Brisket Questions

Hi Russ

Do you mean stacking one brisket on top of the other? If you do I don't think you would get very good smoke penetration. It probably would have a different texture to the unexposed sides also. I have seen on a few threads that you should not have any meat touching another piece. Hope this helps a little. Good luck with your briskets!

I hadn't thought about the texture thing. I've moved them to one on each shelf but how do you keep the thinner end from over cooking before the thick end cooks? Where is the best place to put the probes?
Thanks

Put the thinner end on the right side of the grate and the point end to the left.

Well,I ain't no brisket expert-but I have cooked a few.

Start with what Ribdog said..

The probe goes in the thickest part of the flat,but it is an indication -within about 20*.

Depends on if you are cooking for the ladies card club,and if it fits in with the fruit cocktail, and the Waldorf salad that you are serving with the shredded beef.

That " famous recipe" ,personally,makes me think about the Food Channel and crockpots.

Yeh,yeh,go ahead and flame me about how that was the best the social club had at their potluck.

Since YOU do cook some volume,and YOU seem to be SERIOUS about getting meat that TASTES like it came off the CRITTER it was cut from,I'd just DELETE that whole recipe/technique,potroast/fusion approach to hiding a real brisket.

IMO you will never find a FEC cook ever consider that recipe.



Go to the search/FIND at page top and find ANY approach to cooking a packer,read SmokinOkie's Brisket 101,read the brisket archives.

At this point,just cook by what you are doing ,and then when you have questions,we will try to answer them.

Better yet,since we have no idea what you are cooking,try to wash off all that stuff that you soaked it in.

Cook at whatever you are cooking at,best around 160-* 180* to about 135* internal, kick cooker to around 245*, to about 170*,paint it in whatever red sauce you like-after you rinsed all that stuff off,and double foil it.

Leave it about 245*,and start checking it for internal temp about 195*,when the probe passes all the way through the flat ,like butter,pull it and let it rest in a warm cooler for 3-4 hours.

A bad packer could take 205*-210* to come tender.

Slice against the grain, about the thickness of a number two pencil.

Won't be perfect,but that is where your experience comes in.

Just my $0.02 and hopefully this helps a little.

Tom-Fl

Ok, thick part of flat on the left, stuff washed off and back in smoker. Smoker set @ 244*, Meat internal now @ 135*. Put some brisket rub on them and will let them go to about 170 then will double wrap and put on some sauce. Rewrap and cook to internal of 195*. Thanks RibDog & Tom. If I get through this one, I'll try another!!!

If it don't probe real tender at 195*,cook another 5*-maybe even 10*.

Better to have it too tender and have good eatin'.

You can always back it down,as you get use to the feel,if it is too tender.

Underdone,ya just cuss it.

Hang in there,and give me a shout.

You are quite welcome, Russ. I can never give as much advice as Tom on briskets because whether he wants to admit it or not, Tom knows briskets.

Take care and enjoy!

Muleskinner; what were your results? What would you change, if anything?

Well here's the update on the briskets. I my '73 in one set for 200* and the CS probe in the other set for 195*. Made the mistake of putting the probes in the thick part of the point instead of the flats. Didn't understand until the next morning. Results: briskets pulled @ 200*. Both came done much sooner than expected. Cook time was 11.5 hrs. Points were too tender to slice and flats were a little dry and salty. Probably from the marinate. All in all not too bad, but really didn't expect to have to pull them @ 4:30am. Will not use the marinate next time, will place probe in flats and will trim less fat from flats and plan time differently.
Thanks Guys

Yep,sounds like overcooked ,but you're getting a feel for it.

Not sure what you have read,besides Smokin's Brisket 101 and the brisket archives,but when some folks call me,I like to add this post from a fine cook around Muskogee,OK.

He cooks on a stickburner and a Cookshack 150.

Now we cook a little different on temps, with an FEC,but some of the other thoughts apply,well.

Darcy's Indirect Cooked Brisket

Hope this adds to your process.

Tom-Fl

Just as a note, of the two briskets I cooked, one was for a friends daughter's graduation party. Talked to the lady today and she said the brisket was a major hit. Everyone enjoyed it. She also told me they didn't even add sauce so i guess it all worked out.
Thanks again everyone.

My tip for today is,don't tell them it ain't great.

quote:

Originally posted by Mule Skinner:
She also told me they didn't even add sauce

That to me is the REAL definition of Barbecue...something that doesn't need sauce.

Sometimes we are our own worse critics, but our friends and family remind us that BBQ isn't about the perfect items, perfect recipes, it's about the pleasures and the plain, simple, good food.

Congrats!

Thanks guys. Now.......what to cook this coming weekend????????????

Here's a couple of pics of the briskets I cooked last weekend.

Another shot.

Thanks for the photos.

Looking at them, that's one reason I don't like the IBR (Incredible Brisket Recipe). I LOVE Bark on my brisket.

Other than that... Looks great.

What smokin said.

I'll keep practicing until I get it right. Eating mistakes isn't so bad though!!!