Brisket 101

[admin]

Delicious Brisket!!!
Smoke a brisket in your smoker and tell us how you did it.
From our SmokinTex Blog (http://smokintex.com/blog/?p=1035).


SmokinTex

[Tampasteve]

I did my first brisket this past weekend. I am usually a pork person. I went with a small one for the first attempt. 6lbs. The night before seasoned with salt,pepper,garlic, and onion powder. And sealed it up in zip-loc. Set my ST at 200 in the am. Added 4-6oz cherry chunks. and a drip pan to catch the drippings. After 4hrs put the brisket in the dripping pan and sealed it up with foil. Left it another 5 hrs. Just left my temp prob hanging above the pan to moniitor cabinet temp. After 9hrs and a cabinet temp of 185 at max. The brisket was tender and juicey very good dinner. Next time the brisket will be bigger.Love my ST,,,,,,,Great.....Steve

[Yukon]

I gave it a try yesterday. I didn't really know what I was doing. I put kosher salt and cracked pepper on a 4-1/2 pounder, set it in my 1400 and cooked it for 9 hours at 200F. The smoke was mesquite chips. It came out nicely but it wasn't falling apart like I had expected.

I thin-sliced it and piled it high on French rolls served with au jus. It was as good as any French dip I've ever had... and each sandwich had twice as much meat as I've ever seen in a French dip. :cool:

[billy b]

What was internal temp when you took it off, that's the key.

[Yukon]

What was internal temp when you took it off, that's the key.

I don't know what the internal temp was. I just winged it with an estimation (i.e guess) that 9 hrs at 200F would do the job. My 4-1/2 lb. brisket was only about 2-inches thick at the most which would, I think, make the internal temperature difficult to measure. What I did worked out super for French dips because the slices were done but they were not falling apart. It was like deli roast beef but with mesquite flavor. Can you recommend a good thermometer?

Thanks for the reply.

[Brad]

Yukon,
You'll achieve much better results if you cook by temperature and not by time. A good suggestion is to keep a record of all your smoker cooking so you can reference at a later date. It will give you a close estimation of the time needed depending on meat cut and size of meat.

As for thermometers, a lot of people (Billy and myself included) use wireless therms. Billy uses a Weber and I ordered an Oregon Scientific AW131 wireless thermometer that I love.

Happy smoking!

[billy b]

I don't know what the internal temp was. I just winged it with an estimation (i.e guess) that 9 hrs at 200F would do the job. My 4-1/2 lb. brisket was only about 2-inches thick at the most which would, I think, make the internal temperature difficult to measure. What I did worked out super for French dips because the slices were done but they were not falling apart. It was like deli roast beef but with mesquite flavor. Can you recommend a good thermometer?

Thanks for the reply.
What Brad said, he's a smart feller ya know.;)

[Brad]

What Brad said, he's a smart feller ya know.;)

I have an excellent mentor. ;)

[BillyBob]

Yukon...I agree with Billy and Brad...I use the maverick ET-73 and the ET-732...the 732 is the upgrade of th 73 and has a much better range...I think Amozon has them for $59. I cook brisket to 185-190 for slicing and 200-205 for pulling.

BillyBob

[Franny]

I agree with the "cook by temperature and not time". However, I would like to have a "guesstimate" on how long an 8 pound brisket would take in the 1400. Don't want to overcook it and would like to do it overnight, but it may be a little too long. Want to reach 190 for slicing. Also, do you dry rub your briskets and let them sit overnight, or rub them just before smoking? Thanks for the help.

[BillyBob]

Franny...I always rub and inject the night before and I have a vaccum sealer that I use to seal it and put in the frig...you can also just use plastic wrap and foil or a large baggy/turkey bag. In the 1400 the 8# will take 16-18hrs but give youself extra time...each one is different...also I cook them at 250 not 225.
Hope this helps and good luck!!

BillyBob

[Franny]

Thanks for the info. That will help.

[Franny]

Thanks for all the info. That was the best brisket I ever made.

[BillyBob]

Thanks Franny....glad I could help!!!!

BillyBob