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Brisket Recommendations

Beefcake83
Beefcake83 Posts: 23
edited March 2018 in Beef
We are new Egg Heads and my GF wants me to smoke a brisket for her birthday upcoming
3-10-18... can anyone provide pointers so I do not ruin her birthday brisket. We just made to die for ribs yesterday but this will only be the 2nd time I’m smoking on my Egg. I’ll be purchasing a digital pit thermometer and meat probes to monitor the temps overnight during the smoke. But any recipes that have turned out good or successful cooking strategies are welcome! 

Thanks everyone!!

Comments

  • ColtsFan
    ColtsFan Posts: 6,310
    edited March 2018
    Hold tight. The experts will be by soon. Brisket is my nemesis

    Welcome aboard! Lots of good info here
    ~ John - https://www.instagram.com/hoosier_egger
    XL BGE, LG BGE, KJ Jr, PK Original, Ardore Pizza Oven, King Disc 
    Bloomington, IN - Hoo Hoo Hoo Hoosiers!

  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,795
    Your question is pretty open-ended.  It's hard to start from scratch.  

    Step 1 is to buy a great piece of meat.  Step 2 is to outline what you think would be a reasonable cook plan and then post it here and have brisket gurus like @lousubcap and @The Cen-Tex Smoker help you iron out the details and talk you through it.

    I sent you a PM with some notes I've put together over the years.  I don't cook them like the majority here as I like the fat side up and that takes some effort to get the egg set up just right. 

    I'll probably be available for consultation as I'm cooking 8 briskets (and 30 racks of ribs) this Friday/Saturday targeting a 6 PM dinner for 150 people so I'll be up late cooking (after attending a black tie dinner).  PM me with any questions.

    Good luck.  Take pictures and let us know how it turns out.

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,170
    PM sent- my process is a bit different than MaskedMarvel's but that's the beauty and challenge of the BGE.  Many ways to get there.  Regarding the above, if you go with a water-pan make sure you maintain liquid in the pan (heat sink) otherwise the temperature will climb to the natural setting for a no pan environment.  Also many BGE's have a sweet spot in the 240-270*F range so don't fight it if that's where it settles.  BTW 225*F can be a challenge w/o a controller.  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.
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,170
    @Foghorn - I recall you posting about that upcoming epic cook.  I'm sure you will bring it all home in well-dressed fashion.  Nothing like a good smoke scent to a black tie rig.  Best of luck and above all, have fun.  
    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.
  • ibanda
    ibanda Posts: 553
    After attending Camp Brisket and cooking more than a dozen here is my summary. Generally Central Texas Style adapted for the egg.

    Packer brisket, 12 to 16# fits on large BGE. Certified Angus Beef Choice grade can be found in my area for $2.89#, and I know I can get them to turn out good. If I can find Prime and I want to really impress I will cook one.

    Salt and Pepper. Lump charcoal, 2 or 3 handfuls of post oak or pecan (chips or chunks). I setup a waterpan with a gallon of water. I cook aim to cook at 250, but I do not sweat +/- 25 degrees. 

    For serving at lunch I start the fire at 6 or 7 pm, meat on an hour later and take off about 8am. I wrap in butcher paper and a towel and put in a cooler for 3 to 4 hours. For dinner serving I put the meat on about midnight and pull about 1 or 2pm and hot hold till serving. 

    I measure "done" temperature with a thermopen at around 200 degrees in the middle part of the flat and am also checing how the probe slides in and out for tenderness.
    "Bacon tastes gooood, pork chops taste gooood." - Vincent Vega, Pulp Fiction
    Small and Large BGE in Oklahoma City.
  • lousubcap said:
    PM sent- my process is a bit different than MaskedMarvel's but that's the beauty and challenge of the BGE.  Many ways to get there.  Regarding the above, if you go with a water-pan make sure you maintain liquid in the pan (heat sink) otherwise the temperature will climb to the natural setting for a no pan environment.  Also many BGE's have a sweet spot in the 240-270*F range so don't fight it if that's where it settles.  BTW 225*F can be a challenge w/o a controller.  FWIW-
    I’ll take that pm too if it discusses your method. Ive been reading and comparing everyone’s methods trying to improve my cooks. 
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,170
    Here's a great thread with lots of info:

    Memorial Day Weekend Brisket Cook: Who's with me? Rules are simple....  

    @Gravytrain84 -PM sent.  
    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.
  • I’ve definitely noticed the sweet spot on mine is just under 250 likes to hover right around that temp and yeah.... 225 is just about impossible. Thanks for the tip on making sure there is enough water to last the duration of the cook. 

    Thanks again to everyone regarding the tips/tricks of successful briskets past! 

    I’ll be sure to throw some pictures up here our first brisket!

    -Brad


  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    Not a water pan fan but many ways to skin the cat, or cow.  Single most important variable you do control going in is the quality of the beef.  Prime briskets in my experience turn out better than choice etc...  Just a thought and assume you already have your protein.  Relax and have fun.  Brisket, like pizza on the egg has a learning curve.  Info above is your friend.
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
  • TideEggHead
    TideEggHead Posts: 1,338
    I agree with @lousubcap, my egg settles in nicely at 250. I've tried the 225 and lower quite a few times (vents only, no controller) and it is tough to keep it right at 225, it can be done but you will be constantly checking the temp and adjusting. Even with constant monitoring, I usually had a temp spike or two during a cook. I can run 250, set it and forget it.
    LBGE
    AL
  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,795
    lousubcap said:
    @Foghorn - I recall you posting about that upcoming epic cook.  I'm sure you will bring it all home in well-dressed fashion.  Nothing like a good smoke scent to a black tie rig.  Best of luck and above all, have fun.  
    Thanks @lousubcap.  There's no question that we're going to have a lot of fun.  The quality of the cook is the only variable.  I hope to take a bunch of pics and post a thread about it.  One of our 7 grills will be my boss's BGE so it will not be off topic.

