brisket - anybody try this?

mad max beyond eggdome · June 2004

i was flipping through the channels last night, and came in partway through a segment on food channel where they were at a big bbq competition, and talking to some team that had a boatload of trophies including winning the 'jack' (i can't remember the team name though). ..anyway, here is there 'winning' way of cooking a brisket. ..[p]they through it on the smoker at 250 degrees, fat side up, for about two hours until moisture was rising to the surface and it started to feel a little firm. . .then they wrapped it in foil and stuck it back in at 300 degrees for about three more hours and declared it done. . .. this goes against everything i've read or seen anywhere about bbq brisket. . .[p]but dang, a 5 hour brisket sure does sound convenient. . .i've done traditional 'pot roast' style briskets in my egg (3 hours in a pot of liquid at 325 degrees - they were excellent , but certainly not a competion or smoked style brisket).. just wondering if anyone has ever done anything like this. . .

Smokey · June 2004

mad max beyond eggdome,[p]That does sound interesting, easy to do and FAST.[p]So I guess we know what you'll be cooking this weekend! [p]But really, if you do try it, please post the results![p]Smokey

Smoked Signals · June 2004

mad max beyond eggdome,
Yeah ... I saw that too. My wife saw it as well. Now she thinks a brisket is just hours away. I would love to know if this guy was just telling a fishing story. Sure does seem like a short time to have smoke and heat work their magic.

Unknown · June 2004

mad max beyond eggdome,
A year or two ago there were some posts about what was dubbed a "turbo cook" where a butt or brisket was done in what seemed like a very short amount of time. The posters always claimed that the end result was great and that the low and slow was not the only way to go.[p]Now I haven't tried one but I did a competition earlier this year where two of the stick burning teams didn't even fire their pits up until 4 and 5 am. Both teams beat me overall. This implies that there is more than one way to skin a cat.[p]I know that some people will use temps as a guide as to when to foil but my mentor says to pay attention to the color more than anything. Once you get it to the color that you want, then foil. It will still continue to cook, only faster and still be great looking at the finish.[p]Anyways, I wonder if the team you saw was doing whole packers or just the flats...[p]Have a nice one
Matt.

Smoked Signals · June 2004

South O,
The brisket he threw on the pit was a whole packer.

mad max beyond eggdome · June 2004

South O,
thnx . . .while they didn't say, it sure looked like the flat, but i can't say for sure. . .

mad max beyond eggdome · June 2004

Smokey,
you know, i probably will give it a try. ..i guess i have a tendency to see/hear something, get a wild hair up my you know what, and then go give it a shot. . .we were at a deli the other day, and my daughter (spawn) and i were both eating 'tongue' sandwiches, and thinking 'you know, we need to try to do a tongue on the egg'. . .so i'm trying to figure out how to make that work now as well (the only way i've ever seen tongue cooked, and mom did it, was to boil the crap out of that thing on the stove for hours. .. but i'm thinking, cooking it in a pot in a lot of liquid on the egg may work as well. . .

mad max beyond eggdome · June 2004

Smoked Signals,
thanks. .. i don't do brisket that often. .i missed the preparation , tuned in just as he was throwing it on and giving his cooking times. . . it didn't look that big to me, but it was thick. . .did he trim it down good??

mad max beyond eggdome · June 2004

Smoked Signals,
guess we'll both have to give it a try and report back in. .. didn't i hear/read not long ago that most of the smoke absorption occurs in the first couple of hours anyway?.. .so i guess the guy could have gotten sufficient smoke flavor in his meat that quickly. .. .gonna make for some interesting experiments. .

Smokey · June 2004

mad max beyond eggdome,[p]My grandfather had a deli in Brooklin, NY. Growing up, I remember going ther often. I also remember the first time I realized that tongue was really "tongue". I saw it there in the deli counter unsliced. I got over it quickly, but I remember that day as if it were yesterday![p]Egg-creams to you and the Spawn!!

Unknown · June 2004

Max, there you go again "a lengua eater too", are you sure your Daddy never came through Ga back in the 50's...here's you a recipe that might convert pretty well to the egg.

