Trying to up my brisket game

[SteelerFanInTexas]

I like to smoke a bunch of things on my PBC but, for me, BBQ is 90% about brisket.  In fact, unable to match some of the BBQ spots nearby, I'd pretty much stopped doing my own brisket.  But I enjoy it, so I decided it's time to try again.  Here's what I'm trying and a few associated questions.

First, I got a new rub.  Meat Church Holy Cow.  Applied it quite liberally (maybe still could have gone a bit heavier).

Second, I bought a Prime cut.  Kroger had Choice at $3.99/lb, but I decided to try Costco's Prime for $5.99/lb.  I'm curious whether people have found there to be a noticeable difference between Choice and Prime cuts? 

Third, I'm trying lower and slower.  Typically my 12#-ish (before trimming) briskets have been done at 225-275, having taken somewhere between 8 and 10 hours - and have still just been disappointing in texture.  It seems like I haven't been low/slow enough.  To rectify this, I started my cook about 5:30pm and plan to let it go overnight.  For the almost two hours so far, the temp has ranged between 190 and 210.  I just checked it this moment again and it was showing 234, so I slid the air intake closed a bit more to let it down.  I hear people talk about cooking the brisket to 200 degrees, and I hear people talking about 12-18 hour cooks.  My issue?  Those are incompatible.  I reach 200 degrees long before I can get the brisket to cook for 12+ hours.  So I'm trying the - what I'll call - extreme low and slow.  I'll see how it comes out, but anybody with thoughts on that, I'd appreciate hearing it.

Fourth, I bought some butcher paper to wrap instead of foil.  My understanding is that the butcher paper should slow the cook down versus foil.

Finally, I'm toying with the idea of making burnt ends.  I need to look up some recipes for them (and thinking about it now, the one recipe I saw required a different cut/prep method on the point, so I may have to save that for the next cook).

Anyway - all thoughts, comments and suggestions welcome.

Chris

[bamabob]

You may be overthinking it.  Have you calibrated your thermometers?  I've had briskets finish in 10 hours and go as long as 16.  I've found that prime cooks faster than choice.  I've done a couple of primes from Costco, they were good but I actually preferred the choice from Walmart. 
As far as temps, depends where you probe.  If doing a whole packer, the point always seems to read a higher temp than the flat, I guess because it has more fat.  I use temp as a guide to start "poking" the flat with my instant read.  If it slides in easily with no resistance I call it done.  Could be at 190 or 205.  At that point I'll separate the point from the flat, wrap the flat in foil and put the point back on to render more of the fat out if I want to use it for burnt ends.  It's all really just a matter of what you like.  If you like the briskets from your local BBQ joints, get to know the pitmaster, they love to talk and share techniques.
As far as rub, have you tried just Kosher Salt and Course Pepper?  Hard to beat really. 
I've found that the meat is a big varialbe as far as time, taste, and texture.  If your local joints are using true stick burners, you won't be able to duplicate that easily if your not using one.  I have a Kamado, doesn't come close to a stick burner but it still produces some decent brisket.

[IR2dum]

I'm not an expert on brisket, but I am a native Texan so I know a little about it.  Prime briskets are great and, like bamabob says, they do cook faster than choice or select; however, a choice and even a select brisket can become as tender as a prime. If the brisket is cooked correctly, you can't tell the difference between a prime or select. The number one bbq joint in Texas, according to Texas Monthly, is Snow's BBQ in Lexington, and they only cook select briskets. And they are really good.

We don't really cook briskets to time or temp, we cook to probe tender and that usually equates to around 203 to as high as 212 degrees internal temp. My 16 to 17 lb.briskets usually go as long as 22 to 24 hours at 225 degrees before they are probe tender. I usually start them off at 180 degrees for a couple of hours to acquire the right amount of smoke, but then I bump it to 225 and let it ride until about 160 and wrap it in butcher paper until it is finished. At this point, you can raise the temp up a little (like 275) to help with your cooking time, but remember, it is not ready until the probe goes in to the meat like butter. I use a Thermapen as my probe because it is pretty sharp. One last important point. Before eating, the brisket should rest for at least one hour...two is better. Wrap it in towels and place it in an insulated cooler or cool oven. Then cut against the grain and enjoy.

And like bamabob said, almost every bbq joint in Texas uses just salt and pepper and so do I. Lots of pepper. I use two parts pepper to one part salt.

The best burnt ends I ever ate were made by KaHonu, the Turtle. Maybe he will be along to tell you how he makes them.

Good luck with your brisket.

[ACW3]

I'm not an expert on brisket, but I am a native Texan so I know a little about it.  Prime briskets are great and, like bamabob says, they do cook faster than choice or select; however, a choice and even a select brisket can become as tender as a prime. If the brisket is cooked correctly, you can't tell the difference between a prime or select. The number one bbq joint in Texas, according to Texas Monthly, is Snow's BBQ in Lexington, and they only cook select briskets. And they are really good.

