Brisket for Dummies

skyhopsing

Okay,

Fresh Market has whole beef briskets on sale! Thought I would give it a try, ....again.

My last two were dry and not tender. I have tried DR BBQ's technique, with mixed results.

Can anyone recommend a foolproof technique.

Thanks in Advance

Bob

BBQMaven

hate to tell ya, but "foolproof and brisket" can't be used in the same sentence...

boston_stoker

Thirdeye always has good advice.

http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/1996/03/brisket.html

tjv

couple things to add to the general bbq advice you'll get are:

(1) Some of the upper end, grocery butchers will trim all the fat off their briskets.......might be a great move for cooking the hunk of beef in the oven but not so much for outdoors in a pit.

(2) Some of the same butchers will trim the point from the brisket packer and still call it "brisket", not brisket flat. For brisket, ya need to know what you are buying to know how best to smoke it: brisket packer and brisket flat are the more common, brisket point (some say deckle) although possible, not seen much.

Couple of my general rules for brisket are:

(1) buy at least "choice" grade. Since brisket can be a challenging cook, why start with a harder cut like "select" when "choice" is only couple dimes more per pound.

(2) if buying a brisket flat, no big point, then try to find one that has even thickness. Helps with tenderness and juiciness. See pic.

Man, I talked to YB yesterday about maybe doing a brisket this weekend. After this post, I'm hooked, gotta get one! t

SmokeyPitt

I have not done a brisket yet. It's something I want to do so I have been following some of the posts. So, this is solely based on what I have read...not eggsperience!

It seems to me that the method to cook brisket is not complicated. As TJV pointed out- I think the most important part is selecting the right cut of meat. Once you get the right cut, it seems like the method is much like a pork butt:

rub it
inject if you wish (but this is optional)
250 dome until finished **

**I think the "until finished" is where it does get a little more complicated. You can't simply cook to 195-200 like a butt. You have to check for tenderness starting at 180 or so and pull when ready.

That's my 2 cents, which might really only be worth half that .

Clavin

I've done three briskets, and I consider myself a very novice Egger.

But what I am is careful and good at following directions.

I think if you can manage the temp of the EGG for a long period of time and pull the brisket at the correct temp, then you will have good luck.

My three have come out great, maybe I am lucky.

Don't Fear the Brisket. Find a recipe/technique that looks good to you and follow it carefully.

Scotty's Inferno

That was my thought. That having been said, I've had many more good ones than bad ones. My dummy advice is,
1) get a big one
2) no need to go too low n slow. 250-275 dome works
3) check out dizzypigbbq.com to see how they do it.
Scott