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First Brisket Journey

JWBurns
JWBurns Posts: 344
edited August 2012 in EggHead Forum
Wanted to start a topic and update throughout the week my first brisket journey.

Serving around 15 people on Saturday for a little summer pool party action.. And I'm nervous as hell about it!

I plan on finding a 10-13lb whole CAB packer, and doing a simple mustard, rub and hickory smoke method, at 250 pit temp. With the amount of people coming, I'm considering two briskets, as I don't want to run out - or will that size be plenty?

Sides will be baked beans, potato salad, and lots of cold beer! I'm considering ABT's as an appetizer.

I've read about multiple methods - from Thirdeye (smokeandfire) to Bubba Tim's - and figure I'll go a simple route. I did like Thirdeye's take on spritzing with juice, and mopping with BBQ sauce as juice towards the end of the cook. Has anyone tried this method?

Anyway, I'm very open to ideas and suggestions and I'll update a detailed log as I go along.

Jason
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Comments

  • Awesome, maybe we can get another group cook going again!  That was so much fun!  
  • JWBurns
    JWBurns Posts: 344

    Awesome, maybe we can get another group cook going again!  That was so much fun!  

    You got one going this weekend as well Lizzie?

  • SkinnyV
    SkinnyV Posts: 3,404
    To me pork butt is a safer bet than brisket, good luck. I did 15lbs butt for sons bday, and it went well. This was on another smoker.
    Seattle, WA
  • SkinnyV
    SkinnyV Posts: 3,404
    BTW just pulled ABT's and stuffed and wrapped mushrooms I'm taking to a BBq. First time ever doing em, easy and taste great. Should be a hit so I'd go with em if u have room and time on the egg.
    Seattle, WA
  • Duganboy
    Duganboy Posts: 1,118
    @JWBurns no matter which method you choose it will turn out great, good or fair.  That is the nature of briskets.  The veterans even throw in a clunker every now and then.

    Good luck, but if you want to wow them, put on a 9 lb or so pork butt, some cheap white buns and get ready for the compliments.
  • JWBurns
    JWBurns Posts: 344
    To me pork butt is a safer bet than brisket, good luck. I did 15lbs butt for sons bday, and it went well. This was on another smoker.
    I'm so porked out.. had some today in fact after an overnight cook on Sunday. Win or loose, Brisket it is!
  • JWBurns
    JWBurns Posts: 344
    BTW just pulled ABT's and stuffed and wrapped mushrooms I'm taking to a BBq. First time ever doing em, easy and taste great. Should be a hit so I'd go with em if u have room and time on the egg.
    ABT's are my favorite.. took me a few tries before I got them right! 
  • SkinnyV said:

    To me pork butt is a safer bet than brisket, good luck. I did 15lbs butt for sons bday, and it went well. This was on another smoker.

    +100. I can tell you that doing your first brisket for a group is not advised AT ALL. I still don't do them for groups unless I can control the scene. Do yourself a huge favor and do pulled pork. Do your first few Briskets for yourself and select friends.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • JWBurns said:

    SkinnyV said:

    To me pork butt is a safer bet than brisket, good luck. I did 15lbs butt for sons bday, and it went well. This was on another smoker.

    I'm so porked out.. had some today in fact after an overnight cook on Sunday. Win or loose, Brisket it is!
    I saw this after I commented but my advice still stands. First time Brisket is a widowmaker :)
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,170
    edited August 2012
    To me pork butt is a safer bet than brisket, good luck. I did 15lbs butt for sons bday, and it went well. This was on another smoker.
    I'm so porked out.. had some today in fact after an overnight cook on Sunday. Win or loose, Brisket it is!
    I saw this after I commented but my advice still stands. First time Brisket is a widowmaker :)
    Dang wish I'd known the widowmaker part years ago
    :)
    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.
  • JWBurns
    JWBurns Posts: 344
    Well hell I only thought I was scared..

    Now I'm terrified.

    I think I'll just stick to burgers. Maybe burgers and some pulled pork. Personally I'm tired of pork as I've been eating on Sunday's cook all week - but I gotta consider everyone else.

    Sounds like its best to get a few brisket's under my belt before I host any events. Thanks for all the guidance fellas.

  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,170

    @JWBurns-what about spatchcock chix...BGE really cranks out get chix-here's a link in the recipe section:

    http://www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramic.htm Great reference site for all things ceramic-

     

    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.
  • JWBurns
    JWBurns Posts: 344
    lousubcap said:

    @JWBurns-what about spatchcock chix...BGE really cranks out get chix-here's a link in the recipe section:

    http://www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramic.htm Great reference site for all things ceramic-

     

    Going to do one of those for the wife and I.

    I'll do pork sammy's for our guests, and some ABT's as apps.
  • Mighty_Quinn
    Mighty_Quinn Posts: 1,878
    Get a packer, rub it and put it on 250-300...you'll be fine as long as you stay away from small flats.
  • JWBurns...don't be scared!  Make it happen.  Everyone is right, brisket is very tricky though.  I don't think one 13# brisket will feed 15 people though.  I know it wouldn't feed 15 of my friends at least.

    I JUST smoked a 13# brisket yesterday with great results.

    What I did...
    - buy 13# brisket
    - rub with mustard then Dizzy Pig rub, let sit for 3 hours
    - start fire with hickory chips spread throughout charcoal
    - use plate setter with pan to catch drippings
    - smoke at 275 degrees, put it on the night before
    - pull when it reaches 195-200 (gonna take a hell of a long time)
    - slice and enjoy!

    Do you have a DigiQ?  It will take a lot of your worries away.  If not...it might be a bit more tricky IMO.
  • U doing the brisket or something else?
    I get terribly nervouse cookig for other people but no one else is as picky as I am about my cooking.




