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Turbo Beef Brisket?
Comments
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Wow big is the brisket? is it trimmed yet?Be careful, man! I've got a beverage here.
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I think I saw somewhere thatTravis has a good way to do it fast. I'm all low and slow when it comes to Brisket but there are ways to do it. His 1/2 braise/1/2 smoke (if I remember right) seems like a good idea.I can hook you up with killer low and slow brisket so give me a shout if you want some pointers.Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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350 until brisket reaches 165. Foil and pull off @195. Rest in cooler for an hour.
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Thanks all! Butcher was out. Doing Turbo Butt instead. Cen-Tex, would love to have tips for low and slow brisket. Will do one on Friday night. Thanks!
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OK- I'll write it up for you today. I use a V-Rack and a drip pan for mine. Do you have that setup?Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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OK- The attached pic is
a butt but the setup is exactly the same. I'll make a few assumptions here to
save some time.1) you have a large or
XL egg.2) You have a plate
setter, V-Rack, 13"x9" disposable foil pan (or your equivalent of
each) .3) You have a way to
raise that pan off the plate setter.4) You totally clean out
your egg before the cook (yes, you have to pull everything out and sweep it
out).5) You
are comfortable with building a good fire that will hold rock solid
while you sleep.6) That you understand
the anatomy of the brisket and that a brisket is actually 2 muscle groups (the
point and the flat) that have grains that run in different directions.7) That you know
how to properly trim the brisket once it's cooked. If you don't cut it right,
it's just as bad as not cooking it right.I'll touch on the
basics of all of it but if you need more detail, let me know and we'll work
through it.The Meat: Can't cook without meat so let's go
shopping first: I only buy choice grade (when available) whole packer cut
briskets (they are usually 12-20lbs) in the cryo. I found that most briskets
will fit on a V-rack but some of the larger ones hang over the edges. This is
fine and I have even had to trim a few inches off the flats on some of the
really large ones to fit my Lg. Egg. Most fit perfectly on a v-Rack into a
large Egg. I never buy flats and I NEVER
buy anything trimmed. You can get good results with flats, but the point is
where the best marbling and flavor are. I've also found that my flats
are moister when I cook whole briskets. And Never buy those
3-5 lb cuts that the butchers have trimmed up at the store. These are for
braising or making corned beef. There is no amount of low and slow you can do
to these to make them moist or palatable as BBQ. The fat cap matters
so if you can see too much of the meat grain on the fat side, don't buy it.
There may be a few spots that have been trimmed down to the grain, but i prefer
the most fat cap coverage that I can find. That way I can trim them the way I like
them. You can go find a $100 CAB or "Prime" brisket if you have
access but I honestly can't tell the difference between these and a choice
brisket if you cook them right. I try to avoid select grade briskets, but I've
done them plenty when it's all I could find and they turned out great. Here is
what I look for: A brisket (choice or above if available) with a nice thick fat
cap that covers almost all the grain on the fat side. I also look for a brisket
that is "floppy" when holding the thicker part of the brisket (the
flat should fold a little when holding this way). I also look that it does not
have any clotted blood, discoloration, or weird looking spots. I
think this is all so I can look like I know what the hell I'm doing without
actually knowing for sure that any of these things actually make any
difference. To me, a brisket is like a set of golf clubs in the hands of a good
pro. A good pro will whip your ass with 25 year old set of clubs bought at a
pawn shop while you hack around with your shiny $2000 Callaway's!. A good
brisket guy can get a lot out of most briskets so I wouldn't freak out if you
live in an area that does not sell these boutique grades of brisket. Look for
choice grades and play around with others if you can find them. Take select grade
whole packers if you have to but don’t bother using anything trimmed up. You
can use flats if that’s all you have available, but for me, I would rather do
pulled pork than a brisket flat only. If
your technique is right, you'll make good briskets out of what you can find.
