My 2nd Brisket

[Hornzbee]

My 1st brisket cook was my biggest Bradley failure.  Now that I have the Yoder it's time to ride the brisket trail once again.  I've looked around here and other places for info.  This weber based page http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/brisketselect.html I'm guessing has some fairly good info.  I went to Sam's club and all I saw were brisket flats.  A few had a decent fat cap but my fear is I could easily dry it out.  I'm not really looking for rub ideas etc but what you all do in regards to 1) finding and selecting a good brisket. 2) cooking fat side up, down or turning 3) internal temps for foiling etc, 4) mop, dont mop.  I'm just wondering what you all have done that led you to a good finished product in hopes that I too will be successful this weekend! Thanks all!

*BTW I did of course read Hub's sticky. It certainly has good info.  Just wanting to get as many ideas as possible.

[teesquare]

THIS.....is a great question for the West Coast guys, - and folks like Hub, and some others that will likely come along soon......

[Hornzbee]

Also, I read a number of places where people talk about water pans etc in order to keep things moist in the cooker.  Is this possible in the Yoder?   

[teesquare]

Sure...You can put a water pan in your Yoder. Placement options? Lower shelf, or even under the heat deflector....

[Pappymn]

I used a water pan, and I injected the brisket the night before. Did not foil. Came out excellent.

[teesquare]

Souunds great Pappy....what did you cook it on?

[muebe]

My advice is to find a large full packer brisket. Then go with the fat cap down. Set the Yoder for 260F. If you plan on foiling then take the brisket to a IT of 130F. After it reaches 130F IT then foil and continue until it reaches a IT of 200F. Then you can seperate the point from the flat, cut the point into chunks, then cook in some sauce for burnt ends. Then FTC the flat and slice across the grain.

[squirtthecat]

Ditto on what muebe said.

Your Sam's might have full packers in the back - just not out on display.  Ask one of the guys in the white coats and they can check.

[Pappymn]

Souunds great Pappy....what did you cook it on?

Best smoker in the world. Mak 2 Star General #1,000

[LostArrow]

"Aluminum foil is an outdoor cooks duct tape "
I cook a whole brisket (hopefully choice) trim the fat to 1/4 in .
Mustard & rub then smoke 225-275F till temp 140-160F
Put in aluminum pan with a little liquid tightly cover with foil till 185F & let rest at least an hour.
Foiling (aka panning) made all the difference in the world for me.

[smokeasaurus]

There seems to be a ton of ways to do a brisket. When I am selecting a brisket I hold it by the point and see if the flat bends. The one thing I highly recommend is to wet age it -3- weeks. I get home from the store and toss it in the back of the fridge and I just forget about it...really brings out the beefy flavor no matter what method you use.

Fat cap up....Fat cap down...depends on what type of cooker you use....in an off-set I have done em both ways and I can't tell the difference. In a vertical smoker I would go fat cap up because I want the smoke to hit the meat coming up from the bottom.

I  now trim most of my fat cap off. I can get more flavor from my rubs and smoke and I think the fat-cap moistening the meat while cooking is a myth. I have trimmed a brisket all the way down and was very moist and tender and I was able to pull it like a pork butt...just sayin...........

[teesquare]

Souunds great Pappy....what did you cook it on?

Best smoker in the world. Mak 2 Star General #1,000

Pretty close....John is using a Yoder - so the "oven" part will cook similar....

[Hub]

There is no one perfect or guaranteed way to cook a brisket and the only assurance of good quality in the cook is, to be brutally honest, experience.  Here are what I have found to be good "assurers" of excellence in brisket:

1.  Whole packers will come out more moist than flats.  This has been my experience in cooking probably sixty briskets.  I've had some flats come out "acceptable" but the really fantastic ones I've had have been packers.  I think the extra fat content and thickness really help.
2.  Inject.  Particularly the flat portion.  Injection is insurance for moisture.  Use lots of small, closely spaced injections both deep and shallow.  Don't try to add a lot of flavor.  Brisket has its own wonderful, beefy flavor and you don't want to override that.  Commercial injections like Butcher's and FAB are my favorites but a can of beef broth with just a wee bit of added salt and maybe a tinge of onion and garlic will work, too.
3.  Foil at 120-140 degrees.  You don't HAVE TO foil, but it is more insurance for moisture.  The hot brisket in the foil will, indeed, braise in its own juices and tenderize.  This also avoids the dreaded "stall" where the meat chunk refuses to increase in internal temperature because it is giving off moisture.  There are methods of producing tender, moist brisket without foiling but I've not had as much success with them. 

Mops contribute to bark production more than anything else.  If you like bark on your brisket, mop.  Otherwise don't mess with it.

Water pans are necessary only in vertical tube cookers and serve to block drippings from putting out the fire.  Pellet cookers don't need them and, at smoking temperatures, water pans don't add any moisture anyway.

I cook and recommend cooking fat side down, trimming to the point where about 1/8 to 1/4 inch remains on the fat side.  I used to do the opposite but have gotten better moisture fat down. 

Perhaps the biggest risk we take in brisket cookery is the brisket itself.  Quality can be inconsistent among suppliers and butchers.  It can be hard to find good ones.  I did a Sams Club brisket last weekend that was purported to be select grade Angus.  It was fatty and inconsistent.  Would love to find a good, reliable source of briskets but never have.

Hub

[Hornzbee]

Hub,

I am going to take your advice.  The one thing I was not going to do was inject.  But since it should only take maybe 10 extra minutes I think I will give it a shot since it can only help to reach a good end product.   My plan was to go with a thin mustard & molasses coating then a rub on that tonight, wrap it and throw into the fridge until I start the cook late tomorrow night.  How long before I start the cook do you recommend I do the injections? And, I guess I should put some sort of rub on after the injections are made to help with the bark?  Also, I do want a healthy bark so I do plan on mopping some.  At which point is mopping the most effective? As well do you have any recommendations on a good mop recipe?

Wow. Thats a lot of additional questions. Thanks for all your time.  And thanks to everyone for all your input!

[Hub]

I recommend injecting about 2-3 hours before the cook but no big deal.  I've also done it just before. 

Heavy bark comes from the action of dessicants (salt and sugar in rubs) drying the outer surface.  The sugar in your molasses will do this to some degree but mustard is mostly oil.  Again, not a major factor.

Mops work best early in the cook as they prolong the evaporation effect.  Also, for heavier bark, foil later -- say at 140-150.  Mops don't add much flavor so cheap beer with some Worcestershire Sauce added makes a good one for brisket.

Hub