Author Topic: Brisket Thoughts  (Read 2137 times)

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Offline bboyle19

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Brisket Thoughts
« Reply #-1 on: September 03, 2017, 03:35:37 PM »
Have a full packer from Costco going to spend my Monday cooking.  I want to try on the grate this time instead of hanging.  Do I do it Fat side up the whole time or flip during the cook?

Offline Roget

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Re: Brisket Thoughts
« on: September 03, 2017, 06:29:38 PM »
I'm no expert on briskets (some who are will probably chime in), but I always smoke my briskets fat up the entire cook.
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Offline KJRsmoker

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Re: Brisket Thoughts
« Reply #1 on: September 03, 2017, 07:37:43 PM »
I've done several briskets, and I'm not claiming to be an expert by any means, but after trimming, I've always done fat side up.
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Offline scottv

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Brisket Thoughts
« Reply #2 on: September 03, 2017, 08:36:42 PM »
I always do fat side down. IMO fat down helps protects the meat from drying out

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Offline smokeasaurus

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Re: Brisket Thoughts
« Reply #3 on: September 04, 2017, 10:02:23 AM »
I would start fat side up for the first two hours and then flip it over. I used to do this in my Ugly drum smoker with great results. Let the fat cap tighten up and cook a bit and then flip so the coals don't get inundated with grease drippings at the start of the cook and cool off too soon.
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Offline Smokerjunky

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Re: Brisket Thoughts
« Reply #4 on: September 05, 2017, 03:26:12 PM »
I am not the expert in the brisket arena but I just did one using Aaron Franklin's recipe and it may be the best one I have done so far.  It was really simple - equal parts coarse salt and pepper - fat side up (after trimming - he has a great youtube video on trimming brisket). then wrapped in pink butcher paper when the internal temp hit 175 degrees. 

Good Luck - can't wait to see your results!
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Offline SteelerFanInTexas

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Re: Brisket Thoughts
« Reply #5 on: October 02, 2017, 08:50:04 PM »
What are you hoping to accomplish by using a grate rather than hanging?  (Not trying to be snarky - I genuinely don't know and am curious).

Offline smokeasaurus

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Re: Brisket Thoughts
« Reply #6 on: October 02, 2017, 09:26:47 PM »
Snarky!!  We don't do that around here. We sic "Big Freddie" on snarky folk.  :D :D  We do have a sparky that hangs out here, but sparky is never snarky.  :D Just pulling your chain  ;) :D ;D :)  Go Steelers :thumbup:

About the PBC. It does not matter if you hang the meat or use the cooking grate because the cooking grate sets in the "sweet spot" where the meat would be if it was hanging.

Sometimes I will start on the hook, but if I am worried about something maybe getting a bit too tender, I just put it on the grate.

Another good use of the grate is if you are going to be gone a while, the grate makes for a worry free cook if you are down the road somewhere or if you are just plain busy.
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Offline SteelerFanInTexas

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Re: Brisket Thoughts
« Reply #7 on: October 02, 2017, 10:27:51 PM »
Thanks, smokeasaurus.  My PBC arrives on Thursday, and brisket is one of the things I'm most looking forward to.

Offline smokeasaurus

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Re: Brisket Thoughts
« Reply #8 on: October 03, 2017, 10:49:52 AM »
I think about brisket all the time. When funds are low a chuck roast is a great brisket alternative. It might just have more flavor, but not the mystic that brisket has.

Now that you are living in Texas, you better nail that brisket  ;) :)
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Offline psousa781

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Re: Brisket Thoughts
« Reply #9 on: October 03, 2017, 12:59:50 PM »
A bit off topic here, but relevant to the grate versus hanging question.  I just smoked a couple pork tenderloins last night and when they were about 10 degrees from being done I saw that the top sides had no crust at all.  I flipped them and the bottoms had a nice brown crust going, so I kept them flipped and when I pulled them luckily both sides now had some crust.  I am assuming here, but my guess is if I had hung them they would have browned up evenly all around.  Now these had a very short cook time which plays into the lack of crust on top - longer cooks certainly wouldn't have as extreme a difference, but I do think it shows a difference between hanging and sitting on the grate.

Offline smokeasaurus

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Re: Brisket Thoughts
« Reply #10 on: October 03, 2017, 01:01:32 PM »
I use the PBC kind of like when I ran a drum smoker. I will usually turn my meat when on the grate.
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Offline psousa781

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Re: Brisket Thoughts
« Reply #11 on: October 03, 2017, 01:18:07 PM »
I use the PBC kind of like when I ran a drum smoker. I will usually turn my meat when on the grate.

I think that's the one (probably obvious to everyone but me) caveat to using the grate.  I smoked a butt on the grate and didn't turn it, but probably would have been a good idea to have done so.