Keep pushing your store or butcher to bring in what you like if you don't live
in an area like TX where you can buy brisket at the gas station .The fire: After totally cleaning out the egg, I add
the lump. I use only the largest chunks of lump in the bag and I place them in
by hand to ensure max airflow. If it's smaller than a deck of cards,
I don't put it in my low and slow fires. I do not dump the lump in
from the bag so I don't get any small pieces or dust
clogging up the airflow. I put the lump to the top of the fire box (to the line
between the fire box and ring) and light it. I let it burn for 30 minutes or so
until all the lump is glowing and starting to
turn white (it's really hot by this time). I then add 3-4 fist size pieces of
of whatever wood you like to use (I'm partial to Pecan, Oak, Mesquite, or
Hickory but this is all personal preference and it's OK to use whatever you
like). I then put the plate setter on and then choke the fire down to 225-250
dome temp. I prep the meat while the fire is coming back down to temp. it does
not take too long and I find this process makes fires that never go out or lose
temp in the night.The Prep: As the fire comes to
temp, I prep the meat. Here is the way I do it: I place the brisket fat side up on the counter and I
trim the "hard" fat off. All untrimmed briskets have some very thick
fat that is actually hard to the touch. This fat will not render any moisture
or become soft during the cook so I get rid of it. If any fat is thicker than
1/4 inch or so, I trim it down a bit (I'll explain why in the cutting section).
I then use my favorite dry rub of the week to cover the entire brisket. Right
now it's Dizzy Dust but I like lots of them. Some guys like making their own
and I'm all for it if that's your deal. Send me the recipe if you make a good
one. I put the rub on to where you can no longer see the grain of the meat at
all. I do not use any binders (oil. mustard etc) for the rub. The moisture in
the meat is plenty to hold the rub on. Oil is bad because it stays moist during
the cook and you’ll never get a good bark with is you use oil as a binder.
Mustard is fine if you are bent on using a binder, but you don’t need it. I let it sit for an hour or so at room temp
while the egg is stabilizing. The rub will actually turn into sort of a paste
during this time and that's OK. it will firm up during the cook. If
any of it melts off or looks a little thin, I add a little more rub
right before the cook.The Setup: Once the meat is
prepped and the fire is stabilized at 225-250, you are ready to get your setup
together and on the pit. For my setup, I use a jalapeno roasting rack (it’s the thing shaped like TX in
the pics below) to raise my foil drip pan off the plate setter. Anything that
will give you an inch or more of clearance from the plate setter that allows
airflow between the drip pan and plate setter will work. (I even used rolled up
"rods" of tin foil before I figured out
my little jalapeno rack setup and the brisket didn't even notice .
I've found the 13"x9" pans work perfectly (V-Rack fits perfectly
inside) for this set up. I then put some water into the pan and place my
brisket or butts on a V-Rack into the pan. Be careful that your meat does not
come in contact with the water in the pan. I put my brisket fat side up, but
this is really just a leftover habit from my pre-egg days. I can't tell you
this makes any difference but it's the way I do it. One more note about
adding water: butts and briskets release a ton of moisture during the cook so
if you add too much of water before they have released their moisture and then
go to bed, you might over flow the pan or raise the level to where it touches
the meat (no bueno).The Cook: Once the egg is dialed in at 225-250, and
you get your setup ready, it’s time to throw on the brisket. I usually put
briskets and butts on around 9-10PM. This gives me a few hours to make sure
everything is locked in and the fire is exactly the way I want before going to
bed. I may add a little more water when I go to bed at 11-12 (or 1 or 2
depending on the mood of the chef and how many beers are left). Sometimes I
don't add any more water for the entire cook but I always add it when I throw
the meat on. I then go to bed and don't check temps or have thermometer alarms
set or anything like that. If you build the fire right, go to bed and sleep
tight. The only exception to this rule is weather. I'm talking about big cold
fronts that come in during the cook or a big rain. I live in TX so I get very
few of either . I lived in WI when I bought my egg so I know all about bad weather
rolling in during a cook. If you know weather is coming, set your remote thermo
alarm just to be safe.The Stall/Plateau of the cook: Here is
where most low and slow newbies get whacked out with briskets and butts. The
meat will steadily rise to between 150-170 and then just stall out there for
hours. This is called the stall or plateau and it is critical to good briskets
and butts. Tougher cuts like briskets and butts have tons of connective tissue
in the muscle that actually render out during this process. This is what makes
these cuts so ethereal when done correctly. If you do not properly
take these cuts through this process, you are going to
have disappointing results. Once your meat starts climbing out of the
stall, you can raise the temp of the egg to 350 or so to get it up to temp
without hurting the meat if you are running behind. The only caveat here is
that if you do this too long, you will really char the crust and it can get a
little acrid. I try not to do it, but I have done it many times with good results.
