My Brisket is done! YUMMY! PHOTOS!

grussem

Well, despite the fact my DigiQ food probe went out of me my brisket turned out absolutely GREAT! 

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I know I am biased but it is the very best brisket I've ever had hands down and that includes at BBQ joints.  It is the 4th or 5th one I've made and the very first that came out perfect.  It was smoked at 260 degrees for about 8 1/2 hours.  I injected with beef broth and Worcestershire sauce.  For my rub I used 1/4 cup of kosher salt, 1/4 cup black pepper, 1 tsp each of garlic and onion powder and just a dash of cayenne pepper.  I did not wrap this at all.  I smoked it fat cap up for the first half then flipped it.  My brisket was absolutely moist and just tender enough to slice pencil width thin. The "pull test" was a great indicator I cooked it to the correct doneness. Anyhow if there are any questions or helpful tips I'm all ears. Happy BBQ'ing!

Dave in Florida

VERY nice!  Brisket looks great.

sumoconnell

Looks great! You gotta root for the home team, I'm biased also.

Philly35

That looks awesome! Very nice smoke ring as well! Makes me wish it wasn't zero degrees out and 30mph winds...

DoofusOfTheDay

How many pounds was the brisket?  For us newbies, what is pull test and how do you do it?  Did you check the internal temp of brisket when it was done?  And finally, I assume the 260 degrees was temp at the grate, not dome?  

Well you asked for questions, I got plenty!

shadowcaster

Looks very good

grussem

Thanks for the compliments everyone!

grussem

DoofusOfTheDay said:

How many pounds was the brisket?  For us newbies, what is pull test and how do you do it?  Did you check the internal temp of brisket when it was done?  And finally, I assume the 260 degrees was temp at the grate, not dome?  

Well you asked for questions, I got plenty!

Doofus, the brisket I got was just a tad under 7 pounds and was only the flat, untrimmed.  The pull test is when you take a slice of your brisket and start pulling it in opposite directions from each end.  It should not fall apart immediately (overcooked) and you should not have to pull very hard on to get it to tear in half (underdone).  There is a happy middle ground and that is what you are aiming for with the pull test.  

I did check the internal temp when it was done with a thermapen (If you don't have one I highly suggest getting one, they're pricey but by far the very best BBQ tool I have) in several different places and my brisket was reading between 193 and 201.  Finally, yes the 260 degrees was at the grate and not the dome.  I hope this helped!

Oh and btw, this is my 4th or 5th brisket and the first one I've been truly happy with in every way.

GoHorns

Grussem:

Did you use a drip pan?  What was the ratio of broth to worcestershire?  Looks great, congrats!

NPHuskerFL

Nice even smoke ring...what did you use for your smoke? I have used: hickory, mesquite, and apple wood on past briskets and all have been crowd pleasers. I would like to try some cherry wood on my next brisket.

GoVols

Looks great

caliking

Very nice.  Looks like you nailed it. 

DrMitchell

That looks awesome!  Thanks for sharing the pics and technique.  I can't wait to perfect the brisket...definitely one of my favorites!  I am a newbie to cooking & the BGE but I am looking forward to lots of practicing ;p - my cousin and dad always make them and they are incredible! 

grussem

GoHorns said:

Grussem:

Did you use a drip pan?  What was the ratio of broth to worcestershire?  Looks great, congrats!

I only used a drip pan to keep my plate setter from getting too greasy, no liquid was in it.  For my injection I used a half cup of beef broth and the W sauce I added to taste so I can't tell you for sure, sorry.  Thanks!

NPHuskerFL said:

Nice even smoke ring...what did you use for your smoke? I have used: hickory, mesquite, and apple wood on past briskets and all have been crowd pleasers. I would like to try some cherry wood on my next brisket.

For smoke I used a mix of Pecan and Mesquite.  What I did was make sure the egg was clear of any obstructions first to ensure good airflow.  I then put a layer of lump, then sprinkled pecan chips on top, then lump, then pecan chip, one more layer of lump with pecan chips and then I put 3 decent sized CHUNKS of mesquite.  The pecan provided a steady supply of smoke doing it like this which I think helped with the smoke ring.  Cherry wood sounds great to use and I think I'll do so next time!

Thanks for all of the compliments and tips!

bountifulranch

I know this is going to sound stupid but what do you mean by smoke ring?  We've been using apple wood some.  We're newbies and I want to try a brisket.

NPHuskerFL

@bountifulranch...the smoke ring is seen when you slice your brisket (always against the grain). It has a deep reddish coloring and once the brisket starts to develop its "bark" the smoke for the most part doesn't penetrate so roughly the first 4 or so hrs is when you take in all the smoke for the smoke ring. Each wood will provide different flavor. Applewood is typically used on poultry for a nice light or mild smoke. Play around with the type of wood. The smoke ring has a sort of ring appearance like when a tree is cut you see the age rings.

r2davis65

Looks great. Congrats.

grussem

bountifulranch said:

I know this is going to sound stupid but what do you mean by smoke ring?  We've been using apple wood some.  We're newbies and I want to try a brisket.

The smoke ring is what NPHuskerFL said.  If you look at my photographs it is the pinkish ring that is directly under the bark on the brisket.  I would also try what NPHuskerFL said and experiment with different types of wood and see what flavor works best for you.

r2davis65m: Thanks for the compliment!

bountifulranch

Thanks and do you start your brisket the night (temp stays the same all night) and just go to sleep or do you get up early and start and have a late dinner.  I bought the Large Big Green Egg and basically been using it as a simple barbeque. Been doing salman and chicken but I want to do some to try a brisket.  Haven't cook one of those in years even in the oven so I a little scared of it.

grussem

bountifulranch said:

Thanks and do you start your brisket the night (temp stays the same all night) and just go to sleep or do you get up early and start and have a late dinner.  I bought the Large Big Green Egg and basically been using it as a simple barbeque. Been doing salman and chicken but I want to do some to try a brisket.  Haven't cook one of those in years even in the oven so I a little scared of it.

Well, it really depends on the size/weight of the brisket.  Some people say you can figure an hour to an hour 1/2 per pound.  I am not too sure whether or not they figure in wrapping the brisket or not.  This last brisket I smoked I did NOT wrap during the cooking process and it took longer than the 1 hour per pound estimate.  With that being said, in my opinion (and I am no expert by any means) I would rather have my brisket done early and have to wrap it in foil and a blanket, then save it for eating time, than have it get done too late.  I have found that with brisket, it never really gets done when it is "supposed" to or when you think it will get done.  I know that is not quite the answer you're looking for but I'd rather give you a time "frame" instead of giving you a concrete answer and have it be incorrect.