Author Topic: BASIC BRISKET for the Beginner  (Read 38945 times)

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Offline Hub

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BASIC BRISKET for the Beginner
« Reply #-1 on: March 09, 2012, 01:55:00 PM »
BASIC BRISKET for the Beginner

I don’t know of any other cut of meat that presents as much of a challenge to the cook as the beef brisket!  Packed with great beefy flavor, the cut is a “walking muscle” from the front end of the critter and isn’t exactly tender even when graded Prime or purchased from a specialty meat dealer as Kobe or Wagyu.  It took me several years to learn the ins and outs of this cut and in this recipe I’ll try to get you up to speed, avoiding all of my mistakes.  Once you’ve got this “basic” approach down, you can experiment and adapt as much as you’d like.

This recipe is long because it has to be – it is an instruction toward a good, basic, moist, tender brisket result.  Once you’ve done several, you’ll know it by heart and you’ll want to add some of your own touches!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

A “Packer” Brisket (point and flat not separated) – 11 to 15 lbs.
McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning
Can or carton of Beef Broth (not stock)
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Kosher Salt

Tools You’ll Need:

Your Cooker (capable of controlled low temperature or smoking)
Aluminum Foil (wide, heavy)
Injector Syringe
Tray
Knife
Instant-read Meat Thermometer (Maverick PT-100 or Thermapen recommended)

Some things it’s nice to know about:

I’ve learned that whole, “packer” briskets are much easier to cook to a tasty, moist and delicious result than are separate flat or point pieces.  If all you can get is a chunk, then go for a flat or keep on looking.

Be careful when trimming excess fat from a brisket.  That fat is a source of both moisture and flavor and can be trimmed for appearance after the cook, too. 

Arguments start among cooks about “fat side up” or “fat side down” during the cook.  I advocate fat side down.  It serves as a barrier and retains moisture in the meat, particularly the flat.

Injecting, particularly in the flat, is as close to a guarantee as you’ll ever get for good brisket.  It really, really needs the extra moisture.

Brisket can take a strong woody flavor in its smoke phase and both mesquite and hickory work well.  Like all other meats, don’t over-smoke it – smoke is just one of the flavors you want.

Preparation and Cooking:

Trim the brisket lightly, just removing any large, loose lumps of fat but leaving an even coat at least 1/8 to ¼ inches in the fat-covered areas.

Apply a light to medium “sprinkling” of McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning all over the brisket.

Using one can of beef broth (most are 15 to 19 oz. depending on brand) add enough water to get to 20-22 oz.  Add 1 heaping teaspoon garlic powder, 1 heaping teaspoon onion powder, and 2 teaspoons kosher salt – stir or shake in a jar until thoroughly combined.

Using an injection syringe (turkey injectors are available at big box stores for a few dollars), inject about 1/3 of the injection mixture into the point and 2/3 into the flat.  Use lots of small injections, both shallow and deep, spaced about an inch apart.

Allow brisket to “rest” with rub and injection for one hour while you bring your smoker up to speed (235 to 250 degree range).

Place brisket fat side down on cooking grids and smoke with lid/cover closed as much as possible until internal temperature in thickest parts reaches 140-150 degrees – then double wrap in foil and return to cooker.  Continue cooking until internal temperature is 195 degrees.

Remove from cooker and open foil, but do not unwrap.  Allow brisket to rest this way for one hour.  If you can’t slice and serve after this one hour rest, re-wrap and place in a cooler covered with old towels.  It will stay very hot for up to five or six more hours.

Slice flat across grain.  Trim excess fat to taste.  The point can be removed and returned to high heat to create “burnt ends” or shredded/pulled (super for sandwiches).

Final Notes and Thoughts:

The injection is primarily for moisture and texture, not flavor.  So, keep it mild.

Undercooked brisket will be tough and stringy with a dry mouth feel.  Overcooked brisket will tend to fall apart in the slicing process but may still lack good moisture.

Apply any sauce to brisket very sparingly.  It has a natural beef flavor that you don’t want to cover up.  The injection and rub in this recipe will balance well with any smokiness imparted during the cook to give a complex, but still “beefy” flavor.

Retain the juices captured in the bottom of the foil wrap and use them to “thin” down some commercial sauce like Sweet Baby Ray’s or Head Country (about 50% juices, 50% sauce).  This decreases the sweetness and increases the savory compliment.

If you’ve never cooked a brisket before or have had less than acceptable results with one, this recipe will get you into “good brisket” territory in a hurry.

Please note:  This is not a competition recipe and is posted only with the intent of providing basic instruction.  The author is not implying its superiority over any other method or approach.


