OT-Brisket Cook- Blacks Barbecue Inspired.

GregW

My recent trip to Texas and the visit to Blacks Barbecue in Lockhart inspired my to make another attempt to cook brisket.

The brisket was a Black Angus 15# packer. I trimmed it per the Franklin videos.

I cooked it on the Cookshack FEC120 pellet fired smoker using Post Oak pellets purchased at Academy.

I cooked at 180 Deg for the first 6 hours and the cooker shifted to 250 Deg for the next 5 1/2 hours until the brisket probed

tender. it took a little less than 12 total hours for the cook

The brisket was similar to the excellent one I had at Blacks a week ago. I don't think it was as good by a long shot, but considering all the miserable briskets I have produced in the past, this one was outstanding.

On of the factors in the huge improvement was moving from Hickory to Post Oak for the cooking pellets. I have found out the strong Hickory smoke was over powering the great beef flavor.

I'm definitely a brisket convert. They really know what they are doing in Texas when it comes to brisket.

 

The lower photo is a section of point. Very moist and tender.

thetrim

Yum!

JohnnyTarheel

Yes sir !!!

lousubcap

Way to come over to the brisket dark-side.  Great cook and result right there.  Congrats. 

GoooDawgs

Looks excellent.  That thing cooked pretty fast! 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

FWIW- blacks par-cooks their brisket to around 160 and then they refrigerate for several days before finishing for service. Salt lick uses this method as well. It’s actually a great way to cook a brisket when timing is an issue. I e done several of these cooks and have not noticed any downside (no discernible upside either). 

pgprescott

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

FWIW- blacks par-cooks their brisket to around 160 and then they refrigerate for several days before finishing for service. Salt lick uses this method as well. It’s actually a great way to cook a brisket when timing is an issue. I e done several of these cooks and have not noticed any downside (no discernible upside either). 

 More great info from an expert. Thanks for this. 

Canugghead

Great cook, thanks for sharing. I've tried starting brisket in Traeger for smoke ring, then finishing in egg. Never done one all the way in Traeger. Some questions if you don't mind ... did you mist or have a bowl of water in the cooker? did you use foil or butcher paper when it hit 160-170?

GregW

Canugghead said:

Great cook, thanks for sharing. I've tried starting brisket in Traeger for smoke ring, then finishing in egg. Never done one all the way in Traeger. Some questions if you don't mind ... did you mist or have a bowl of water in the cooker? did you use foil or butcher paper when it hit 160-170?

I didn't mist or use a water pan in the smoker. The Cookshack smoker doesn't seem to dry out meat very much. When I first started cooking on it I was worried that due to the convection fans in it, that it would dry out the food.

I cook ribs at 275 Degs now and they turn out very very good, not at all dry.

I didn't use foil or butcher paper. I wanted to use the pink paper, but I didn't have any on hand. Based on the brisket color, I didn't think it needed wrapping to prevent it from getting too dark. Also it didn't dry out excessively. I think different cookers may benefit from wrapping due to the different air flows.

I would think a Traeger would cook very similar to my smoker.

mEGG_My_Day

That brisket looks fantastic. 

GregW

mEGG_My_Day said:

That brisket looks fantastic. 

Thanks, It surprised me. It was the first brisket that I have cooked that was good. I think the combination of trimming and using the Post Oak pellets made the brisket much better. They Hickory pellets were over powering the beef flavor.

I also used a salt / pepper rub that was 50/50 ratio. Also per Franklin's recommendations, I made sure not to apply excess rub. This helped the beef flavor come through.

Franklin's videos are very helpful.

mEGG_My_Day

GregW said:

mEGG_My_Day said:

That brisket looks fantastic. 

Thanks, It surprised me. It was the first brisket that I have cooked that was good. I think the combination of trimming and using the Post Oak pellets made the brisket much better. They Hickory pellets were over powering the beef flavor.

I also used a salt / pepper rub that was 50/50 ratio. Also per Franklin's recommendations, I made sure not to apply excess rub. This helped the beef flavor come through.

Franklin's videos are very helpful.

I struggle with brisket - have done maybe 4 in the last few years and have never thought they were worth the effort.  Let’s just say, I have made a lot of chili But I know there must be something there based on so many folks raving about them. I did just find a sack of post oak, so maybe worth another try using that.  

GregW

mEGG_My_Day said:

GregW said:

mEGG_My_Day said:

That brisket looks fantastic. 

Thanks, It surprised me. It was the first brisket that I have cooked that was good. I think the combination of trimming and using the Post Oak pellets made the brisket much better. They Hickory pellets were over powering the beef flavor.

I also used a salt / pepper rub that was 50/50 ratio. Also per Franklin's recommendations, I made sure not to apply excess rub. This helped the beef flavor come through.

Franklin's videos are very helpful.

I struggle with brisket - have done maybe 4 in the last few years and have never thought they were worth the effort.  Let’s just say, I have made a lot of chili But I know there must be something there based on so many folks raving about them. I did just find a sack of post oak, so maybe worth another try using that.  