[ul][li]Lengua Recipe[/ul]

mad max beyond eggdome · June 2004

Smokey,
ahh, now a trip down memory lane. .. before my uncle died a few years back me and my best friend were at his house in long island, and somehow we got to discussing egg creams. ..well, my uncle says "would you like one?" and kenny (my friend, good jewish boy born and raised in new york) responds, "yea, but you have to have the right kind of glass. . so uncle joel reaches up into a cabinet and pulls out a traditional egg cream glass. ..kenny then says "yea, but you have to have real 'u-bet chocolate syrup', and uncle joel pulls out the crusty bottle of u-bet (with the pump top mind you!). ..kenny then says, thinking he finally has himi here "yea but you have to have the real soda bottle. . ..and of course, uncle joel opens the fridge and there is a genuine soda bottle (you know, the one with the carbon dioxide canister and squirt handle top) .. .then he made an egg-cream to die for (btw - if you are reading and don't know it, there is no egg in a traditional egg cream - just milk, syrup and soda)... thanks for bringing this memory up for me. . .uncle joel would have been a GREAT egger

mad max beyond eggdome · June 2004

Chet,
heeee,. ..my daddy was the son of a new york city deli man. . .same food, different methods [p]but the cooking times here look pretty good. .i'd probably substitute pickling spcices to get the 'deli' taste i want to look for. . .but doing it on the egg oughta impart some smokey flavor as well. .. now i just gotta find me a tongue!

Smoked Signals · June 2004

mad max beyond eggdome,
They didn't show much prep. But it did look quite trimmed. It did have a point.[p]The show was Food Finds and it was mainly focused on the sauce. "Head" was the name.

Car Wash Mike · June 2004

<p />mad max beyond eggdome,
I've been cooking brisket this way for years. I've suggested it a couple times. There is a little more to it than that for me anyway. I rub down real good, cover with white sugar, place in an air tight container overnight. The next morning the sugar will be gone. Rub down again. I like to place thick slices of sweet onions in with the foil.
I never had a bad cook.[p]CWM

mad max beyond eggdome · June 2004

Car Wash Mike,
thanks mike!!. . .now i gotta try this. ..with my schedule its always hard to plan for an overnight cook. ..but if i can put out a quality brisket in 5 hours, man, i think i'll be eating a lot of brisket!!. . .

Car Wash Mike · June 2004

mad max beyond eggdome,
Welcome,
Please try and post results. I got so frustrated with the 20 hour gamble, that I had to give this a try. Sometimes a do go a little longer with the foil. Just depends on size. Recently, I've been cooking whole trimmed with a nice fat cap.
I've ate a lot more brisklet in the last few years than ever before.[p]CWM

YB · June 2004

mad max beyond eggdome,
My brother-in-law cooked this recipe and it was great.
Larry[p]Texas-Style Smoked Brisket
By Bruce Bjorkman, Certified Advanced Pit Master
Saveur Magazine, April 2004
(Adapted for Green Egg Smoker)[p]¼ cup salt 4 tsp. chili powder
¼ cup freshly ground black pepper 4 tsp. dry mustard
¼ cup powdered garlic 10-12 lb. whole brisket, untrimmed, at
¼ cup paprika room temperature
4 tsp. celery seed[p]1. Combine salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, celery seed, chili powder, and dry mustard in a small bowl. Pat brisket dry with paper towels, rub all over with spice mixture, and set aside.
2. Fire up Egg and bring to 250o. On lower rack of Egg, place large aluminum pan and fill half full with hot water. Put brisket on upper grille, fat side up, over aluminum pan. Smoke brisket for 3 hours, holding temperature between 250o and 275o. Refill drip pan as needed.
3. After about 2-1/2 hours, put 1-2 handfuls of fruitwood chips or nut wood chips (or a combination of the two) into a large bowl of hot water and soak for 30 minutes. Drain, then scatter over hot coals. Smoke brisket for 4 hours more, maintaining temperature as above and adding 1-2 handfuls of soaked chips every hour.
4. Wrap brisket in heavy-duty foil and transfer to another aluminum pan. Set pan on upper rack, over pan of water. Smoke for another 4 hours.
5. Open top of foil and continue smoking for another 1-2 hours.
6. Check for tenderness by piercing center with sharp-pointed knife: it should slide in easily. If necessary, smoke another 1-2 hours until meat is tender (internal temperature should register 170o – 185o.
Transfer brisket to a cutting board; allow to rest for 15 minutes. Thinly slice across the grain. Serve slices on a plate or on soft hamburger buns.

tach18k · June 2004

mad max beyond eggdome, Well..You have to remember one thing about the brisket, when its been brined for St. Pattys Day, we normally would boil it for cooking, the hours in foil would be doing about the same thing, only if has been smoked for tastiness. We do about the same for ribs, same kinda meat, sort of.

Unknown · June 2004

mad max beyond eggdome,
The show was about different foods in Oklahoma and the company was named Head and they produce different BBQ sauces. The have 4 different bbq teams that compete across the country they said. They make what is called Oklahoma BBQ which is suppose to have a different sauce than what you find in KC or southern BBQ (different base to it?). They also showed candy and cheese from Oklahoma on the show.

