BBQ Brisket Recipe and technique

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one100grand

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I love to cook, to grill even more, so it's no surprise that I spend a lot of time working on techniques and recipes. I've got several rubs and marinades for meats and I'm always willing to chat cooking. A couple of years ago, I decided I wanted to really get good at the art of grilling, so I started dedicating a year (or more) to making specific items and working on them until I was happy with them. This started in 2008 when I started by working on steaks and burgers; 2009 was the year of the sauce; 2010 and 2011 were the years of pulled pork (I'm still not 100% satisfied, but when my wife and I went to a famed Chicago BBQ restaurant and both left feeling mine was at least as good, I decided to move on). This leads me to 2012 - the year of the brisket. I've been cooking roughly 2-3 briskets a month since April, so I feel I've come a long way since then.

I'm starting this brisket thread for all things brisket - if you know a way I can improve my process, I'd love to hear it.

To start about the cut of meat - in previous things that I've studied, some meats are definitely about buying higher grades of cuts vs knowing the best techniques. So far, brisket seems to be VERY much about the grade of the meat vs the technique; I've done several at varying grades (haven't worked my way to wagyu as of this post, but I just got done pricing it out, so maybe soon) and my results have been much better with higher grades of meat (higher grades have more fat and more of a marbled look - brisket is a tough cut and the higher fat content helps tenderize the meat as it melts). I've seen brisket available in 3 cuts - Flat Brisket, Point Brisket, and Packer Brisket. Packer brisket is the whole deal, made up of both the flat (bottom) and the point (top). The flat and point have grain that runs in different directions and when you go to carve the meat, you want to separate them (but not while you're cooking). They have different textures and are nice done as a mix of slices in a sandwich.

I start by cutting the brisket down - the initial piece usually has large runs of fat and what's called silverskin on it. I'll actually trim it down to where I can see the meat clearly (the silverskin layer looks like it's wrapped in plastic wrap, but when you remove it it looks like you see on a steak. If you don't cut off the silverskin, when you go to slice the finished product, it will be on the ends and it's unpleasant to chew on (or you can peel it off at that point and it looks kind of like a beef fruit-wroll-up wrapper). This step is a gigantic pain in the butt, but it's completely worth the time to take the effort for 2 reasons: #1 you never have to worry about super chewy bites of meat & #2 the rub seems to set better on the meat than the layers of fat.

After I've got the brisket butchered down to a product I'm happy with, I begin by injecting with beef broth. I make my own stocks, so I usually have it on hand, if not, I'll buy something that's not too high in sodium (~500 mgs Sodium/serving) but not a low sodium broth. About the injecting - I never used to do this, I always kind of thought it was cheating, but I've changed my mind on that after trying it - it's adding additional moisture to the meat and since I'm using broth only, it's only enhancing the beef flavor of the brisket. I haven't ever injected anything that wasn't beef and I don't have plans on it yet (who knows what the future may hold).

Once I've got the brisket injected, I'll coat it lightly in olive oil and my rub, then either throw it in the freezer for an hour or in the fridge for a few hours/overnight. I've noticed that chilled meat picks up smoke differently and leaves a better looking smoke ring; while I haven't noticed a huge difference in taste (I'll probably do a side by side in the future for exact comparison), I do like the presentation of the smoke ring.

For cooking, I start by getting the temp of my cooker (Big Green Egg) and use the plate setter (to cook with indirect heat) and a pie pan filled with water. For the actual smoking, I prefer wood chunks vs chips; my feeling is that chunks are going to produce more smoke as they smoke and will continue to add flavor after they're done smoking simply by smoldering longer than chips. For brisket, I prefer to use a hickory + 2x fruit woods, meaning I'll put 1 chunk of hickory + 2 chunks of a fruit wood (I'm favoring black cherry lately). I want a ton of smoke in the early stages (when I'm watching it more closely) and don't care about it later (the smoke can only penetrate but so deep into the meat, believe me, I've tried smoking something for 12 hours with smoke going the whole time, it still only goes so deep). On a big brisket, say 15 pounds, I want 2.5-3 hours of smoke (the whole cook on a piece that size will probably be 15+ hours). I'd recommend using a digital thermometer that can plug into the meat and have a lead that goes outside of the grill, so you can check meat temps without opening the lid.