I never raise the temp to get it through the stall. Patience is key
and you can ruin a good cook by forcing it through the stall.If you built your fire right and put it on
around 9-10 at night, it’s very likely that your brisket will be in the middle
of, or close to coming out of the stall/plateau by early to mid-morning. As it starts to rise out of the plateau, keep
an eye on your temps every hour or so, It can take another 5-6 hours to get up
to temp so this is part of a long process. I start checking mine for doneness
around 180 degrees in the thickest
part of the flat. For your sanity, it’s good to keep in mind that more
than any other cut, briskets are "done when they are done". There is
no dependable timetable other than use 1.5 hours per lb. as a guide. Give
yourself plenty of time on both sides of that if you are planning a meal around
it. You can tell when they are done when your probe slides through the thickest
part of The Flat with little resistance. The point will
be done much sooner than the flat because of the higher fat content in the
point (fat cooks much faster than muscle). Knowing this, always use
the flat to test for doneness or you will have tough, dry flats. If you use a
remote thermometer, make sure it is in the thickest part of the flat. If it’s
in the point or in the “ribbon” between the point and flat, you’ll pull it
several hours too early and have tough dry flats. I find they are usually done
around 185-190 but they are seriously finicky about giving up the ghost so
check by hand as well to ensure. I’ve had them go up to 200 before being tender
in the flat so this is where your fell will come into play. The more you do,
the easier it is. You can also look up the TX Crutch technique which is
wrapping the meat in foil when it reaches the stall. I've heard this provides
great results, but I love a crunchy bark on my BBQ and the crutch destroys
bark. It's another tried and true way to do it, but not the way i do it. I
would try both and see which you like best.The Rest: I have begun to rest my briskets more
these days and I do find them to be more tender and far more juicy than when I
do not rest. The only thing I don’t love about rested briskets and butts is
that (like the crutch) it softens the bark too much for my taste. I like a
thick crunchy bark so I am looking for a balance here between resting and good
bark. I have even thrown a few back on the pit or in the oven at 350 once
rested just to firm up the bark a little. It works well, but it's another step
that's probably a little overkill for most. For the rest, wrap in several
layers of foil, wrap in towels and put in a cooler for 1 or more hours. I find
they keep for the better part of a day this way so I always plan to be done
early if I have an event or meal planned. I had one in a cooler for 12 hours
this weekend (I over cooked for a party) and it was still 145 degrees when I
pulled it later that night. The crust was super soft but the flavor and texture
was awesome.The Trim: This took me a while to figure out and I
think it's where a lot of good cooks turn bad. Brisket, more than any other cut
of BBQ, must be sliced across the grain. If you slice a
brisket with the grain, it is like eating shoe leather. If you accidentally
slice some with the grain while learning, just chop it up and make chopped beef
sandwiches. They will be awesome and nobody will be the wiser. This is where
you must know the difference between your 2 muscles (point and flat) because
their grains run different directions. If you just slice right through both
muscles at the fat end of the brisket, you will have tough, stringy
bites.Here is the way I do it: Place your brisket on
your cutting surface fat side DOWN (point side UP) with the thickest part (this
is the point) closest to you. I then
remove the point from the flat. When the thick end is facing you, about half
way down the thickness of the brisket you will find the “ribbon” of fat and and
tissue that connect the 2 muscles. This fat and connective tissue will have been
rendered very soft by the cook and it’s easy to find by probing gently with a
knife until is slides right in. Take a good look at your brisket before rubbing
and cooking so you'll have a good idea where it is. Take a large knife and
slide it into this "ribbon". It should slide in with very little
resistance. Keep working your knife through this ribbon until you have
separated the 2 muscles. The point usually goes about 1/2 way down the
thickness and 1/3 or so the length of the flat to give you a rough guide.
When done, your knife will emerge on the top side of the flat about 1/3 toward
the far facing end of the brisket. This is tough to explain verbally so I’ll
get pics posted ASAP. This takes a few times to get it right so don’t sweat it.
