Brisket Holding question

Maybe someone selling a lot of brisket can jump in.

When you say "not classic brisket" are you saying texture? taste? At 75% and with au jus you're just not going to have bark. That's why we cooked it with no foil and held whole at a LOT lower humidity. Humidity is not your friend for bark.

For me? I'm NOT a fan of chilling/slicing/holding. I do know people that do a Brisket Juice "dunk" to give it flavor moisture just before serving but the KEY there is the flavor of the juice. Needs to taste like brisket, not regular au jus.

You might have to dedicate someone to a meat cutting area and if you're selling that much maybe two at service time.

Classic brisket for me is cut to order.

Is there a way to do it, probably, but the largest places in Texas I know server more than you mentioned and it's usually cut to order.

Quality is worth waiting for.

quote:

Originally posted by SmokinOkie:
Classic brisket for me is cut to order.

True dat.

Of the dozen +/- Texas BBQ joints I've been to, all meat is sliced to order, weighed & wrapped in butcher paper. Some places keep feeding meat from the pit or use a CVAP.

You're already slicing the meat, why not do it to order in front of the customer?

Yup slice it to order right in front of the customer. I spent my honeymoon in NYC, a couple days after the 4th of July. We went to Katz's Deli, you know the place in WHEN HARRY MET SALLY... Man those people really are very, very serious about what they are doing. Their corned beef and pastrami are all done in house. As are their pickles, salami's (send a salami to a soldier) and many other specialty items. They've been at it sine 1880 something. No cutting corners with these guys. They brine their own corned beef in house in huge tubs 30 days. It's a sight. Speaking of a sight, watch this guy, he just trimmed the fat off a pastrami and slides all that stuff into a bin (oh what I would do with the contents of that bin) and then flips it and cuts some sample slices, then they cut the meat for your sandwich. I was getting corned beef, but was in line behind a guy getting pastrami so I got a good taste off that sample plate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIMFxCezP28

As the old lady said "I'll have what she's having. check out the video clip.

Thanks a LOT Mike, some of us aren't that close to Katz's... yeah, thanks a lot, now I'll have to go smoke some Q just to stop my mouth from drooling.

Hand carved to perfection! That's impressive. That meat looks incredible!

Believe me living out in Central Jersey it seems as far away from NYC as Cali did when I was courting my wife. I got the corned beef and a hot dog and the pickle assortment, the wife got a burger ?? Yeah it was so much food I ate the dog and half a sandwich. We took the other half and the remaining pickles to Washington Square Park for a late afternoon snack with a couple big bottles of Pellegrino...

Fine looking spread! Joisey huh?..Which exit?

We have two guys working the BBQ section. We are plating all sides along with building Pulled Pork Sandwiches, dinners, Brisket Sandwiches and dinners. I might be able to cut to order, but you're right, it will require a dedicated person, and I might as well leave the 8 briskets in the smoker that finish up each morning and use the SM260 as a holding unit, vs the CVAP. Cutting in front of the customer we are not set up for and it would not be practical, we're not a deli. Thanks for the feedback.

Got only hearty admiration for those who can survive the retail food business. The oldest boy in the wholesale grocery trade says...the chances of a two year survival in that business continues to hover around zero. Catering is where the big money is at. Get a grip.

quote:

Originally posted by jcohen1005:
I'm pulling my Briskets in the AM, chilling, then slicing and holding in CVAP at 175 degrees and 75% humidity. We pre portion and add just a little Au Ju. While the Brisket is moist and getting rave reviews, it's not classic BBQ Brisket. I don't think slicing on demand will work, as we can serve up to 60 sandwiches and dinners in a service. How can I hold Brisket retain some bark, not over steam it. BTW, for service, we transfer brisket into 1/2 hotel pans in the steam table. All feedback appreciated.

You mentioned your using a Henny Penny holding unit, so setting values would be different than what I find to be the sweet spot on a Winston CVAP. I know 75% humidity would be a bit too much moisture to keep 'bark' on anything. I also know that when we do Brisket/Pork Shoulder on the SM smoker it's different than on the FEC smoker, because the FEC has a fire pot and convection air moving, so it results in more of a 'bark' than the SM smokers. The SM smokers are a much moister environment, and I think that moisture delivers a moister product, and a great flavor also due in part from the moisture. Up here in Eastern PA I don't think folks are expecting the same bark as in Texas, so hasn't been a concern to me. Actually, the single largest request on Brisket is to leave more fat on it, so we do ! The smoke taste on that fat cap is one of the best tasting/smelling things I've experienced.


I do hold Brisket (whole) in the CVAP unwrapped, but I don't cut to order from it for sandwiches. I do cut to order for 'sliced brisket'. At present, we pre-portion for sandwiches and serve that way. I would need to serve a LOT of Brisket to slice per order for sandwiches. Now I've mentioned before, and will again, at the risk of being chastised for saying anything negative about Texas, but I've had Brisket there a number of times, at what must be the wrong restaurants. I found it much dryer, and they were perhaps holding it under the ole' red heat lamps too long. I know Texas is famous for Brisket, and as I said, I've obviously eated at the wrong famous places. And regarding 'bark', unless someone is asking for it, I wouldn't be too concerned - or put another way, if folks are loving your Brisket as it is now, you may not need to fix what isn't broken.
Just my two pennies worth - Rick

quote:

Originally posted by bigwheel:
Got only hearty admiration for those who can survive the retail food business. The oldest boy in the wholesale grocery trade says...the chances of a two year survival in that business continues to hover around zero. Catering is where the big money is at. Get a grip.

Food biz certainly isn't for the faint at heart. We like the blend of having our restaurant for the public, which gives us a kitchen and provides a great front-end for our catering business. We have our catering/food service menu right up front beside our in store menu. We get a number of catering orders from those who have sat down to eat at the restaurant. Good news is, most all of our 'catering' is pick-up or delivery to them - it's not often we need to stay on site to serve their food.

Rick

Thanks Rick, great input!!!

Rick;
Great input, thanks very much for taking the time to respond.
Jay

So, Jay, for those who don't follow you on FB, I have to say Congrats on the Wedding.

A new restaurant and new wife, what's planned for the rest of the year

Aw Russ, thanks very much.
It's been quite a ride.
Thanks again for the kind words.

For some reason I assumed those were customers...lol

Congrats Jay.

quote:

Originally posted by SmokinOkie:
So, Jay, for those who don't follow you on FB, I have to say Congrats on the Wedding.

A new restaurant and new wife, what's planned for the rest of the year

Well, congrats - new restaurant, new wife, I guess next is, . . . triplets ?
Rick

Thanks Guys.
2 dogs, 3 cats, no kids!!

quote:

Originally posted by astronorick:

quote:

Originally posted by bigwheel:
Got only hearty admiration for those who can survive the retail food business. The oldest boy in the wholesale grocery trade says...the chances of a two year survival in that business continues to hover around zero. Catering is where the big money is at. Get a grip.

Food biz certainly isn't for the faint at heart. We like the blend of having our restaurant for the public, which gives us a kitchen and provides a great front-end for our catering business. We have our catering/food service menu right up front beside our in store menu. We get a number of catering orders from those who have sat down to eat at the restaurant. Good news is, most all of our 'catering' is pick-up or delivery to them - it's not often we need to stay on site to serve their food.

Rick

Good news on that. Sounds like a great approach. Serving is a pain.