The simple method is to keep the heat between 225-250 until the meat reaches ~200, let the meat rest for 10-15 minutes and carve it. On a big piece of meat, this can take a LONG time; I've had briskets take between as little as 8-12 hours with this method or as long as 18-20 hours (let me tell you, my wife is super happy about the brisket going on at 4AM and not being done until midnight).

I sometimes shortcut the method by pulling the meat when the meat temp hits around 145-150, putting it into a baking dish (9x13 or bigger depending on meat), pouring about 2 cups of broth into the bottom, covering it in foil, and putting that back on the grill with the temp at 225-250. This significantly shortens the cooking time but softens the bark (if you don't know what bark is, this is not the method for you) - I've tried putting the brisket back over high heat after it hits the 200 mark cooking to bring the bark back from being soft but with limited success. If you like bark, cook it without the baking dish, if you don't care about bark, use the baking dish and it can significantly shorten the cook time. I'll usually use this shortcut when I'm cooking for a party that's going on the same day as the cooking - that way I don't have to worry about guests having to wait forever for the meat to get done, but if I'm cooking for me and my family they can wait :wink:

When it comes to carving the brisket ALWAYS make sure that you let it rest for at least 10 minutes or more. I separate the top and bottom sections (assuming it's a full packer brisket) and slice opposite the grain on each piece, cutting a couple of test pieces at 1/4" thick to see how I did on the cook. To test my cook I'll hold each end of the slice and pull lightly, the meat should have a fair bit of give and should come slightly apart (if it was done properly) and have a look almost like a spider web. If the cook didn't go quite as well as I wanted, I'll slice it very thin, no thicker than 1/8" that way it hides any level of chewiness. I recommend using a very thin bbq sauce to finish it (with texture similar to A1 sauce but do NOT use A1).

I've tried to include all that I can think of in this write-up; I plan on adding pictures and editing things to clarify as I can.

If you want me to add rub or sauce recipes, I'll be happy to add them on request.
 
Sounds like a good method. I follow pretty much the same procedure except if I inject I usually use a juice of some kind. Same with my smoke dish, I fill it with apple juice instead of water and I tend to provide smoke for a few more hours than you. I've found that the difference between 5 hrs of juice-smoke and 3 hrs is noticeable to me.

If I'm on the fast track, I do the smoke/steam method also. Put the meat in a baking pan half filled with apple juice, smoke over a little higher heat for about 7-8 hrs and it's pretty good.

Until recently I have been smoking on my charcoal grill with the coals set to the sides. However my buddy just gave me an older electric smoke box that I'm gonna lay a few racks of ribs in this weekend.
 
awesome write up! =D>

I'm practicing briskets too......

I don't know if you have seen this post i did with my packer brisket, but let me know what you think. https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=21095

I am in between smokers right now and cant make my mind up if i want an egg or a horizon barrel.
 
gumbo860 said:
Sounds like a good method. I follow pretty much the same procedure except if I inject I usually use a juice of some kind. Same with my smoke dish, I fill it with apple juice instead of water and I tend to provide smoke for a few more hours than you. I've found that the difference between 5 hrs of juice-smoke and 3 hrs is noticeable to me.

If I'm on the fast track, I do the smoke/steam method also. Put the meat in a baking pan half filled with apple juice, smoke over a little higher heat for about 7-8 hrs and it's pretty good.

Until recently I have been smoking on my charcoal grill with the coals set to the sides. However my buddy just gave me an older electric smoke box that I'm gonna lay a few racks of ribs in this weekend.


I've spent a lot of time trying different things in my drip pan; I'd encourage you to try using water instead of juice. I've done side by side smokes with both and haven't had anyone ever be able to tell a difference. I used to use juice or beer for my drip pan and after extensive tests, was able to discern no flavor difference vs water on the finished product.
 
Really? I've never done a side by side but I definitely feel like I can taste the apple flavor from the juice when I've smoked with juice. Maybe it's all in my head. Lol. I'm tossing between doing some ribs or a brisket this weekend.
 
When you inject, there is a definite flavor difference, because you're adding the flavor into the meat, but the actual steam released adds no discernible flavor.

As for this weekend, why not try some brisket, I'd love to read your experience and how your cook with it went.
 
