First Brisket

Sy71 · April 2012

I have just prepped my first brisket, a 10.5 lb packer, choice grade cut. Putting it on at 11:00 central. I plan to set up indirect, plate setter legs up, planning to cook at a dome temp of 250. Following BGE forum advice on the cook. Will low and slow to internal of 185 - 190, wrap in foil with beef broth for an hour. Sound right? Some of you wrap in foil for last hour, is that necessary? Ballpark on hours per lb? I am planning on a 12-14 hours. I am in TN, my brother in WI is putting one on at the same time, should be a fun cook!

The Cen-Tex Smoker · April 2012

cool! what kind of setup are you using? Is it on the grate, or on a v-rack or something like that? Drip pan?

i don't like to use broth when resting because it destroys all the awesome crust on the brisket.If you cook it right, there will be plenty of moisture in the brisket for the rest. If you are going to wrap, the last hour wont do you much good. The process for that is to wrap after the brisket hits the stall (since this is your first, you my not know but brisket and butts hit a stall where the temp sits at right around 150-170 for hours while rendering connective tissue). That would be several hours into the cook and you need a thermometer to determine when this occurs. I don't do this but I think it's a sound practice. I think a lot of competition guys do it

12-14 hours might be a little light but you are in the ballpark. More like 15 as a guide.

TxAg93 · April 2012

Listen to Cen-Tex. Here's a link to doing the Texas Crutch to speed through the stall. http://www.amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/texas_crutch.html

SY26 · April 2012

Just fired up the egg for my 3rd brisket. Plan to cook at it about 235 based on Dr. BBQ's advice (my pork butt turned our pretty good last night so I trust him.) Chilly and rainy in WI tonight but shouldn't affect my grill. Good luck big bro....mine will be better!

centex99 · April 2012

May the brisket gods be with you two...

TxAg93 · April 2012

And let me tell you. I put a 15 pounder on at 7 this morning and I've been parked at 154-156-154-156 for the past 5 hours now. The stall is real and it sucks. But I'm doing this sucker naked because I like a good bark on it. (Somehow that last sentence made me laugh. Probably the lack of sleep.).

SY26 · April 2012

Made me laugh too! I was thinking it was too cold for me to cook it naked.....major shrinkage on a cold rainy night!

The Cen-Tex Smoker · April 2012

And let me tell you. I put a 15 pounder on at 7 this morning and I've been parked at 154-156-154-156 for the past 5 hours now. The stall is real and it sucks. But I'm doing this sucker naked because I like a good bark on it. (Somehow that last sentence made me laugh. Probably the lack of sleep.).

The stall does not suck. It is what makes butts and brisket awesome. It's when all the tough connective tissue turns to gelatin and moist goodness under smoke. What's that word again????? Patience? If you want to do one fast, braise it.

TxAg93 · April 2012

Dangit forgot about Pay Shunz. I need to Learn what that means one of these days when I have some ti

TxAg93 · April 2012

Yeah shrinkage in the cold next to a giant smoking green egg. That might not be the picture you'd want to impart on someone.

Sy71 · April 2012

Thanks centex, good advice, I have allowed enough time to go long into the stall if needed, 16 hours until dinner. I am putting it directly on the grate with a drip pan sitting on the BGE ceramic feet as I saw suggested in another post. I will send an update, hopefully not before 7:00 am! And brother, you will always be second fiddle, join me for a beer in 20 minutes...

SY26 · April 2012

You got it. FT me when you are ready; I just cracked a dead guy while I wait for the egg to reach the proper temp. It's a good night!

Sy71 · April 2012

Woke up this morning, Done at 281' meat at 154' smells great!

Raideregg · April 2012

Just hooked up my new Egg Blower on the XL GEgg, worked a little brisket 6 lbs. for 12 hours, 225-240 temp, internal temp hit 185 degrees. The nice thing about the blower is you can set the temp, it worked perfect the first time. Only down side is the cost of the unit, and the lack of instructions for such a unit. Had to figure it out, took about 15 minutes to get set up and another 20-30 minutes to figure out the controls. Anyway, I have a beautiful piece of meat cooked perfectly. I recommend the Blower with the internal temp gauge. Now I am going to do some ribs for Easter.

Sy71 · April 2012

Dome 235, brisket 182, getting close!

06TechGrad · April 2012

I am also doing my first brisket as we speak. I put it on at 8 last night and it got to the stall (around 145-150) degrees) at around 11:30. I then used the method prescribed by the guy at amazingribs.com (TxAg93 actually linked this above) and wrapped it in foil. Well, I technically put it in one of those disposable tin pans and wrapped with foil on top. I put a little apple juice at the bottom of the pan for moisture, but there is now a bunch of liquid. It looks kind of like fat that melted off, along with other juices. I assume this is okay?

