Big Cookout this weekend your help needed (Ribs, Pulled Pork & Brisket)

Zilm-disabled · October 2007

Good Morning Everyone, I am planning a Cookout this weekend and have a few questions. I have my ribs and pulled pork down but this will be my first attempt at a brisket.[p]I'm planning on cooking my butts (two that are around 9-10 lbs each) and my brisket (10 - 11 lb.) at the same time using the BGE Grid Extender. Would prefer to have the meat on the same level but do not think that the size of the brisket would allow that. Cooking for around 30 + clients and friends.[p]1. Only have one Polder so that is going to be the tricky part. Will having the Boston Butts elevated affect my cooking time? If so by how much? I am planning on cooking these Friday night so I can pull, wrap in foil and throw in a cooler while I smoke my ribs.[p]2. Should I marinade the brisket and if so does anyone know of a good receipe?[p]3. Burnt Ends, I know I have seen a link here in the past on how to prepare so if someone could explain this I would be most appreciative.[p]Thanks, and am looking forward to seeing everyone at Eggtoberfest this year.

Porkchop · October 2007

butts are not an ornery piece of meat. having them in the upper deck will not adversely affect them. cooking time might be a little bit shorter, but not so much that you'd notice it. you'd be better off with the polder in your brisket flat than in a butt. it's the brisket you have to keep your eye on.[p]what size egg you cookin on?[p]i wouldn't marinate the brisket. dry rub, applied liberally.[p]real "burnt ends" are just the "toe end" of the brisket flat. since it tends to dry out a little during a long cook, it isn't really sammich material, but tasty finger food. it is a natural by-product of a properly bbq'd brisket.[p]have you done brisket before? by the weight, it sounds like a packer trim, or a HUGE flat. which is it? if you are serving it to guests, there are post-cook/pre-service considerations for a packer trim brisket that you wont have with a flat. you will have to separate the brisket, and do some "cleaning" to keep your guests from getting bites of veins and "cottage cheese" fat that isn't very nice.

thirdeye · October 2007

Zilm,[p]Sounds like a fun barbecue. That amount of food will be more than enough for 30. You probably need to cook the butts above the brisket, self basting mod. You can cook it whole or separate the point and flat and cook in two pieces. Because you want to make burnt ends, this may be the way to go.[p]1. Don't worry about having only one thermometer. Butts and brisket don't really need monitoring throughout the cook. You can most likely do a fork test or wiggle the bone in the butts to confirm doneness. Stick the brisket 6 or 7 hours into the cook to see how he is coming along.[p]2. I favor injecting more than marinating.[p]3. Burnt ends are a classic barbecue treat and you should serve them with a group this size. Basically they are pieces of the fatty point which has been re-seasoned and cooked down, you can add cutting board scraps from the flat too.[p]I have a new brisket page on my cookin' site with a lot of years of brisket BS in one place. Also there is a separate burnt ends page. The link is below. Scroll down to the recipe section.[p]~thirdeye~[p]

[ul][li]PWF&S[/ul]

Zilm-disabled · October 2007

porkchop,thanks for the advice but to answer your question I really do not know whether it is a packer or a large flat. I believe that it is a packer. Purchased it 3-4 weeks ago at Wal-Mart and it has been in the freezer ever since but from what I can remember it is a Packer based on the descriptions that I have read on this web site in the past.[p]Will be cooking on a large BGE. Timing may be a bit tricky for the burnt ends but hopefully I can get the ribs finished in time to attempt them.

Zilm-disabled · October 2007

thirdeye, thanks for the advice. I now have a new page to add to my BGE Favorite Directory on the internet. Any advice on some sort of Rub for the brisket?[p]I thought about using DP Cow Lick but I have a bottle of their Raising the Steaks that I am not particularly fond of and this would be a great way to use it up. Darn Cow Lick is just to good to take a chance on if I am not successful in my first attemp at a brisket.

thirdeye · October 2007

Zilm,[p]I generally go pretty basic with my brisket rub. Salt, pepper and granulated garlic. I'm not a sugar man when it comes to brisket.[p]I like Cowlick, because it is a no-sugar rub with a nice peppery back flavor. I am going to use some tonight on a couple of T-Bones. I have always liked Montreal style rubs for their flavor and coarseness, so I'm okay with Raising The Steaks too. If something is missing from it, maybe you could use it as a base to build your own rub.[p]~thirdeye~

Porkchop · October 2007

Zilm,
if its a full brisket, and you are doing burnt ends according to thirdeye's description above, you'll want to separate the whole point from the flat and put it back on the egg for awhile longer. you'd want to do that anyway, even if you're doing chopped brisket for sammies.[p]if you havent ever trimmed the point away from the flat, you are in for a messy experience if you wait after cooking the whole brisket. but, that's the only way i've ever done it. it is a greasy mess, but can be worth it. you'll want lots of work space! big cutting board. you'll really want to do this before you start slicing it to serve tho. the point and the flat have a nasty layer of fat and veins between them, so if you just start slicing, when you get to the point, each slice will have some point, some flat, and a nasty layer of fat and veins. unappetizing. plus, the grain on the point runs opposite the grain on the flat, so slicing when you get to that point would be against the grain on the flat, with the grain on the point, which just makes a mess.[p]separate the point from the flat after cooking by running your biggest knife all the way thru that layer of fat dividing the two. should be easy to find, as it becomes the consistency of jello, v. the firmness of the meat. note, this stuff is HOT, so be careful. easy to burn yourself. [p]once you have the point off, put it aside or just throw it back on the egg for a couple more hours. scrape the now-cleared portion of the flat with the blade of your knife like you're scraping paint off with a paint scraper. that will get rid of most of the clumpy fat. then fine the vein that runs down the center for most the length of the brisket and use a v-cut to remove it. that preps your flat for slicing. at this point, if you are ready to serve, start slicing. otherwise, wrap in heavy duty plastic and hot box it in a styro chest with some layers of old towels or even paper bags. it will keep for a couple hours easy, and slice like butter when it's time to serve.[p]when your point is done, you'll want to scrape the bottom of that in the same way, and remove the fat and little clusters of veins you'll see there. then, burnt ends per thirdeye or roll it up and chop it up for sammies.[p]good luck!

Big Cookout this weekend your help needed (Ribs, Pulled Pork & Brisket)

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