When you are done separating the point, you'll have 2 pieces of meat with bark
on 3 sides and exposed delicious meat (no bark) on the bottom of the point and
top of the flat. I then cut the flat in half width-wise, locate the grain and
then slice against the grain! I cannot stress enough that if you take a perfect brisket and slice it
with the grain, it will be chewy and stringy. It will ruin your brisket so take
the time to get this right. I start at the fattest end of the flat and
make slices about1/4” thick. As the flat really narrows, I take that part and
chop it up to make sandwiches (this will be the driest part of the meat but
will still have bark on all 4 sides. makes awesome sandwiches with sauce). The
point (by far my favorite part of a brisket) has a texture more like pulled
pork. The grain can vary but it is very tender. I'll slice some and leave some
larger chunks with lots of bark on them to eat right off the cutting board.
Now, I mentioned earlier that I trim the fat cap down to about 1/4 inch. If you
do not do this, the fat side of the flat will have a large bite of fat
on every slice. This fat will have rendered so soft that you can take
a knife and just scrape it off right down to the meat (almost gelatin like). Many
restaurants do this but I do not. You lose half your bark and much of your
smoke when you have to scrape this fat and I'm all about lots of smoke and good
bark on my briskets and butts. By trimming them to 1/4 inch, you leave plenty
of fat to protect the flat during the cook and a delicious, smoky, bark covered
bite. The thin layer of fat is actually delicious covered in bark,
but I find it's too fatty and distracts from the meat if you leave the entire
fat cap without scraping after the cook.Well, that's it. The
rest is all about jumping in and planning to screw a few up while you
learn. Best lesson I ever learned about BBQ is that unless you totally screw it
up, it's all good with a few beers and some sauce. You'll get the hang of it
soon enough and be killing it in no time.Good luck, hope you find
some useful pointers in here. Like I say, there are a lot of ways to
do it but this one works well for me. Consistent results, tons of
smoke and bark which is the way I prefer it.Now for the sauce
recipe?...........I have a good one. maybe that's another post.Questions, comments,
criticisms all welcome…………..EnjoyPic 1) Inverted Plate Setter with my jalapeno roasting rack as a spacer
Pic 2) Drip pan with water on top of rack/plate setter
Pic 3) Butt (or Brisket) on V-Rack sitting in drip pan
Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX -
Wow CenTex Smoker.
Just invite me over please. No way I am going to work that hard (or read all that). Bet the farm it is good. I am just a slacker.
Salado TX & 30A FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers. -
I don't blame you. if I had to read all that to get it right, I wouldn't either. I just ruined enough over the years to figure it all out. It's nice to finally have it written down somewhere though. maybe we can save some folks a little money and frustration.....Salado ain't that far.....come on overKeepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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+1 to The Cen-Tex Smoker post above. What an excellent write-up! That about covers all you will ever need to know-I have bookmarked three brisket sites that contain very much the same info-if you ever decide to read even more...
http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/texas_brisket.html
http://www.bubbatim.com/Bubba_s_Brisket.php
http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/1996/03/brisket.html
You can overload on brisket info- enjoy the brisket journey:)Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win. Life is too short for light/lite beer! Seems I'm livin in a transitional period. -
Amen. Just get out there and find a way that works and learn from every cook.+1 to The Cen-Tex Smoker post above. What an excellent write-up! That about covers all you will ever need to know-I have bookmarked three brisket sites that contain very much the same info-if you ever decide to read even more...
http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/texas_brisket.html
http://www.bubbatim.com/Bubba_s_Brisket.php
http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/1996/03/brisket.html
You can overload on brisket info- enjoy the brisket journey:)Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX -
Another note on Turbo Brisket: Kreutz market in Lockhart TX (see food network and all other publications that list them as "the best BBQ on the planet) cooks their briskets in 4 hours. I hate their brisket and don't consider them the best at anything (their sausage is amazing though- gotta give it up on that one) but judging by the 500 people in line when they open I'm guessing it's serviceableKeepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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Thanks so much! Been caught up in medical nightmare and just now able to log back in. Going to try this next weekend. Thanks so much!
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Thanks for this CT! 1 question
You said during the set up that you get the fire going then put on ps and choke it down to 225. My question is how high does the dome temp get before you put on ps?
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Quick question.
When I cook at 225-250 the smoke only blows for 1 maybe 2 hours then it goes clear. I found that cooking 250-275 the smoke goes full for quite a while.
