Skip to main content

9 replies

Larding a brisket and other cheats

FM Former Member
My first brisket in my Amerique was tender, but it was dry. I pulled it out at 186 degreees, and I don't believe it was either under or over cooked. Most of the briskets I've smoked in my other smokers have also been drier than I'd like. Rarely I get the tenderness and juiciness balanced, and just how I like them.

It's possible that the quality of the meat is a significant factor. I don't have enough experience with brisket to know for sure. I don't think I could identify a great brisket just by looking at it or feeling it. I don't even know how the brisket I'm buying was raised, e.g. feedlot or pasture, or the age at slaughter. 95% of the briskets I've bought have come from either Costco or Sams, always packers in cryovac, and I have never bought anything but choice grade.

I've been thinking about ways to achieve a juicer brisket. I know that some people cook them in foil for part of the cooking period. It's called the Texas crutch? I've heard that some people inject the briskets, but I'm not sure what they inject them with.

What about larding them? I'm thinking about buying a larding needle, then locating a source of lardon locally so I can try this old-fashioned technique. I've never tried it on any kind of meat, but some of my old cookbooks describe it as a way of adding fat internally to overly lean and tough cuts of meat. It seems like it should be more effective than basting the outside of the meat with fat (e.g., cooking under a pork butt).

Have any of you tried larding a brisket? The point won't need it, I'm thinking of the flat only. Would you lard it across the grain or parallel with it?

Besides injecting, foiling, or larding, are there any other techniques or cheats for getting a juicier brisket?

I know it's possible that my cooking is at fault or that I'm simply picking bad beef. I try to improve my cooking with every smoke, and I try to apply tips I've read about for picking better meat. But if larding the brisket or injecting or foiling might give me a better end result, I figure it's worth trying.
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

FM Former Member
I've seen it all over the years, including trying to add fat to the brisket by larding (for those that don't know there is such a think as a larding needle).

I've cooked 100's if not 1000's of briskets.

It's the meat usually. Cows are just not a fat as they used to be and ALL of the select I've seen has zero to little intramuscular fat. The choice I see now would have been rated select a few years back.

You don't say where you're from, but I'd suggest just looking for better briskets and learning how to select first.

Sure there are tons of methods and maybe I can start a post with all those methods (maybe a Brisket 101b) for people who don't have experience or just want to experiment.

Your post seem to indicate you're the latter so go for it and tell us how it goes. Photos are required.
FM Former Member
Yep, if I try larding, I'll take pics for sure.

I'm in Dallas, by the way. I suspect there are good places to get meat here, but it seems I wind up buying from Costco or Sams just about all the time. If you know a good place to buy quality meat in the North Dallas area, let me know. I think I'll check out Central Market in Plano this coming weekend to see what their meat looks like.

quote:
Originally posted by SmokinOkie:
I've seen it all over the years, including trying to add fat to the brisket by larding (for those that don't know there is such a think as a larding needle).

I've cooked 100's if not 1000's of briskets.

It's the meat usually. Cows are just not a fat as they used to be and ALL of the select I've seen has zero to little intramuscular fat. The choice I see now would have been rated select a few years back.

You don't say where you're from, but I'd suggest just looking for better briskets and learning how to select first.

Sure there are tons of methods and maybe I can start a post with all those methods (maybe a Brisket 101b) for people who don't have experience or just want to experiment.

Your post seem to indicate you're the latter so go for it and tell us how it goes. Photos are required.
cal 2cal 2Member
I thought of this also, or should I say, I read about it.That's the problem with reading or chasing tricks. It takes away from the important thing,the cook.

You can put all the oil you want in there, but 186* will getta dry brisket all day long,IMO.

Yep, you need to get to know one of them meat workers, tell them what your up to. Never know they might be able to help get a nice size brisket with some marbling to the meat.

Please post the pics!
FM Former Member
quote:
Originally posted by cal:
....You can put all the oil you want in there, but 186* will getta dry brisket all day long,IMO.


Uh Pags, did you mean to say not tender?

Not if he said 210 or more, that might be true, unless it's the point which works at that temp.

I'm confused Confused

Skip, if you're in Dallas, then you should be able to find them anywhere.

I'd look for choice or better and THICK in the flat section. Look for 14lb or bigger (since you're in Texas)

Maybe some of our Texas group will give us someplace specific, but I've competed in Texas and found the above example at routine grocery stores.
FM Former Member
Thanks for that recommendation Thumper. I hate going downtown, but for good beef it will be worth the trouble.

I'm going to take you suggestions too, Smokin. I'll be paying very careful attention to the characteristics of the meat, marbling, thickness of the flat.

And I just ordered a larding needle, so I'm going to try that too.
FM Former Member
Skip,

When i select briskets here's what I do:

1. Grade. I don't look at any select, I'll go elsewhere first
2. Thickness / shape. I'm looking for an even flat, the thicker the better. Look at the shape, they sometimes are REALLY cut poorly.
3. Bend. Pick it up and try to touch the two ends. If it doesn't bend easy, then that tends to be an indication of how it cooks.
4. Fat. I look for white fat. If it's yellow it's not a good sign. I also feel the fat. Sometimes it feels like a rock, don't buy it (can't always tell)

I'm sure there's more, but I'll update Brisket 101 to do that.
cal 2cal 2Member
Yep Smokin',

I can confuss myself quite often and not really know it, but I still believe what I said,I think!(LOL)

If a person is cooking low and slow to render fat, that is one thing...but I'm a thinking that todays store bought briskets is to lean to smoke out at such a low temp... not as much colligen(or whatever) to break down. It will finish the brisket at to low of a temp to make it moist. I feel that it should be done when the internal temp of the brisket is 200* or a little more.

But heck, I'm just a newbie that has some learning to do and you sure help with that part of it.I'll keep smoking mine at 225-250* tell I feel it's wrong.

Add Reply

Post

Membership Required

We're sorry. You must be signed in to continue. Sign In or Register
×
Are you sure you want to remove from your Block List?
×
Loading...
×
When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. Finally, you'll never receive email notifications about content they create or likes they designate for your content.
Note: if you proceed, you will no longer be following .
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×