    Well I did my first brisket for my in laws last weekend. They ate it up but I was not pleased. It did not do exactly what I thought it would. Timing is what I'd be most worried about with this cook. I'm doing another brisket ASAP. I cooked it the day before and had to reheat. It was an easy cook cause I had all the time in the world. Best thing to remember is you are an egghead. You are obsessed with your grill and your product. But the average joe your family and your company is used to eating at Applebee's for ribs and will love your food when your mad as a hornet it didn't do just right.


    _______________________________________________

    XLBGE 
  • Awesome, maybe we can get another group cook going again!  That was so much fun!  

    Wish I was gonna be smoking somethig but have a busy weekend planned right now. Maybe can find some time somewhere to get the mustard out <:-P


    _______________________________________________

    XLBGE 
  • Best thing to remember is you are an egghead. You are obsessed with your grill and your product. But the average joe your family and your company is used to eating at Applebee's for ribs and will love your food when your mad as a hornet it didn't do just right.
    You hit it right on the head there. I say cook the brisket! Leave yourself plenty of time and watch your thermos. If you finish early, wrap it in towels and put it in a cooler--it will hold for hours. If you're using a packer, I don't think it's very risky at all. I've had some turn out better than others, but they've always been met with raves (see above quote). One brisket 13-15 lbs should be plenty.
  • Mighty_Quinn
    Mighty_Quinn Posts: 1,878
    Amen docbigsky!!!
  • JWBurns
    JWBurns Posts: 344
    Well heck..

    I guess I need to decide one way or the other.
  • tmas
    tmas Posts: 35
    At 275, how do you avoid it drying out?  I pulled my last brisket at 197 after cooking for 10 hours at 275.  It was dry and had no smoke ring.  Good flavor though thanks to Grub Rub.
    XL BGE Katy, TX (otherwise known as Far West Houston)
  • SkinnyV
    SkinnyV Posts: 3,404
    No doubt you make a pork butt and you don't feel the need to have another one for a while, for me its easily a month.
    U can go ahead and try your mission, worst case scenario some people grumble about the meat being a bit dry, its not the end of the word.
    Just pay attention to what your meat is teling you during the cook and good luck.
    Seattle, WA
  • JWBurns
    JWBurns Posts: 344
    Well, brisket it is!

    Picked up this 14lb beauty from my butcher

    Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos

    All trimmed up, with some Bolners Brisket Rub, and a touch of John Henry's Pecan Rub.

    Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos

    Had her in the fridge overnight, and I plan on putting it on the egg at 2pm today.

    Ideally, I'd like to pull tomorrow morning, and FTC till 1pm when our guests arrive.

    I'll post up again once she's on

    Jason
  • Great, what method are toy using, the part braise, or all smoke? I agree with the others that you are of course your worst critic. I did my first brisket for company, ended up holding it for 5 hours. They loved it , I hated it and started apologizing left and right, was pretty disheartened. Then the other day, we go out to dinner. Spent a lot of money with a group and guess what my food was not well seasoned, overdone and dissaponting, same person at the table with the same dish thought it was great. I think we get the egg and start to really appreciate the flavor and nuances of our food and the journey it took to get there. My suggestion would be to have a back up: if the brisket is dry when you are slicing it, and it is starting to fall apart when slicing, have some type of sauce to brush on it before serving. If it really went south then have some buns handy with sauce ready to go. Just go with it, pull it off when it proves like butter and relax. I'll be watching for the rest of the day, lots of support here for you, and all of us learning this art form of low ams slow!
  • Glad to see you are going with the brisket.   I remember the first brisket I did, the stall had me worried.  I thought I was going to have a hockey puck.  It was an OK brisket. Some friends I gave some to raved about how flavorful and tender it was.  You will be more critical of your food then anyone else.  My best advice is remember you are cooking to tenderness not time. The point will take care of itself watch the flat area. I start probe testing at 190.  When the probe slides in with little to no resistance you are there.  Have fun with your cook.  I'm betting on compliments from your guest.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Welcome to the Swamp.....GO GATORS!!!!
  • gerhardk
    gerhardk Posts: 942
    I hope I don't put a curse on myself but so far I have made four briskets and they were all successful, when I used my offset smoker I don't believe I made one that I was happy with. I have pulled mine off the egg between 195 and 205 just depended on how they felt when twisted with a fork. If it was me doing this cook I would time it so it is done 3 or 4 hours before you need it and then put on chicken legs or wings for appetizers an 1 1/2 hours before the meal. I am sure you'll serve a great meal Gerhard
  • Go buddy go!! Excited you made the brisket and excited to watch your progress. Jealous I don't have anything smoking!


    _______________________________________________

    XLBGE 
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,170

    All great info above-here's a great link regarding briskets-lots of interesting and useful info-

    http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/texas_brisket.html Enjoy the journey.  I'm sure it will be quite the success.

    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.
  • JWBurns
    JWBurns Posts: 344
    Lizzie I remember following your brisket cook. Wasn't that the time your iPhone almost got egged? Lol

    Here are the notes for my cook:

    • Plate setter feet up, spacer under drip pan with water. Foil grate where openings exist on plate setter. 285 pit temp. Smoke with hickory for 2 hours. Fat side down. Temp probe in thickest part of flat. 
    • Test temp at 180, and again at 190, and again every half hour. Fork, butter/slide test. 185-200 range.
    • Pull, separate, and double foil the flat. Towel and cooler. 
    • Cube point. Add rub, apple vinegar / juice, and cook in CI skillet for one hour. Double foil and FTC.
    • Serve / Slice with electric knife. Crack foil, let rest for 30 minutes. Far side up, scrape / trim fat. Keep juice! Turn over, slice. 

    There's my plan! Feel free to critique or add any suggestions.

    Jason