Very good write-up. We cook/smoke very similar, trimming the beast about the same, I would say our biggest difference is I always start my meat at room temperature.

:beer: :beer: :beer: :beer:
 
I used to start at room temperature. I had an instance where I had to take a piece of meat straight from the fridge to the grill though because of oversleeping #-o ....that instance resulted in a much better smoke ring and got me to thinking perhaps there's something to it. After several experiments of side by side cooking, I've come to the conclusion that the ring penetrates deeper on a piece of meat that starts at a lower temp. I've also found that I get the best finished look on the meat if I rub olive oil on the meat before the rub vs using any other slather (like mustard).
 
Jim said:
I am in between smokers right now and cant make my mind up if i want an egg or a horizon barrel.

I bit the bullet and bought a big green egg about a year and a half ago and I'll say that it is literally the best grilling thing I've ever owned by far (including barrels or a home built smoke shack). My biggest regret about the egg is that I only bought the large size, I really wish I'd have bought the XL instead. If I could have afforded it, I would have bought the Primo XL Oval, but at $1200 it was outside of my budget at the time.
 
one100grand said:
I used to start at room temperature. I had an instance where I had to take a piece of meat straight from the fridge to the grill though because of oversleeping #-o ....that instance resulted in a much better smoke ring and got me to thinking perhaps there's something to it. After several experiments of side by side cooking, I've come to the conclusion that the ring penetrates deeper on a piece of meat that starts at a lower temp. I've also found that I get the best finished look on the meat if I rub olive oil on the meat before the rub vs using any other slather (like mustard).


May have to give cold meat a try I'll let you know.
 
I'd love to hear if your results vary from mine using cold meat vs room temp.

How has your experience gone using different things to coat the meat before the rub?
 
one100grand said:
I'd love to hear if your results vary from mine using cold meat vs room temp.

How has your experience gone using different things to coat the meat before the rub?



I have used apple cider vinegar with good results - I rub the meat both pork and beef with the vinegar and let it sit for as long as possible a full day is good then add the rub and let it sit again at least a few hours. Seems to make the meat very tender.

and yes I have use olive oil also also with nice results.
 
Jim said:
I have used both olive oil and mustard and I am not sure If I can tell the difference.

I think it largely depends on the ingredients in your rub - if you've got dried herbs in your rub, the oil draws more out of them than mustard. So now that you've said you can't taste a difference, we've deduced that your brisket rub DOESN'T include a lot of dried herbs :twisted: .....at this rate, we'll have your top secret recipe by the end of the month...
 
one100grand said:
Jim said:
I have used both olive oil and mustard and I am not sure If I can tell the difference.

I think it largely depends on the ingredients in your rub - if you've got dried herbs in your rub, the oil draws more out of them than mustard. So now that you've said you can't taste a difference, we've deduced that your brisket rub DOESN'T include a lot of dried herbs :twisted: .....at this rate, we'll have your top secret recipe by the end of the month...

:LOL2:

https://www.jimsque.com/2012/03/jims-dry-rib-rub-recipe.html
 
It's a trick! Your page clearly states that it's a "Dry Rib Rub Recipe" - we're talking brisket!

Pork rubs and beef rubs are totally different matters! (I was right that you don't have dried herbs in your rub though :LOL2: )
 
Has anyone ever tried buttermilk marinade? I grew up in Texas and one of my uncle's would marinate his brisket in buttermilk for several hours before he put his rub on the meat. He swore that a cold cut that is properly seasoned, set on a cold smoke for up to 18 hours would make the perfect brisket. To this day I have not had a brisket like his. It would melt in your mouth and the bark was to die for. He said that the buttermilk was the secret....has anyone ever tried this method?
 
I've never done brisket in buttermilk, but I've used it for chicken for years. There's something about the acidity of the buttermilk that performs magic on chicken...maybe I'll have to give it a try on brisket :D
 
I've been experimenting with a brine to keep the brisket moist. I've never tried injecting it. Has anyone tried both and have a preference?

Anyways, great recipe. It's making me hungry.
 
Brisket is the only meat I inject - I find the thin part of the flat gets a little dry if I don't inject. The only thing I'd recommend injecting brisket with is low sodium beef broth - or you could make your own (I try to make my own broth when I can, but I don't always have time).
 

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