I am at about 180-185 degrees. I read that I should take it off at 200-205. Does that sound a bit high?

The Cen-Tex Smoker · April 2012

The liquid is normal. You are probably ready to pull it and let it rest. I take my temp probe and check for doneness starting around 180-185. You can tell whenit's done when the probe slides in and out without much resistance in the thickest part of the flat. Brisket will continue to rise for and hour or more after you take it off and rest it so you should be close.

Sy71 · April 2012

Pulled it off at 202*, foil and cooler until 3:30, can't wit to try it and see how it turned out. 8-}

The Cen-Tex Smoker · April 2012

Pulled it off at 202*, foil and cooler until 3:30, can't wit to try it and see how it turned out. 8-}

Cool deal. Great job- should be awesome. Do you know how to properly trim it when you are ready? Can be tricky but it's as important as the cook.

TxAg93 · April 2012

@Cen-Tex Please explain how to properly trim as I'm not sure I know.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · April 2012

This is from my dissertation I wrote on Brisket last week. You can search it under Turbo Beef Brisket for the whole deal. I'll probably put it by itself so it's easier to search. Just let me know if you have any questions. main thin is separate the point and the flat and always cut against the grain:

The Trim: This took me a while to figure out and I
think it's where a lot of good cooks turn bad. Brisket, more than any other cut
of BBQ, must be sliced across the grain. If you slice a
brisket with the grain, it is like eating shoe leather. If you accidentally
slice some with the grain while learning, just chop it up and make chopped beef
sandwiches. They will be awesome and nobody will be the wiser. This is where
you must know the difference between your 2 muscles (point and flat) because
their grains run different directions. If you just slice right through both
muscles at the fat end of the brisket, you will have tough, stringy
bites.

Here is the way I do it: Place your brisket on
your cutting surface fat side DOWN (point side UP) with the thickest part (this
is the point) closest to you. I then
remove the point from the flat. When the thick end is facing you, about half
way down the thickness of the brisket you will find the “ribbon” of fat and and
tissue that connect the 2 muscles. This fat and connective tissue will have been
rendered very soft by the cook and it’s easy to find by probing gently with a
knife until is slides right in. Take a good look at your brisket before rubbing
and cooking so you'll have a good idea where it is. Take a large knife and
slide it into this "ribbon". It should slide in with very little
resistance. Keep working your knife through this ribbon until you have
separated the 2 muscles. The point usually goes about 1/2 way down the
thickness and 1/3 or so the length of the flat to give you a rough guide.
When done, your knife will emerge on the top side of the flat about 1/3 toward
the far facing end of the brisket. This is tough to explain verbally so I’ll
get pics posted ASAP. This takes a few times to get it right so don’t sweat it.
When you are done separating the point, you'll have 2 pieces of meat with bark
on 3 sides and exposed delicious meat (no bark) on the bottom of the point and
top of the flat. I then cut the flat in half width-wise, locate the grain and
then slice against the grain! I cannot stress enough that if you take a perfect brisket and slice it
with the grain, it will be chewy and stringy. It will ruin your brisket so take
the time to get this right. I start at the fattest end of the flat and
make slices about1/4” thick. As the flat really narrows, I take that part and
chop it up to make sandwiches (this will be the driest part of the meat but
will still have bark on all 4 sides. makes awesome sandwiches with sauce). The
point (by far my favorite part of a brisket) has a texture more like pulled
pork. The grain can vary but it is very tender. I'll slice some and leave some
larger chunks with lots of bark on them to eat right off the cutting board.
Now, I mentioned earlier that I trim the fat cap down to about 1/4 inch. If you
do not do this, the fat side of the flat will have a large bite of fat
on every slice. This fat will have rendered so soft that you can take
a knife and just scrape it off right down to the meat (almost gelatin like). Many
restaurants do this but I do not. You lose half your bark and much of your
smoke when you have to scrape this fat and I'm all about lots of smoke and good
bark on my briskets and butts. By trimming them to 1/4 inch, you leave plenty
of fat to protect the flat during the cook and a delicious, smoky, bark covered
bite. The thin layer of fat is actually delicious covered in bark,
but I find it's too fatty and distracts from the meat if you leave the entire
fat cap without scraping after the cook.

Well, that's it. The
rest is all about jumping in and planning to screw a few up while you
learn. Best lesson I ever learned about BBQ is that unless you totally screw it
up, it's all good with a few beers and some sauce. You'll get the hang of it
soon enough and be killing it in no time.

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