Hub
« Last Edit: March 10, 2012, 06:19:02 AM by Hub »
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Offline muebe

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Re: BASIC BRISKET for the Beginner
« on: March 09, 2012, 03:00:14 PM »
Thanks Hub....nice write up :)
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Offline Ka Honu

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Re: BASIC BRISKET for the Beginner
« Reply #1 on: March 09, 2012, 03:12:50 PM »
I will not argue with other LTBBQ forum members about prime rib or brisket. I will not argue with other LTBBQ forum members about prime rib or brisket. I will not argue with other LTBBQ forum members about prime rib or brisket. I will not argue with other LTBBQ forum members about prime rib or brisket. I will not argue with other LTBBQ forum members about prime rib or brisket. I will not argue with other LTBBQ forum members about prime rib or brisket. I will not argue with other LTBBQ forum members about prime rib or brisket. I will not argue with other LTBBQ forum members about prime rib or brisket. I will not argue with other LTBBQ forum members about prime rib or brisket. I will not argue with other LTBBQ forum members about prime rib or brisket.

Don't know what I'm going to do with the rest of the day now, but at least I know what I won't be doing.
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Offline LostArrow

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Re: BASIC BRISKET for the Beginner
« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2012, 03:55:16 PM »
Thanks Hub.
I think we need to repost in a read only "How To " section.
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Offline Hub

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Re: BASIC BRISKET for the Beginner
« Reply #3 on: March 09, 2012, 06:15:21 PM »
I will not argue with other LTBBQ forum members about prime rib or brisket. I will not argue with other LTBBQ forum members about prime rib or brisket. I will not argue with other LTBBQ forum members about prime rib or brisket. I will not argue with other LTBBQ forum members about prime rib or brisket. I will not argue with other LTBBQ forum members about prime rib or brisket. I will not argue with other LTBBQ forum members about prime rib or brisket. I will not argue with other LTBBQ forum members about prime rib or brisket. I will not argue with other LTBBQ forum members about prime rib or brisket. I will not argue with other LTBBQ forum members about prime rib or brisket. I will not argue with other LTBBQ forum members about prime rib or brisket.

Don't know what I'm going to do with the rest of the day now, but at least I know what I won't be doing.


It's okay to disagree with me Ka Honu.  But my intent here, as with a similar post earlier on "Basic Ribs" is to provide a BEGINNER with a way to produce a good result instead of a catastrophe.  There are many other recipes and approaches to brisket, of course.  If you are an experienced cook you'll no doubt differ from my BASIC recipe (I have a couple more brisket recipes but they are more complex).  My theory is that if one understands BASICS from a proven approach and recipe (which this is many times over) then one can "tweak" and customize and have lots of fun.  That's the name of the game.

I have been harshly criticized on another forum for this approach.  The poster said it was too sophisticated and required too much of a beginner.  Au Contraire!  Even the beginner should be at least slightly challenged.  More importantly, he or she should learn from the experience and ultimately improve the result. 

If you have a better, proven, BASIC approach and recipe please post it.  If you have a different opinion on any aspect of the cook or on how to improve as one learns and grows, please post that, too.  I'm not the world's greatest authority on anything, but I do like to help folks learn, especially from MY mistakes  ;D


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Offline smokeasaurus

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Re: BASIC BRISKET for the Beginner
« Reply #4 on: March 09, 2012, 06:46:01 PM »
Briskets are the most challenging of cooks which also makes them the most fun to do...IMHO. I have done many briskets many different ways to varying degrees of success and I really like this tutorial you got here Hub. Appreciate the time and thought you put into it!!

P.S. It sure is nice knowing that the turtle wont argue with us LTBBQ members over prime rib or brisket  ;D :o ;D
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Offline Ka Honu

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Re: BASIC BRISKET for the Beginner
« Reply #5 on: March 09, 2012, 07:50:17 PM »
The following is not an argument:

Essentially, Hub, I smoke a trimmed packer low & slow (@200-225o to IT of 180-185o) without injection or foil except for (usually) FTC at the end (and usually rubbed with salt, pepper, and (maybe) garlic only).  After FTC, I separate the flat and point and often reseason/resmoke the point for chili, burnt ends, pulled brisket, etc.

As long as I pay attention and keep the environment moist (smoke over a drip pan with liquid and maybe some onions and/or peppers), it works as well as any other way I've tried and has the advantage of being so easy even I can remember how to do it.

The preceding was not an argument.
« Last Edit: March 09, 2012, 08:48:51 PM by Ka Honu »
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Offline teesquare

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Re: BASIC BRISKET for the Beginner
« Reply #6 on: March 09, 2012, 08:00:55 PM »


I think that we ALL come to the BBQ pit from a different perspective. Ka, I can appreciate that you are seeing Hub's "simple" recipe as more complex than you would think of as simple.
But - I know that Hub's thinking is from the KCBS judging experience. The taste of a competition - even for a beginner- brisket is going to be more detailed than a lot of us would think of as simple. And, that may influence Hub's opinion.

Just as your opinion, I am guessing - is influenced by being able to use only 2 or 3 ingredients, that based on your experience - will give you desired results.




