Brisket

Great job,AAHH.....Now I'm really looking forward to this weekends cook. ....That almost looks like a can of Cafe Du Monde coffee in the pix.

Fixed your Photo AAHH and rotated it (CS doesn't like you to lay the CS down like that)...of course the people who didn't see the sideways photo will have NO idea what I'm rambling about.

Smokin'

Okay...I thought I was losing my mind for a sec... I still might be, but it has nothing to do with this...

Your range, counter to the left, and Henckels cutlery all look identical to mine at home...you been sneaking into my house when I'm at work???

Anyway...how long did those cook for? They look fantastic! How much of what kind of wood did you use?

Details man, details!

Joe: That happened to me with a Cyber-Pal in Maine. Until he recently remodeled his galley, it looked exactly like mine...right down to the cutlery, pots, even kitchen towels! Freaked me out! And, I asked him the same thing! LOL!

Those briskets look fabulous! I have never used mustard on a brisket but now I can't wait to try it.

Donna

PS What is in the beans?

AAHH,
Could you give a few of the details about your Brisket success? time/temp/wood etc

Also ... tell us more about the beans... I'd like to try somthing like that.

Thanks, Steve

First off, thanks for rotating the picture Smokin'.

Sorry ... I did not realize that all y'all (that's plural y'know) wanted details, good thing I keep a journal!!

Beans - 2 small cans pinto beans (1 drained), 1 large can Van de Camps Baked Beans, 1 onion (coarse chop), 1/2 Green Pepper (coarse chop). Smoked under 2 briskets, let the drippings fall in (and overflow!!) for 10 hours at 200F. Drain/skim off fat (there's a lot) and leave the drippings. I added ketchup, brown sugar and worstechire sauce after they were done. No rhyme or reason, just added enough of each until they tasted good to me. Sorry that I did not take a finished picture of those.

Briskets - one was 11# - used mustard only, the other was 8# - used mustard and a 3 Pepper Rub (salt, oregano, paprika, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, white pepper, red pepper). I did not have time to let them sit overnight, so I just put them in the smoker with the beans.

I smoked 19# of brisket and a big ol' Pan 'o Beans at 200 F with about 6-8 oz. hickory and 1 charcoal briquette. (I was experimenting trying to get a smoke ring ... it did not happen for whatever reason). I pulled the beans off after 10 hours and kept the briskets on for a total of 21 hours until the 11 #er was at 197F internal and the 8 #er was 195 internal.

A few notes:
A lot of fat renders out of briskets and the dripping overflowed my beans and was close to overflowing my external drip pan (fairly small) - so keep an eye on that.

We did not notice a huge tast difference between the 2 briskets - so did the rub matter?? Maybe a little. It cetainly added a lot of flavor to the beans!!

The flats were a little on the dry side. I did not rotate the briskets during the cook, maybe I should have.

I did increase the thermostat for the last 45 minutes of cooking to 250. The briskets seemed to have plateaued at 160-175. I cranked up the temp setting and the internal temps came up real fast. Yeah, I was getting impatient.

I think that does it. All of it was AWESOME.

Hope that answers your questions. Let me know if ya got any others.

Over 'n out.

Tom - I think that the coffee container was the fancy schmancy phoo-phoo french stuff - I think it had chicory and some other stuff. Maybe I'm wierd ... but I like to stick with the good ol' fashioned plain jane regular Folgers or whatever - (not that I won't drink the other - it was a gift)

Joe: We don't live that far apart .. OF COURSE, I did all this at your house. Ya think I wanted to make the mess here!! LOL

Thanks, AAHH!

AAHH,

Thanks for the bean recipe and the details. The capacity of a Smokette is 22# and you took it right to the limit! Now I gotta go see if I have any beans ... I know I have an onion and a green pepper ...

Donna

I tried smoking my first brisket last weekend in my new smokette, but I didn't have the success you did...and I have some questions for all of you. I was only able to find 2 lb trimmed briskets instead of the larger, untrimmed variety. I'll have to seek out a butcher for that. So that might have been part of the problem. Here's what I did. First, I coated the meat with a rub, sealed it in a plastic bag, and put it in the fridge for several hours. Then I put it in the smoker with 4 oz of hickory. Since the guidelines suggested smoking for an hour per pound, I cooked it for 2.5 hours at 225 degrees, and then I "held" it at 140 degrees for a little over an hour. The resulting brisket looked and tasted OK. The center was slightly pink, but the meat was very tough.

