Cotton Bowl Brisket

Oh, I do have a couple questions about the actual smoke....opinions of flipping the brisket? Yes, no, if so when? Also, spraying apple juice on it at some point to help with hydration? Wrap in foil after 4 hours or so? These are things i have read online....Just wondering if I should be tending to it during the smoke or can I load it up tonight, set the meat probe temp and opener up in the morning?

1. Next time forget the mustard, no need. Just apply rub, let sit 15 min and moisture will magically appear

2. Now that's it's prepped, how will you be cooking it, ore are you asking for help there?

Your AQ will cook moist,so most folks would say spraying it will just wash off your rub and extend the cook time.

There are different opinions about fat up,or down and flipping.

Is it a small packer,or a large flat?

Many good cooks will say keep the fat between the heat source and the meat.

I'd learn to cook briskets like your cooker was designed for and leave the foil for when you are desperate to speed up the cook.

Most folks would cook overnight and not open the door until temp got somewhere around 190*.

If you are cooking from about 9PM and around 225*,you should be able to check it about daylight and make decisions then.

Hope this helps a little.

I might use the foil to rest the brisket after it is cooked. I don't know why but a couple hours double wrapped with foil, then wrapped in a towel, put into a small dry cooler seems to equalize the juices a little.

Some folks might set the brisket on the counter and loosen the foil slightly for 20 minutes or so before slicing.

Good luck and take good notes on the cook.

Yes I am asking for pointers smokin...I know this will show my inexperience, but i am not sure what a packer cut is. I did not buy the flat cut and this brisket was labeled select cut. I appreciate the comments and would welcome more. I have buddies coming over tomorrow before the game for brisket and hope to not disappoint. So far I am leaning to no flipping and no foil until i reach 190 then take it off, wrap it and try the cooler trick

I don't know if you realize this,but Smokin has made a brisket 101 to help with the first smoke. link to brisket 101

Thanks for the advice guys, brisket went on about an hour ago, so i will monitor and we shall see.....

Like the experienced cooks above have suggested,especially reading Smokin's Brisket 101.

That "select" could be from a 20 yr old dairy cow,or a 25 yr old wild Longhorn bull.Your reading will suggest that above 190* will be a place to begin checking for tenderness.It could also need another 15* cooking and a few hrs resting in foil.

Tips.

At this point, select isn't the best so I would test the temp and around 170 or so, take it out, foil fat side down and maybe add a little broth or something.

Put it back in to finish, looking for about 195 for slicing. There are a LOT of tips on how to know when to slice, but once you foil, it's tough to know.

Key method for determining "done" is to slow push your temp probe into the brisket and "feel" the resistence. You want less resistence. No matter the temp, but if you test and it's still tough to push in, cook it longer.

Every time you open the door, it will extend the cooking time.

Did I read this wrong? Was you gonna report back and leave your steps for any suggestions/help or did it go so well that your a brisket cooking machine???

I've had good luck cooking select packers in these CSs, ya know they were designed to be brisket cookers!

Maybe he was a Texas A&M fan and is still upset over them losing and hasn't come back yet

Smokin' was right.....I was and still am suffering from the cotton bowl loss....yes, I am an Aggie. However, I am getting back in the saddle tomorrow with my second brisket. To report back on the first.... I was impressed. It turned out great....to my surprise. That weekend was actually a test run for this weekend, throwing a big party so i hope I can repeat what i did last time. I got a bigger brisket this time, 12 pounds, and i plan to throw 4 or 5 ribs in there with the brisket. Targeting 1.5 hours per pound on the brisket (since that worked so well last time) and planning on adding ribs 5 hours before the brisket comes off. Do you need to add more time for the brisket if you adding more meat such as the ribs later? The 1.5 hrs per lb worked out to be right at 190* last time.

Great to hear the brisket turned out better then the game, but like football, briskets NEVER turn out the same. Some might be done at 190* and some may take well over 200* to come tender.

That is why the fine brisket cooks on the forum has taught me to use a probe to learn how to tell for doneness, I'm still learning the feel of the probe going in like butter on the flat, but my briskets seem to be more tender and moist now that I've practiced a couple dozen times.

Good luck this weekend, I'm actually cooking a brisket myself.

quote:

Originally posted by Hozer:
Do you need to add more time for the brisket if you adding more meat such as the ribs later? The 1.5 hrs per lb worked out to be right at 190* last time.

Smokin would tell you, and he's spot on, your Amerique doesn't know how much meat it's cooking. As Cal mentioned, briskets vary a lot, time wise so let your 1.5 hr/lb serve as a guide. You will lose heat when you pull your ribs so that might extend the brisket cook a bit.

As you all so appropriatly pointed out, the briskets do vary. Everyone who had not eaten the cotton bowl brisket said this one was great....the ones who had the first one agreed it was better....looks like i have a lot of practice in my future . The ribs were great...6 racks, gone in no time.

The only issue is IF you open the door, regardless of reason, it WILL extend the time.

Lookin' ain't cookin'

so if you open the door (to peak, to add meat, etc) just know that the heat lost will extend the time needed.