quote:Originally posted by Pags:
Sugar will offset the salt, so in using the rub in the future add some sugar. What size brisket? A smaller flat will be harder to keep moist. Judging by your smoke time, you had a 6-8 pounder leading me to believe you had the flat.
Have you read Brisket 101 and the brisket forums? Lots of techniques and tips for you.
Hi Pags, it is/was a 10.5 pounder. It had the point and the flat on it. It was not cryovacs'ed though and I may go to Sams Club today to get one that is. The one I bought was pre-trimmed but they seemed to have done a great job of leaving just the right amount of fat on it, where I needed it (Wal-Mart super center.) I have never liked Wal-Mart's meat though, so maybe that had something to do with it?
I read the following website: http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/brisketselect.html and several of the posts in this forum before starting on this one as far as pre-education goes. Of course, nothing beats experience right?
I've actually tried a few in my other smoker (before I bought the FEC-100) and they didn't turn out so well, which is why I abandoned cooking them a while ago and stuck with pork ribs and shoulders/butts. From what everyone says it sounds like getting the brisket to turn out right will be worth the experimentation.
One thing I didn't realize is the cook time for them. I have a "traditional" cooking background and understand all about tissue breakdown, collagen, etc. but didn't count on the brisket being quite so tough. Now I know.
I am still perplexed as why the cookshack brand rub would say 180 though when everyone else mentions a higher temperature of 190+. It's no big deal though as I have never relied on someone else's rub. With this experiment I reminded myself why.
Thanks again for the feedback.