I'm wondering if it really has to be an untrimmed brisket in the first place and if it's possible to get a tender brisket with a cut like this if I cook it longer at a lower temperature. I've used these cuts before in a stew that I cook for about the same length of time, and they become very tender that way. Thanks for any pointers!

quote:

Originally posted by SteveD:
[qb]Since the guidelines suggested smoking for an hour per pound, I cooked it for 2.5 hours at 225 degrees, and then I "held" it at 140 degrees for a little over an hour. The resulting brisket looked and tasted OK. The center was slightly pink, but the meat was very tough.

I'm wondering if it really has to be an untrimmed brisket in the first place and if it's possible to get a tender brisket with a cut like this if I cook it longer at a lower temperature. I've used these cuts before in a stew that I cook for about the same length of time, and they become very tender that way. Thanks for any pointers![/qb]

First, be sure to read Smokin' Okie's Brisket 101. Just do a search for Brisket 101 on this website ("search" is up at the top of the page). I put the link below.

Smokin' Okie's Brisket 101

Next be sure to get untrimmed (packer trimmed) briskets. You need the extra fat to help the meat stay moist. The deckle (or point) is contains a lot of fat. Most trimmed briskets have the deckle removed.

Brisket is a VERY tough piece of meat. The only way to tenderize it is to cook the hell out of it. Bring the internal temp to 190 for slicing or 200+ for fork tender. If it's pink .... it is WAYYYYYY underdone.

It looks like you were using Cookshack's "recipe". I'd follow the Brisket 101 and the tips on the forum.

Hope that helps. I have trouble finding packer trimmed briskets also. Ya just gotta keep your eyes open and ask your butcher(s).

Welcome,SteveD....Congrats on picking the toughest piece to cook of them all IMHO.

Smokin' has addressed this in the brisket posts in the past,but I'll give you another short version.

Since you have no fat cap,you can place some thick slices of bacon on top for external basting....Hopefully he sold you a choice flat that has some marbling.

Set the CS at 220� with your 4 0z. of hickory and place on center rack with probe inserted evenly through the flat.

Cook till internal hits 160�, remove the brisket and wrap in heavy foil[I hope the Cookshack Nation doesn't see this,but we are trying for better Q ] and return to CS with probe inserted.

When it hits 180� remove it and see how easily the probe will move in and out in 2 or 3 places.....If easily,it is probably done...If not, recover and return for another 5� and do the same check again.

When tender let it set on counter in foil for about 30 mins.

Slice across the grain and serve with sauce on the side.

Hope this helps some ,and ask around about where to buy an untrimmed packer trim in cryovac.

Thanks for the tips, and I also found the brisket archives. Looks like all the information I was looking for. Very much appreciated!

Welcome Steve D, glad you posted (and those archives do hide father down on the page don't they)

You've got a great question but please try not to ask it way down in another post (I didn't see it for a while). These are the contest photos entries only

Don't hesitate to post your questions, we'll help you out. and a 2lb brisket...whoa, way small. I've got to get into the Brisket mail order business.

Hey TopChef, where do you get your briskets?

Those pictures are very tempting! I am newbie trying to convince the wife we need the smokette. Am I seeing this right that the smoker is set up in the house? Does this not give off cloud like my little chief?

Methinks it's in his garage...

And yes, it'll give off smoke. My 50 sits right outside my kitchen door on the upper, covered deck. I also keep it covered when not in use (which is rare lately), and it does okay.

SteveD I learned the hard way about cooking brisket. A untrimmed brisket is a must. I smoke mine a little different than the others.
Since I'm in no hurry I start mine @ 200 before it's time to hit the tree. When I wake-up I go to 225 and wait untill it reaches 190. It may take 18 hrs. or so but they always come out great. Pull a part tender.
Enjoy, Jimbo

I run four restaurants here in Illinois. All of the companys I purchase from have brisket with the fat on. So it is very easy for me to buy. But the Wal-marts around that have meat depts in them all of the right type of beef brisket. Last week they were about .96 cents per pound.

Retsoon,

Joe Guy is correct. My smoker is in my garage. I have pretty good cross ventilation. I need to make a stand for it so I can keep it out on my deck.

Hey,retsoon and welcome.

Post for Andi and ask her to compare her Little Chief and a CS.

She should be back from the state fair and moose hunt soon.

retsoon,

if you want to "explore" the option of why to buy a CS. try these:

1. Start a new post (hint, hint) and watch the comments come flying out)

2. Check out this link for a recent question like yours: Pondering the Purchase

There seems to be some minor confusion, I need no convincing, my wife does. She loves Q and smoked foods its just convincing her the cost is worth it. I may have to bite the bullet and offer her a shopping spree or something creative to work it out. I will have one before this year is out!

Now THAT's what you should do, put a new post out there.

Ten ways to convince the wife I need to buy a CS

Started a new post in CS Owners about the 10 reasons, see ya there...