We don't really cook briskets to time or temp, we cook to probe tender and that usually equates to around 203 to as high as 212 degrees internal temp. My 16 to 17 lb.briskets usually go as long as 22 to 24 hours at 225 degrees before they are probe tender. I usually start them off at 180 degrees for a couple of hours to acquire the right amount of smoke, but then I bump it to 225 and let it ride until about 160 and wrap it in butcher paper until it is finished. At this point, you can raise the temp up a little (like 275) to help with your cooking time, but remember, it is not ready until the probe goes in to the meat like butter. I use a Thermapen as my probe because it is pretty sharp. One last important point. Before eating, the brisket should rest for at least one hour...two is better. Wrap it in towels and place it in an insulated cooler or cool oven. Then cut against the grain and enjoy.

And like bamabob said, almost every bbq joint in Texas uses just salt and pepper and so do I. Lots of pepper. I use two parts pepper to one part salt.

The best burnt ends I ever ate were made by KaHonu, the Turtle. Maybe he will be along to tell you how he makes them.

Good luck with your brisket.

IR2dum knows what he is talking about (brisket, anyway).  I have been fortunate enough to savor some of his brisket cooks.  You have to get there early, or you just get to hear about what you missed.

Art

[SteelerFanInTexas]

Definite progress on this last cook.  I targeted 210-220 for most of the cook and finished at about 235.  The 12# brisket (before trimming) was on the smoker for about 7.5 hours, then I wrapped it in butcher paper and let it go for another 4 hours.  I let it rest for about 4.5 hours before slicing into it.

I'm VERY happy with the tenderness - even in the flat meat.  As I was carving, the meat (with a sharp knife) the meat was coming apart in a couple of spots along the grain - so moist and so tender.  This is my best brisket yet.

My next task will be to introduce a little heat into the rub - I like a little bit of spicy in there.

There's only one thing I'm puzzled about.  The smokiness is definitely lower than it has been in the past, and the smoke ring (see picture below) is almost nonexistent relative to what I've gotten in the past.  I expected that the lower temp would impart more smokiness and that the butcher paper would also help in that regard.  Neither seems to have happened.  Does anybody have any thoughts about why the smoke ring and smoke flavor are so much less?  I used Kingsford briquettes for this cook, whereas I've been mostly using lump charcoal more recently - perhaps that has something to do with it?

Anyway - very happy, great progress, more to go!  ;-)

[Ka Honu]

The best burnt ends I ever ate were made by KaHonu, the Turtle. Maybe he will be along to tell you how he makes them.   Awww, you’re so sweet.

IR2dum knows what he is talking about (brisket, anyway).   That holds true for the ones that get to the cooker. Some don't and are justly ignored when he can get away with it.

So, while I’m here, I might as well throw in my “worth what you paid for it” brisket observations…

     I’m pretty traditional with smoked briskets. I smoke “naked” (the brisket, not me), generally using only salt, pepper (and maybe some garlic) for seasoning because I think anything else detracts from the beef flavor. I smoke/cook in the 200-225^o range and start probe testing at an IT of about 185-190^o. Then FTC for a couple hours when done. The only caveat for this method is that you need to put a BIG pan of water in the cooker (and replenish when necessary) to make sure the environment stays moist.

     If I’m smoking a flat only or cooking fat side down, I might also put some of the trim on a rack over the brisket to create a “tallow drip” (or I might not). Don’t know if that really does anything but it makes me look/sound like I know what I’m doing.

     If you want the best information on smoking brisket, you need to go to the old Bradley Smoker site (archived) and read what Pachanga has to say. He’s from the Houston area and has forgotten more about BBQ than most of us will ever know. Luckily for us he wrote a bunch of it down and I know where. Here’s a link to an older post that describes how to get to his stash of knowledge (most of which is in the “beef” subforum).

     Oh yeah, the recipe for burnt ends… Uh, there is no recipe.  If there was one, it would read sorta like "Save the point after you smoke a packer, cut it into cubes (finger food size), add more rub (I might use a “real” rub here instead of just the SPG I started with), resmoke, mix in some BBQ sauce and cook (at a higher temp) till done (caramelized)." If in a hurry, I’ve also skipped the “more rub, resmoke” part and gone straight to the BBQ sauce.

That's all I know. Smoke On!

[IR2dum]

   

     If I’m smoking a flat only or cooking fat side down, I might also put some of the trim on a rack over the brisket to create a “tallow drip” (or I might not). Don’t know if that really does anything but it makes me look/sound like I know what I’m doing.
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Turtle, you hit on a great point. Some people say that the reason Aaron Franklin's brisket is so good is that he "paints" his butcher paper with beef tallow before he wraps them. Then puts them back on the pit for the tallow to do its work. I think your "tallow drip" method might be an even better method. I'm going to try it on my next brisket. I bet it will work.