I am brand new to smoking, just having received my CS SM009 only a week and a half ago. I already have a pork shoulder under my belt, but that is an entirely different story (and yes, it was delicious !) As you'll read below, with my "newbie" status, I stumbled a few times - but kept plowing ahead.
I decided I'd like to try a brisket next and opted to follow the brisket recipe at the top of this particular forum: "! Incredible Brisket Recipe"
I did some research and found Wagner Meats / Mt. Airy Meat Locker close by. (http://www.wagnersmeats.com/) I gave them a call and asked for an 8-10 lb. packer cut brisket. I was told that they'd cut that fresh for me and I could pick it up within the hour. Great customer service! I'll definitely be a "regular" there.
*gulp*. Wow.... A packer cut brisket is a BIG piece of meat.
To be honest, I was a little intimidated with the size of this hunk o' cow. Oh well, full speed ahead!I followed the recipe (mentioned above): 1) Marinated for about seven hours - 2). Mixed up the dry rub portion 3) Pulled from the fridge and gave it a heavy coating of the custom dry rub.
Into the smoker it went. It fit (barely) on one rack (no folding of the meat necessary). In the smoker I had two hunks of hickory, one hunk of oak and one Kingsford charcoal briquette. The smoke started and already it smelled delicious !
Now, to my newbie stumbles: 1). About 30 minutes into the smoke, I realized I forgot to poke a hole in the bottom foil. Doh !! 2). I also realized I failed to make sure that the meat went into the smoker with the fat side up. Double-Doh!
*sigh*.
I open the smoker - and "whomp"! I'm inundated with a cloud of smoke. Man! I couldn't believe how much smoke was inside the CS. After coughing, gagging and wheezing, I managed to get a hole in the foil. And now that the meat was covered with a heavy layer of rub, I found it difficult to tell if the side I had up was the "fat cap" side. Oh well.
Back into the smoker it all went - about 8:30 pm.
I set my remote thermometer for 190 degrees. After all my research, I anticipated about 12 hours for this smoke.
"Beep! Beep! Beep!" - woke me at about 7:30 am. Success! 190 degrees! (11 hours to get there, smoking at 225 degrees).
I pull the brisket and into the kitchen it goes. It smells heavenly! Following the recipe, I set the brisket in some foil and smother it with the "finishing sauce". I then seal it back up snug and tight - and back into the CS it goes: One hour at 150 degrees.
I pull the brisket again. Considering the time now (about 10:30 am), I decide to do the double-wrap in a towel and drop into the cooler trick. There it sat for about three hours while I did some yard work and went for a run..
I pull the brisket from the cooler and place on the counter. Its gametime, baby!
Now, my only experience with eating brisket is what my mom made when I was growing up. As much as I love Dear Ole' Mom, she made brisket that was like shoe leather.
THIS brisket was nothing like that. At all. The first few slices (from the flat), I was a bit worried, because it did look pretty dried out. As I cut further into the thicker portion, the juices started to flow and I breathed a big sigh of relief.
It was a HUGE hit. My family LOVED it. Talk about finger licken' good! This brisket / recipe was excellent.
I ended up chopping the drier slices from the flat and sopping them with remnants of the finishing sauce. It will make a wonderful sandwich.
After doing two smokes on my new CS (pork shoulder and now brisket), my wife is VERY enthusiastic about my new hobby. "I'd like you to try a turkey next!" she says. Oy!
.... Time to start educating myself on smoking turkey.
Thanks to all for making this forum so much fun to read and for all the useful advice that is out there. I've learned a lot and will now start contributing from my "lessons learned".
Happy New Year to all.
Joshua in Laytonsville, MD
