tender and let it cool then transfer it to butcher paper that has been doused in beef tallow. It preserves a little bit more of the bark but is supposedly hat Aaron Franklin does at his restaurants.
 
I have watched some of Franklin's video about his methods.
I have couple different styles, one I just developed on my own and then a more traditional Texas style.
Like @Fran604g my son wanted to make brisket one weekend. I tried to give some guidance but man what a rough hunk o beef we had....
 
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This is my most recent method...

Get a ziplock bag large enough to hold the piece of meat (Chuck roast is also good)...2 gallon.
Put all the dry rub spices you would normally use in it. Then add 1 or 2 bottles of dark beer...stronger the better.
Mix throughly, put the meat in and squeeze all the air out. Put in the frig over night (8 to 12 hours). Turn a few times if you are around.

I use an electric smoker now because that is what I have and it’s easy. I take the meat out of the marinade and put it in a disposable baking pan. Smoke for about 4-6 hours to get some smoke flavor (my wife doesn’t like heavy smoke flavor). I turn the meat over and add some of the marinade. Cover with foil and cook to 180*+....around 12 hours.

Sometimes will slice the meat and put it back in the sauce and cook for another hour or so.

I use my 100% grassfed beef which is more lean than most store bought meat. This method helps keep lean meat from drying out. If you can find it, use aged beef....14-21 days will make you the best cook ever!
 
I tried a top round a while back and the flavor was awesome, but it was tough.
I ended up slicing it super thin and the frying it lightly "like bacon" .
Was delicious.
 
I tried a top round a while back and the flavor was awesome, but it was tough.
I ended up slicing it super thin and the frying it lightly "like bacon" .
Was delicious.
We did that once, too. When life gives you broken eggs kind of solution. Now you've made me hungry! Dammit...😂
 
Love the pictures. I'll add some next time.

Ive been doing Boston Butts with a hybrid/cheating method using a crock pot and grill.

Not quite perfected yet... but basically grilling for the last hour. It's very easy and can do during the work week. You come home to a house that smells great!

Lately I'm on an Asian BBQ jag and doing a very easy sauce with store bought honey BBQ sauce and mixing in Soy, Terryiaki and Srirachi. I apply two or three times during the grilling stage. It gets a nice Korean BBQ glaze that thickens up as you layer it on. Man is it good!

One of these days I'll pick up a brisket. My teenage boys have been asking about it.
 
I love smoked chuck! Something with a lot of marbling in my case.
I tried it once but it came out a bit too dry, even after the recommended butcher paper technique. So I still have to work on this once I feel like messing with the smoker again. It did have good flavor though and was OK for some shredded beef tacos. I made the mistake of following a method by someone I'd never followed before. There's a recipe on Meathead's site I may try (involves "steaming" it for a couple of hours with beef broth after the bark has formed). Prime chuck is $6.99/lb. here, but I can get Choice for $3.99/lb--I don't trust myself to experiment on better cuts of meat until I've perfected the method.

I tried a top round a while back and the flavor was awesome, but it was tough.
Top round doesn't have enough fat content to break down and tenderize the meat, like we get with a brisket or pork shoulder. By the same token, I couldn't smoke a pork loin for that same reason. Although one thing we could do with a pork loin or round/rump/sirloin roast is to bake (roast) it outside on a grill or smoker, the traditional way, to where they are anywhere from medium rare to well done (with the pork, medium-well is about as pink as I'd take it). If that's the case, a higher temperature would get some nice caramelization on the outside, the smoke would add its own notes and the inside would be as tender as roasting it inside.

Usually, meats with higher fat content work best for smoking. Except for poultry which behaves differently. I smoked a turkey breast for Thanksgiving that apparently came out OK--I don't like turkey (the smell of it gags me), but at least in the smoker I was able to eat some of it.
 
Interesting comments and good info..

Like audio, going for perfection and being a "purists" mostly results in disappointment... at least in my case.

I have a good friend that has been a professional chef and restaurant manager going on 30 something years. He rarely smokes mcuh longer than an hour or so, as he says... "you can only get so much smoke in there". He then uses the oven for the rest. It gets really easy and never fails. The secret is how to seal the container you use in the oven. Fall off the bone everytime. Even BB Ribs... Which I have always found very difficult to get right on the grill exclusively.

Having said that... I love to stand by the grill and hang out in the backyard and listen to music and throw the baseball/ frisbee etc with the kids on a nice day. That's a good day in my book.
 
I always break down the turkey (debone) and marinate it in a simple brine for a couple of days. The salt in the brine is an absolute necessity to retain moisture. For many years I smoked our Thanksiving turkey alongside a whole porkloin on my cinder block grill - we lovingly called it "the ghetto grill", as an homage to the friend of a friend who taught me the technique. Lump charcoal to start with split seasoned oak or maple feeding the low fire as needed, and fresh cut apple and/or cherry wood for smoke. Never had a bad Thanksgiving.
 
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