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

  • shapp76
    shapp76 Posts: 3
    i've finally got mine dialed in. i only cook prime briskets and trim all the hard fat and whatever else needs to come off.  i inject with butcher's bbq the night before the cook.  the next morning i season the brisket (oak ridge special ops is my go to right now) and get the egg up to 275 grate temp with a mix of oak and peach wood with lump.  i smoked for 4 hours then wrap the brisket in foil till probe tender (usually another 1-2 hours).  pull the brisket off the egg and open the foil to let the cooking process stop (about 15 minutes). then close the foil and place the brisket in the cooler wrapped in towels for at least 2 hours.  all my briskets have been spot on following this method and it also doesnt take 12+ hours by cooking at higher temps. 
  • GATraveller
    GATraveller Posts: 8,207
    Read read read.  Also watch Franklin BBQ videos on YouTube.  Listen to what folks around here say.  Do this and with a little bit of luck you just might pull it off.

    Remember Franklin is cooking on an offset so you'll have to adapt some of what he says for ceramic. 
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmTzdMHu5KU&t=2s
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGZ39yYxeBk&t=2s
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMIlyzRFUjU



    "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community [...] but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots."

                                                                                  -Umberto Eco

    2 Large
    Peachtree Corners, GA
  • GrillnTX
    GrillnTX Posts: 65
    These are very helpful pointers. I'm also a brisket novice (have cooked 3) and have a long way to go before my brisket tastes better than Dickey's! 2 questions:
    1. For those of you that put your briskets on at night, how do you control/make sure the temp doesn't spike overnight
    2. What about the point/burnt ends?? Am I correct in assuming that all the suggestions above are for the flat?
  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,795
    @GrillnTX,

    When I set my egg for an overnight cook I err on the low side temperature-wise when I set my vents.  I basically have the bottom top vents only open about  3 millimeters.  My egg usually settles in at 220-240 with when it is set that way and I go to bed from about midnight to 6 AM.  Some folks here use an electronic fan/temp controller.

    As for the point, most here prefer to slice it and serve it that way - like in the Franklin video.  The truth is it is hard to have the point turn out badly.  The muscle there is so insulated and bathed by all the fat that it just does well in this process.  The challenge is the flat.  If you can get the flat both soft and moist you've cooked a 10.  I can do it most of the time now, but occasionally I come up short.  

    Burnt ends are also fun.  Depending on the size of my crowd when I do a brisket I sometimes sacrifice a portion (30-50%) of my point to burnt ends.  I do this at the time I put the rest of the brisket into the cooler for FTC and then cook the burnt ends and serve them as an appetizer.  Brisket appetizer before brisket dinner.  It's a winning combination. 

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

  • Foghorn said:
    @GrillnTX,

    When I set my egg for an overnight cook I err on the low side temperature-wise when I set my vents.  I basically have the bottom top vents only open about  3 millimeters.  My egg usually settles in at 220-240 with when it is set that way and I go to bed from about midnight to 6 AM.  Some folks here use an electronic fan/temp controller.

    As for the point, most here prefer to slice it and serve it that way - like in the Franklin video.  The truth is it is hard to have the point turn out badly.  The muscle there is so insulated and bathed by all the fat that it just does well in this process.  The challenge is the flat.  If you can get the flat both soft and moist you've cooked a 10.  I can do it most of the time now, but occasionally I come up short.  

    Burnt ends are also fun.  Depending on the size of my crowd when I do a brisket I sometimes sacrifice a portion (30-50%) of my point to burnt ends.  I do this at the time I put the rest of the brisket into the cooler for FTC and then cook the burnt ends and serve them as an appetizer.  Brisket appetizer before brisket dinner.  It's a winning combination. 
    Specifically regarding the bold text... if you slice off a portion of the point to grill the burnt ends, does that effect the ability of the flat to retain the juices during the FTC? A portion of the brisket has been removed or does performing the FTC immediately after cutting a portion of the point help retain those juices... - Thanks!  
  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,795
    That's why I like to keep at least 1/2 of the point muscle with the flat in the FTC.  I did it once, wondering the same thing that you have asked - and it worked out.  So I've done it a couple more times since with good results.  When you take the brisket out of FTC to slice and serve, the cut surface/edge is a little dry but the next slice in seems to be the same as with any brisket.

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

  • @Foghorn - Perfect! Thank you very much.
  • Anyone care to share their burnt end method? Thanks 
  • pileit1971
    pileit1971 Posts: 136
    Know this is an older post, but think I am going to dive in and attempt my first brisket this evening, have easter dinner, and have the traditional 'boring' ham my wife is getting, but thought it was a good night to try.... live and learn...

    been reading a lot...a couple questions if someone has the time...

    1.  See everyone talking about the PS... I have one, but I also have the AR Rig with the 'oval' ceramic plate that I have mastered ribs on... any reason that I can't use that set up?

    2. I do like the water pan idea, have seen and understand both sides, but figure for the first one, a little extra moisture will help... plan on putting it on around 11pm tonight at around 250, how much water/liquid do I need in a disposable pan to make it thru the night? 

    Think thats about it... thanks guys...
    Large BGE
    Camp Chef 4 burner Griddle

    Near Cleveland, Ohio