Brisket questions?

askikr, what grade are they?
I've cooked select before, but injected them and foiled at 160.
I prefer choice, but if the price is right, I'll get select. Just more prep work.

quote:

Originally posted by askikr:
The briskets I have are smaller packers that I purchased from Sam’s Club. My goal is to get a moist brisket that isn’t tough.

1st mistake....try to find larger packers with an even thickness in the flat.


Lots of briskets have been cooked at both 225* and 250* and all temps between. Good notes and practice will help decide what works best for your smoker.

I cook fat side down

I rub about 4-6 hours before time.

I've cooked a few Sam's choice briskets and have never had one done at 190-95*, use temp as only a guide and go by feel for when it's done.

I like to FTC for 2-4 hrs and am not afraid of a longer rest.

Have you ever cooked a brisket till it just crumbled apart?...if not, you will not understand proper cooking. It is something a brisket cook must learn.

Keep practicing and keeping good notes, cause when you get there you'll know.

I've been less than pleased with every brisket from Sam's. So much so that I've quit buying them anymore. I find that they are trimmed of too much of the fat cap and have seemed like an inferior product.
When I do find whole choice packers, not easy in my neck of the woods, I trim a little of the hard white fat and rub way ahead of time-sometimes up to 24 hours. I've brined a couple with excellent results.

I almost always cook fat side down @ 250 and start checking the doneness at 190 internal. I rely more on the toothpick (or a larger temp probe) technique more than temp. If it slides in easily an a couple spots it's probably done.

By the way, now that choice packers are in the $6.50/lb range where I live I'm not sure how many I'll be cooking for a while. Unless Tom Leonard's Market starts offering financing that is...

Well, I don't know if I'm a Brisket expert... Oh wait I am LOL

Here are my thoughts:

quote:

Originally posted by askikr:
1.I’ve cooked briskets at 225 but have been hearing a few people are cooking them at 250. Any comments on which is the better temp or a totally different temp?

Better is subjective. There is no magic temp (the brisket doesn't care). It's more about the effect different temps have. Lower temps allow more time in the "accept smoke" zone. Higher temps don't. Also, the higher temp you go the error zone gets much, much smaller. 225 is a good average start temp. I do my butts at 250, brisket somewhere in that area too.

quote:

2.Which is the best way to place a brisket in the smoker, fat side up or down? I’ve always smoked them with the fat side up but thinking about putting the fat side down this time to protect the meat from the direct heat below it.

Depends on where you place in the smoker. We recommend here that if it's on the bottom shelf, nearest the direct heat, put fat side down. On the other shelves, go up or down. YOU have to make some of the choice here There's a myth that if you cook it fat side up, that the fat will render down through the meat. What really makes a difference is the intramuscular fat you get by using a better grade. Choice is a good compromise. If you have small ones look for a different source.

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3.When do you put your rub on, about 24 hours before cooking or about an hour before?

Depends. Most times I tend to not do overnight rubs anymore. Look at the rub, if it's first or 2nd component is salt, I definitely don't do those overnight. The thought being that salt will cure the meat and give it a hammy taste. Best thing to do is try some yourself. IF I do it overnight, like brisket. I put it on, let it sit on the counter for 30 min, then put it away. I add more rub before I put in the smoker. Oh, and don't waste time with any mustard.

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4.When FTC how long do you typically leave the brisket at this stage?

IT's done when it's done, so NONE of this is a recipe. You have to figure out doneness not based on a set time, but a target temp range. FYI, FTC sooner. After about 160 to 170 is a good time. If foiling, foil when it looks good. Now, I don't foil mainly because I like a good crusty bark. I get plenty moist brisket by knowing my smoker, my temps and lots of good quality Choice brisket.

Any more questions, let us know.

Just to tag onto the good cooks above.
We are all nervous about not doing it right and ruining an expensive hunk of meat.

Cal I think is saying" push it higher and maybe get it overdone to falling apart stage".
Take notes as to what you did,and then adjust up,or down.

Many years ago,I thought I was cooking a pretty fair packer,but just wasn't quite satisfied with the tenderness/texture.

Of course,I was cooking poorer grades and had to work a lot harder.

I would ask better cooks,but just didn't understand the answer?

Fast Eddy, and then again later, Paul Schotte [Head Country],two of the winningest brisket cooks in the country, got tired of me annoying them and impatiently told me to cook some longer and see what happens.They said,if I wasn't happy at 200º,cook it to 210º and see where I got.

Take good notes,so I'd know how I got there.

Well,I did.I did make more mistakes.

I learned that until it felt right,it wasn't ready.

Smokin'Okie always says its done when its done.

I'm still not great,but I often get closer to being comfortable with serving it around the neighborhood.

Well, Tom, with a third place finish in brisket at the Jack Daniels Invitational, you might know a few things about brisket!!!

quote:

Originally posted by RibDog:
Well, Tom, with a third place finish in brisket at the Jack Daniels Invitational, you might know a few things about brisket!!!

You're right John. He's our resident Brisket Expert (and even after I gave him that title, he gives us the "awww shucks what do I know about brisket?" comment.

Tom, you DA MAN

quote:

Originally posted by RibDog:
Well, Tom, with a third place finish in brisket at the Jack Daniels Invitational, you might know a few things about brisket!!!

Yeah I had heard that....but I've also heard that besides being a TOP rib cook, that you John, can also cook a mean brisket?

Brisket is a tough meat to master but once you "get it", you get it. There is some great advice here and the first two things that popped into my mind was you are under cooking your brisket by 10 to 15 degrees and you need to learn that holding a brisket for 3-6 hours is a good thing.

My other bit of advice is that tough and dry is undercooked and tender/mushy and dry is over cooked.

As for your other questions:

I like higher temps for brisket so I would go 250. Optimally I would go 270 but that doesn't work with my comp sleep schedule.

Fat side always towards the heat source.

I rub mine right before going on the smoker.

FTC - 2 hours minimum

Smokin, you and Tom know a good deal more than most people out there. And thankfully, we have you all around to help the rest of us.

Cal, the only reason I can cook a brisket at all is that I was fortunate enough to have been on
cook teams with Tom and Dr. BBQ, and listened to Smokin for more years than I can remember.

And the primary reason I ever did well with ribs is because of Dr. BBQ

Thanks to all of them!

quote:

askikr, what grade are they?

The briskets are USDA choice.

A big thank you for all the comments. Keep em coming.

Like I stated in my post this is the best source for information on smoking.

I now have a notebook to take notes on my smoking adventures.

Thanks again,
Dan

The other thing we don't say often enough is that briskets are independent minded.

Amazing how even when you are fortunate to acquire quality packers,age them all the same,cook several at the cookoff that all appear the same,invariably one will still be different from the others.

Most experienced cooks will suggest cooking enough practice ones until you get at least a pretty fair feel where you wish to be.

Like other cooks here,I've been "told" and even shown by a bunch of better cooks,but it seems like I could only get that "experienced feel" by cooking .

quote:

Originally posted by Smokin':
...I put it on, let it sit on the counter for 30 min, then put it away....

I have been doing this more lately with the rub on all my meats, have been happy with the results.

I have great results with Sam's packer briskets. I score the fat, soak in beer overnight, inject with low sodium beef broth (and more recently thanks to Cal, Butchers)heavy Rub and sit at room temp for 1 hour. I smoke at 224 fat up, foil at 170 (the stall) pull at 196 and cooler for 4 hours. "Try it, you'll like it"!