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Offline smokeasaurus

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Re: BASIC BRISKET for the Beginner
« Reply #7 on: March 09, 2012, 08:08:08 PM »
Sometimes simple can be better.
One thing I cant figure out is how competition que is better than backyard. Since you cant do anything to your meat until after it is inspected one would think that the backyard cook has an edge. We can prep our meat as far ahead as possible whether it being rubbed or brined or marinated. We can either layer flavors or keep it simple like the turtle does. I bet Ka Honu's brisket tastes like brisket!!!!! 8)

IMHO...I think my backyard Que is far better than competition Que. ;D

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Offline teesquare

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Re: BASIC BRISKET for the Beginner
« Reply #8 on: March 09, 2012, 08:33:47 PM »
The time advantage certainly favors backyard cooking. But competition teaches you to be creative, and forces you to understand the forces that influence the quality of the end product in a manner that backyard cooking does not.

Example:

You want the meat to have the flavor of your rub penetrate all the way thru. No problem, vacuum pack the rubbed meat, and put it in the fridge for2-3 days. Can't do that in a comp......

There are other examples - but suffice it to say that competitions forces you to understand better how chemistry, temperature, finished appearance, and the  specifics of the piece of meat itself interplay to create the desired results, because WINNING ( ala Charlie Sheen... :P ) is the focus.
But - our goal in our backyard is different. We just want it to taste good, and be presentable.
BBQ is neither verb or noun. It is an experience.
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Offline ACW3

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Re: BASIC BRISKET for the Beginner
« Reply #9 on: March 09, 2012, 08:43:52 PM »
I have enjoyed reading this post.  It would appear that we have several different approaches to cooking brisket.  I know that Hub has a lot of experience cooking over a pellet grill.  The other approaches are most likely from non-pellet grill cookers.  There will be differences, which is great.  That's what makes the world of que go around.

As far as backyard BBQ tasting better than competition, I would tend to agree that my home que is better than most everything I have tasted on the competiton circuit.  The competition que has a definite fixed set of parameters that they have to worki with to compete.  At home, anything goes.  No time limits.  You can pre-prep the meat if you so desire.  There are no restrictions on how you cook the meat.  There are many ways to get the flavor you desire in your final product.  No rules!!!  Just cook and enjoy.

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Offline TwoPockets

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Re: BASIC BRISKET for the Beginner
« Reply #10 on: March 09, 2012, 08:51:38 PM »
Thanks for that post Hub. I cut and pasted it for future use. I have cooked a few briskets and had mixed results. The first brisket I cooked was the best I had ever tasted, a couple were also good and a couple not so good.
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Offline Hub

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Re: BASIC BRISKET for the Beginner
« Reply #11 on: March 10, 2012, 06:13:13 AM »
One thing I cant figure out is how competition que is better than backyard.

Who ever said that?  Certainly not I!  The only time I've ever observed any commentary promoting competiton as better than anything was from several friends for whom I've prepared competition style ribs.  To a person they've liked them better than restaurant style.  Since most restaurants ruin ribs (I said most, not all) then that's not much of a bragging point.

My perspective on my "BASIC" posts is to give a baseline methodology that, if followed, will produce good results (not competiton results) and provide the user a departure point to use his or her own creativity to make changes and improvements. 

The list of the 20 best restaurants in the USA has just come out and, alas, Hub's side-yard cookshack in North Carolina did not make the cut this year (but a BBQ joint in Texas did).  Also, the list of the 50 most influential people in food has been published and my name was somehow or another omitted.  These two facts being what they are, I'll have to continue to bow to the opinions of others.  One must always understand that in nature there are multiple methodologies extant descriptive of removal of epidermal tissue from a domestic feline  ;D

I had envisioned a short series of "BASIC" success almost guaranteed recipe/approach posts, the intent being to provide assistance to newbies.  However, what I forgot was that "perception is reality" and my intent got lost in my image (didn't know I had much of one, actually).  Thus, I will end this jag and find another angle as my desire to write about barbeque and assist others in the pursuit of "doing it good" continues to burn deep down in my soul.

Hub
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Offline LostArrow

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Re: BASIC BRISKET for the Beginner
« Reply #12 on: March 10, 2012, 09:28:57 AM »
Hub , I appreciate the effort to post basic technique !
The idea being a first cook can be follow the instructions & get a good result.
I know a "recipe" is a staring point & we all alter as cooks go by!
Please keep postin them.
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Offline smokeasaurus

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Re: BASIC BRISKET for the Beginner
« Reply #13 on: March 10, 2012, 10:31:21 AM »
Whatever you do Hub, please don't stop your 'Basic' series of posts. They are very informative,well written and very helpful to new and grizzled cooks.
We all appreciate the time and effort you put into these great tutorials.

 I think I picked the wrong thread to get on my soap-box!!

I was watching a re-run of Pitmasters season 1 where this judge was talking about rib texture and he was sayin if the meat pulls off the bone with no resistance it is over-cooked and "so-backyard".....that comment kinda chapped my fanny  >:(

Please keep the 'basic' series going my friend.
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