TRex · June 2004

mad max beyond eggdome,[p]If this was a whole packer brisket, how much do you think it weighed - like around 12 - 15 lbs?? Even if it was say 10 pounds, the traditional method would estimate at least a 15 hour cook. Therefore, I am REALLY curious and interested in this 5-hour alternative method. I know that the foil definitely speeds up the rate of increase of internal temperature, so I can see how you would get to a "done" internal temperature much faster, however it would seem that this would consequently speed you too quickly through the valuable "plateau" period, within which period I've heard many of our experts say it is crucial to remain as long as possible to assure complete break-down of connective tissues. Did you see the results of their cook? Did the brisket look tough or stringy?[p]As you say, it goes against everything we've learned here in the forum. However, I think I will have to try it, b/c like you say 5 hours is much easier to plan for than 15.[p]Very interesting . . . please post your results, and thanks for the report.[p]TRex

TRex · June 2004

Car Wash Mike,[p]When you say you've been doing brisket "this way," do you mean exactly like Max said - smoke then foil, for total cooking time on the order of only 5 hours? If so, what's the largest brisket you've done this way? Whole packer or flat? Tender results? Juicy?[p]Really interested - thanks for the help,[p]TRex

Chrispy Bob · June 2004

mad max beyond eggdome,
The technique sounded familiar and I finally found the recipe in a 1981 Southern Living..Denton Texas Barbecued Beef Brisket. I haven't made this in years, but as I remember it is pretty good.[p]The cooking technique will have to modified for the egg.
This is the recipe as printed.[p]1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup yellow mustard
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 TB Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2 cup pineapple juice
3/4 cup wine vinegar
1 tsp chili powder
1 TB minced onion
1 (4 to 6 lb.) beef brisket
[p]
Combine all ingredients except beef. Place meat and marinade in heavy plastic bag; squeeze out air and seal. Refrigerate 4-6 hours or better still, overnight.
Drain meat and reserve marinade. Grill meat until well browned. Cover grill and cook for 15 min. Turn meat, baste with reserved marinade. Grill 15 min. longer.
Wrap meat in heavy foil leaving room for marinade. Cut hole in top of foil and pour in marinade. Continue grilling for 1 1/2-2 hours or until meat is tender.
Slice thin diagonal slices.[p]Southern Living 1981[p]Bob[p]

Car Wash Mike · June 2004

TRex,
I play around with the 225 indirect and maybe foil a little longer than 3 hours. But basically yes, it is real close.
I have been buying whole trimmed brisket with a good fat cap on back, if not I add bacon.
These have been running around 7-9 lbs. It has worked out great for me.[p]CWM

Car Wash Mike · June 2004

TRex,
The sugar helps break down the tissue. Yes, it is tender and juicy. You can either pull or slice.[p]CWM

PapaQ · June 2004

mad max beyond eggdome,
This is probably the most interesting thread on today's forum. Saving time without sacrificing quality interests everyone. Today, I went to a butcher shop a friend referred me to, and the butcher and I were talking about brisket. He also sells pellet cookers, wood chunks, rubs and sauces and is a big time griller. I mentioned that a brisket would be my first low 'n slow cook, and he suggested I cook it at 250* for three hours, take it off, rub it down some more, wrap it in foil (add BBQ sauce, beer, wine or nothing at all) and put it back on for another 5-6 hours. I didn't buy a brisket (that's next week's project), because turkey is on the menu this weekend. I am anxiously awaiting reports from those who try the short course this weekend.[p]Beer Butt Chicken's on for tonight.[p]Paul

Rafterdude · June 2004

mad max beyond eggdome,
Ive tried something similar on the old gasser that works great as everyone always wants it at he next function. This is really simple! 1st, rub with rub, or is it inject with favorite marinade? Cant seem to remember and it doesnt matter as long as you do both. Bring grill or egg up to searing temp. Sear on both sides until brown. Wrap in heavy aluminum foil and turn the heat down to low. Not sure what the temp is but im gonna say somwhere around 300 to 325. Cook until approx 190 internal. Usually takes about 3.5 to 4.0 hours. Its that simple and every one always asks for more! Cant compare to an egged briscuit cuz i havent tried yet. Btw fat side up if it matters to you. Good luck!
Craig

dhuffjr · June 2004

Car Wash Mike,
I have done a couple this way too, as well as some pulled pork. I still prefer the looonnnnnggg method for pork (I guess it tastes better the more you work at it) but for the brisket I don't know better so it was great. [p]I did not do the sugar thing though. Might have to try that on the next one.[p]Dennis

brisket - anybody try this?

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