15 lbs Brisket

Cutlet

I just saw that my local wal-mart has 15 lbs briskets so I picked one up for the 4th. I have done much smaller briskets so I would appreciate some help on the larger ones.

Do you trim the fat? How long do you cook it? I usually keep the egg around 225-250 for brisket. Any other pointers would be great. Happy 4th. Thanks!

EggSimon

some folks does a direct & high cook with great success.
But I´m a low & slow fan. 230 -250 F range is great.
15 pound brisket will cook approx 15 hours.
I haven´t tirmmed much fat fo my briskets so far. But the briskets over here has also less fat.

Cook it fat side down, apply a nice rub, inject it (optionally). That´s all.

Foil @ 160 is a good question. Some folks foil, some not.
I have done both ways. In the egg, foiling is imho not absolutely neccessary, and not foil helps to reach a good bark.
If ya get time troubles foiling will help to speed up the cooking time, but destroys the nice bark.
I would start with the goal no foil, and if time troubles come - foil.

Wish ya a great cook !

BigGreenDon

Easier to show then tell, but will try:

One the fat cap side, leave the fat on the flat alone unless it is grater than 1/4" think. You will trim this after the cook. (If you inject, this cap keeps the juices from flowing out the bottom.)

On that same side, it is OK and perhaps desirable to trim the fat away from the underside of the point.

On the top (non-fatcap) side, and the sides, go ahead and trim any excess fat away. Also, trim away and silverskin that you see.

Where the point meets the flat, undercut somewhat and remove some of the interconnecting fat. Don't go crazy though, as you don't want to sever the point from the flat. Just undercut perhaps 2".

Some folks use a thin layer of common yellow mustard to help the rub hold on. I do this.

It is generally accepted that the cook will take about 1 1/2 hours per pound. This has been approximately correct for the briskets I have done, but I have not done one over about 9 lbs. In any case, you will want to use a temperature probe to figure out when it is getting close.

Some folks will tightly foil the brisket after the bark has solidly formed. This step usually includes adding some type of moisture to the package (apple juice or some type of simple mop). If you add fluid, don't go crazy -- just add a little.

The foil step is used a lot in competition, and is sometimes called the "Texas Crutch". The reasoning is that after the bark has solidly formed, the meat will not absorb more smoke to any significant degree, and will only lose moisture as it continues to cook. So, foiling arrests the ability of the brisket to lose moisture for the remainder of the cook.

Foil or no: this is a religious discussion. Some people swear by it, and some violently oppose it.

I have not been foiling so far, but I recently went to a class taught by a relatively famous pitmaster and he swears by it, and the brisket we turned out in that class was plain awesome. I will do it on my next brisket...

Don

FearlessGrill

Cutlet,

I haven't done one quite that size, but I have done 13 pounders, which should be similar...

In terms of trimming, I do like to trim mine to leave about 1/4 inch of fat. Just personal preference. You're not going to hurt it by not trimming.

I sometimes start my brisket at a lower temperature to get better smoke penetration, but once I get into the overnight portion of the cook, I leave my Egg in the 250ish range. I never have a problem with my fire going out at that temp, and that is hot enough to get the brisket up to and through the plateau. Remember that a dome temp of 225 means a grid temp close to 200. If 195-200 is your target temp for the meat, it will take forever to get there at a 225 dome.

In terms of time, general consensus for brisket is 90 minutes per pound at 250 dome. Once the internal temp climbs into the 190ish range, test for doneness by using a fork, thermometer, etc. When it slides in and out cleanly, your brisket is done. This can be anywhere from 190 to 200ish degrees. One difference between a whole brisket and the smaller ones (I'm assuming flats) you may have done in the past is that the point will still be attached. Check for doneness in the flat, as the fattier point will feel done faster.

One other thing to note... that 15 pounder may not lie flat on your grid at the beginning of the cook. If that's the case, you can put a rack, foiled firebrick, etc. in the middle to bend it to fit. Once it starts cooking, it may shrink enough to take the support out.

Good luck,

-John

thirdeye

Like FearlessGrill mentioned, measure the length as a 15# one might not fit. If the flat tapers down to less than 1/2", you can just pick a new line and trim it back. Or, an empty can underneath be used for part of the cook. Also the ends will reach out beyond the shield of your plate setter and drip pan, so add a foil shield. Once that boy shrinks up, remove the can or shields.

If you are going to use a remote thermometer, stick it in the thicker part of the flat, not in the point, and not in the overlap area between the flat and point.

250° dome is a good temp, plan on 1-1/2 hours per pound, just don't take that to the bank. Judge tenderness with an ice pick when the internal temp goes past 185°. I put way more faith in the ice pick than the thermometer reading. I do a long rest, wrapped in foil, in a cooler with the fat side up.








If you want to make the smoke ring pop.... sprinkle some Tenderquick on the inside face(the side opposite the fat side) for 10 minutes. Rinse it off with cold water. Put the brisket back in the fridge for one hour. Then use the same amount of your regular seasoning, or slather, or injection, or whatever you do.

fishlessman

if it doesnt fit, you can line the front and back of the egg with some foil and just scrunch it in, it will shrink during the cook. put the thick end toward the rear of the cooker, its usually hotter back there and the thick end can take a little more heat. i do the same with turkeys, the legs face the hinge area because i want them to cook hotter, i remember seeing julia childs talk about that in an oven, the back of a typical oven is hotter, legs go back toward the rear of the oven, she should have been an egger

61chev

Would Buckboard Bacon seasoning work like tenderquick for a smoke ring on a brisket? Thanks

SpecialK-MD

I'm a high heat guy. Best brisket I've ever eaten. Not to say that it's the method that makes it but it's good, fast and hassle-free:

Inject
Rub
Egg at 350-375 (although as high as 400 intermittently)
Cook indirect fat side down x 2-2.5 hours (until 160 internal in the flat)
Foil and cook another 2 hours (apple juice in the foil optional although I usually add it) or until fork tender

I'm done right at 4.5 hours with a brisket as big as 16 pounds.

Let rest for 30-60 min and slice.

thirdeye

I bet it would. The % of nitrates is less in Buckboard than in TQ (0.75% vs 1.0%), so maybe go 15 minutes before rinsing. And by a "sprinkle" I'm talking a tablespoon or so.

thirdeye

I tend to rest 2 to 3 hours on my hi-temp briskets, but I agree the technique works.

Care to share your injection?

My current favorite one:

1 can beef broth
2 to 3 teaspoons of beef soup base, paste form (this must be to taste as the strength changes from brand to brand)
1 or 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil

I also like the fishlessman method of shooting it during the cook, in this case just before wrapping it in foil.

SpecialK-MD

No problem. I got my injection off the weber bullet forum. It's "Chris Lilly's Championship injection"

3/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup salt
2 tbsp Worcestershire
1-2 tbsp rub (my personal addition)

And I inject with the meat still in the shrink wrap to save a little mess.

Cutlet

Thanks for all of the info from everyone.

Thirdeye this looks extremely luscious! Do you care to give me more detail on your rub, also it looks like you mopped it to begin with. Sauce to serve with? Thanks.

Hoosier

Just saw this post and marking it so I can find it again. Definitely will try the tender quick on my next cook.