I would say practice cooking them helps, But I do think I really got lucky. Like you, I have maybe 4 or 5 briskets in my past cooks. All of the prior cooks ended in disappointment.

I have read something somewhere that pellet smokers have caused brisket sales to spike due to it being easier to get good results. It may very well be the case.

lousubcap

Briskets are a challenge due to the shape and texture of the cut (packer description here).  Four major things I have learned while working thru my share of random outcomes (including many years of friggin flats only):

The quality of cut going in has a major impact on the result unless over-served to the point where you totally F it up. However, if you can find a floppy brisket with good marbling (void of too much hard fat) then with a high choice or above grade you can really nail the cook.

You need to know your cooker:  This has to do with the cook/moisture environment.  BGE's retain moisture so no need for a water pan or routine spritz.  Stick burners, the entire opposite due to the high air-flow.  Can't comment on pellet cookers. Bottom line, the cow needs the surface somewhat hydrated, depending on how you want the bark to develop.

Number three:  The wrap decision:  Franklin's wrap video summarizes it quite well.  The bark is the driver here unless pressed for time then along comes foil.  Looking good and lazy is for the nekked cook.

And last but most important:  Trust the feel in the thick part of the flat to declare victory.  When you are there in the great majority of the protein, pull and give it a good cooling rack rest before the FTC.  

Hope this helps and if interested, there's more and nothing that I have sorted out on my own.  Shoot me a PM and I will be happy to send along.  FWIW-

The Cen-Tex Smoker

lousubcap said:

Briskets are a challenge due to the shape and texture of the cut (packer description here).  Four major things I have learned while working thru my share of random outcomes (including many years of friggin flats only):

The quality of cut going in has a major impact on the result unless over-served to the point where you totally F it up. However, if you can find a floppy brisket with good marbling (void of too much hard fat) then with a high choice or above grade you can really nail the cook.

You need to know your cooker:  This has to do with the cook/moisture environment.  BGE's retain moisture so no need for a water pan or routine spritz.  Stick burners, the entire opposite due to the high air-flow.  Can't comment on pellet cookers. Bottom line, the cow needs the surface somewhat hydrated, depending on how you want the bark to develop.

Number three:  The wrap decision:  Franklin's wrap video summarizes it quite well.  The bark is the driver here unless pressed for time then along comes foil.  Looking good and lazy is for the nekked cook.

And last but most important:  Trust the feel in the thick part of the flat to declare victory.  When you are there in the great majority of the protein, pull and give it a good cooling rack rest before the FTC.  

Hope this helps and if interested, there's more and nothing that I have sorted out on my own.  Shoot me a PM and I will be happy to send along.  FWIW-

“Cap” cooks and eats way more brisket than I do but I’m glad to help as well. 

GregW

@lousubcap , thanks for the information. The brisket I cooked was very flexible. That I'm sure factored into the success.

The pellet smoker does have good airflow, but I don't think it is anywhere near the flow through a stick burner. This may be partly due to the walls being insulated. Being thermally efficient, it burns less pellets, and creates less air flow. My smoker, in theory would have greater airflow with increasing meat loads, as compared to running with only one brisket. My smoker could probably hold around 8 to 10. The smoker works a lot harder and burns more pellets at higher meat loads.

I do probably need to order some pink butcher paper to try it out. From a bark standpoint, it was not a hard bark, but that would probably be a lot different running with a full smoker, and wrapping might be a good idea.

GregW

GoooDawgs said:

Looks excellent.  That thing cooked pretty fast! 

It did cook fast. I saw a Franklin video where he said the more meat pieces in a smoker, the longer it takes to cook.

I have found this to be the case also, I just didn't realize it at the time. The last 16 pork butts I cooked took about 5 hours longer than I expected.

If I had to guess, I would think the increase is due to airflow around the meat.

I bet a full load of briskets would increase the cook time considerably. Maybe to 16 hours or so. 

lousubcap

@The Cen-Tex Smoker While the below comment may be immediately true, "“Cap” cooks and eats way more brisket than I do but I’m glad to help as well."

Let there be no doubt that you have a whole lot more brisket run time than do I.  I have borrowed from several sources (you quite heavily) to cobble together my thoughts on how to give someone at least a fighting chance against the "friggin cow." 

And you even teach classes about how to nail it.  Contrary to Allen Iverson and practice linked:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGDBR2L5kzI

Repetition really matters here!  FWIW-

Botch

One thing you might want to try in the future (if the pellets are available): use 3/4 post oak and 1/4 mesquite.  This is what I do in the Egg with wood chips, and I've (mostly) been happy with my briskets (I've never wrapped one for the last part of cooking, although FTC afterwards seems to be worth the trouble!)  
Someone above mentioned you do need to have a good piece of cow; Amen!  I cooked two briskets for an office party a few years ago, purchased and cooked simultaneously.  One was fantastic, the other was crap (really the only bad brisket I've ever made).  Some things are beyond our control.  

GregW

@Botch , I will try the post oak/mesquite blend. Thanks