I've tried the wood chips and chunks spread out on every layer everywhere method and the visual smoke goes away after that time. Is it bad to smoke at 250-275?
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brycos said:Thanks for this CT! 1 question
You said during the set up that you get the fire going then put on ps and choke it down to 225. My question is how high does the dome temp get before you put on ps?Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX -
TTBannon said:
Quick question.
When I cook at 225-250 the smoke only blows for 1 maybe 2 hours then it goes clear. I found that cooking 250-275 the smoke goes full for quite a while.
I've tried the wood chips and chunks spread out on every layer everywhere method and the visual smoke goes away after that time. Is it bad to smoke at 250-275?
Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX -
Awesome. I just cant keep the smoke billowing at 225. 250-275 is good for me.
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How do i tell the difference between dome and grid?
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Remote thermometer like the maverick will tell you grid temp.Bx - > NJ ->TX!!!All to get cheaper brisket!
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TTBannon said:How do i tell the difference between dome and grid?
You don't need to-Since the dome thermo is the one thermo that comes with all BGE's most people reference it (unless otherwise specified) in cooking recipes. Now "what good is it"? It's a reference (as long as it's calibrated) and given you cook to final temperature it lets you know the range you are cooking in and thus an approximation of time for the cook. And for indirect cooks, ( heat deflector in place) the dome thermo will run about 20-40*f higher than the grate when starting out. Longer the dome is shut the less the temp difference. FWIW-Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win. Life is too short for light/lite beer! Seems I'm livin in a transitional period. -
Thanks for the tips Cen-Tex. I finally located and attempted a whole packer last week and it was an epic fail. I wound up with pulled beef which I believe meant I overcooked it. It was edible, but I wanted to end up with nice slices. It fell apart when I tried to slice it. I will have to give it another shot I suppose.
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@Cen-Tex, thank you for the write up. Very comprehensive and you make Texas proud. One question I still have is how do you light your slow and lows?
=======================================
XL 6/06, Mini 6/12, L 10/12, Mini #2 12/14 MiniMax 3/16 Large #2 11/20 Legacy from my FIL - RIP
Tampa Bay, FL
EIB 6 Oct 95 -
thetrim said:@Cen-Tex, thank you for the write up. Very comprehensive and you make Texas proud. One question I still have is how do you light your slow and lows?Hope this helps. have a great weekend all.Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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Wow, the 'mother of all posts'. And I was going to suggest, to get a little feedback not because I ever tried it, splitting the brisket into a flat section and the point and cooking same time but pulling them when each is done right. Forget it now! >-
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I spent 17 very productive years in the Great Republic and know that many of her citizens, with similar vices as you, make her proud! So I kindly genuflect to you and this great advice. Thanks for breaking it down. I do a lot of low and slows with great success, but briskets been a challenge on the Egg for me foe a long time. I appreciate the advice and will change my routine.
=======================================
XL 6/06, Mini 6/12, L 10/12, Mini #2 12/14 MiniMax 3/16 Large #2 11/20 Legacy from my FIL - RIP
Tampa Bay, FL
EIB 6 Oct 95 -
The Cen-Tex Smoker said:-----------I feel a whole lot more like I do now than I did when I got here.
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Hello Cen-Tex! Glad to see you back on the forum. I was wondering if you got banned or something. What are you cooking this weekend? Pork butt over here and going to try out my new CyberQ Wifi that Susan bought me for our anniversary. (She's a keeper.) Have a good one.lakewade said:
Yes, she is a keeper. You.....not so much. I'm just chillin this weekend so I guess I'm having pulled pork at your houseKeepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX -
@Cen-Tex-as we used to say "surface, surface, surface"-and part two-better to be lucky than good as you help lakewade eliminate any left-overs. Enjoy the weekend and the bourbon train is departing very soon...Cheers!Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win. Life is too short for light/lite beer! Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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Have one for me cap. Off the bourbon for a few days. Headed to key west Monday so lying low until the trip.lousubcap said:@Cen-Tex-as we used to say "surface, surface, surface"-and part two-better to be lucky than good as you help lakewade eliminate any left-overs. Enjoy the weekend and the bourbon train is departing very soon...Cheers!
I just realized that I have not cooked anything on my egg in 5 weeks! I'm gone all next week too. Has to be some kind of record.Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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