Can you all look at this trim job on my first brisket and offer pointers?

marcdc · April 2020

GrateEggspectations said:

Re: Rub to meat ratio. I forget if it was in the Franklin book that I read this or elsewhere, but a good rule of thumb is 1/4 kosher salt and 1/4 cup coarsely ground pepper per 12lbs of brisket. I’ve used this ratio as a guide and it has served me well.

Because I use salt and pepper in equal parts religiously for a variety of cooks, I keep a large bag of 50/50 S and P in the cabinet at all times. Pre-grinding the pepper also tames the heat and harshness a little.

For those of you with time at home on your hands right now, pre-mixing up some rubs for future use, as I have done, could be beneficial.

wonderful, thank you for the guide on this

marcdc · April 2020

GATraveller said:

If the flat was tough then it was undercooked. Overcooked would crumble when sliced. I agree with the underseasoned comment. Go heavier next time. If you are looking for something to do with the leftovers and like chili then you should consider Award winning smoked brisket chili by @EggObsessed - it will not disappoint!
Good work for your first time! Keep working at it!

thank you sir! great to know... I feel like doing your first brisket is like ripping a bandaid off... gotta do the first one, figure out what you did wrong (from the help of people on this forum) and then get back on that pony.

looking forward to the next one! will document it for everyone so I can see if there's improvement. thanks again!

lousubcap · April 2020

That is a solid outcome right there. Every cook is a learning experience.
The key to the finish-line is the feel in the thick part of the flat. You will get there.

rifrench · April 2020

I cooked a brisket once, I don't remember, but I think it was a Costco flat. I did not wrap, cooked to 205°F and rested. Nice bark, tender and delicious. I never tried again, LOL. Didn't want to spoil my record.

marcdc · April 2020

lousubcap said:

That is a solid outcome right there. Every cook is a learning experience.
The key to the finish-line is the feel in the thick part of the flat. You will get there.

Thank you for all your help along the way! Looking forward to doing it again

The Cen-Tex Smoker · April 2020

Now that it’s over, I was asking about the rub because I could tell it wasn’t set up properly. I didn’t want you to get nervous or worry about it. Below is a pic that shows about where I like them. This is just salt and pepper. I always like to tell people in our classes that you don’t want it caked on but you want a generous coating. You can still see a little of the meat/fat under the rub but there is definitely more rub than meat. Brisket can handle a ton of rub. When in doubt, more is better than less. Franklin’s briskets are really “clean” as-in they are not super flavorful. They are very subtle in smoke and spice which is difficult to do but I actually prefer more flavor than he likes.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/t3/zm5ruldbchph.jpeg

The Cen-Tex Smoker · April 2020

Also, if your bark isn’t set up, don’t wrap. The only reasons to wrap during a cook are:

1- your bark is set you don’t want it to get any darker/crustier

2- you are in a hurry and want to speed things up.

I don’t wrap every cook and often wrap very late if I wrap at all. It’s all about what the bark looks like to me (or if I’m in a hurry to hit an exact deadline like for a class)

marcdc · April 2020

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Also, if your bark isn’t set up, don’t wrap. The only reasons to wrap during a cook are:

1- your bark is set you don’t want it to get any darker/crustier

2- you are in a hurry and want to speed things up.

I don’t wrap every cook and often wrap very late if I wrap at all. It’s all about what the bark looks like to me (or if I’m in a hurry to hit an exact deadline like for a class)

this is super helpful, thank you! and thank you for posting the picture of your rubbed brisket... i definitely didn't use enough.

.... kinda want to do it again this weekend but the wife will kill me... gotta get through these leftovers first. thinking about that chili recipe posted earlier in the thread

Daddyshack · April 2020

marcdc said:

brentm said:

Is that an SRF brisket? That is one hell of a fat vein. But the marbling doesn't look like what you'd expect from SRF or prime.

I'm curious on the source of that brisket.

I agree with @The Cen-Tex Smoker - that brisket would just need to be completely deconstructed. And I'd be a little jaded that I paid for that much fat to remove.

I got it from a local butcher, and it's from 1855 Angus Beef

The idea of springing for a SRF brisket for my first one seemed a little silly, so I went with the "other guy"... didn't feel like going to Costco with everything that's going on so...

you think it's worth saying something to the butcher? I feel bad about the idea of them taking it back... not sure it's their fault, they handed it over to me while it was still vacuum packed from the manufacturer.

I’d ask the butcher if he’d just cut the point off and sell to you. That’s what I do at my butcher. He willingly does so. Same price. Some people just want flats.

Foghorn · April 2020

Regardless of your self-critique, that looks like a great first effort. The brisket juice in the butcher paper is telling. I'll add 2 things to what has been said above.

1) Pay attention to Centex. He's in rare air when it comes to cooking brisket along with Aaron Franklin and a handful of others. He cooked one for a group of us a little while back and friends of ours who are supporters/sponsors and multiple times judges of competition BBQ teams said it was by a significant margin the best brisket they have ever tasted.

2) The first time I went to Franklin's the guy slicing the brisket dragged each slice through the brisket juice in the bottom of the paper as he put it on the plate. That has been my practice ever since. Brisket dries out quickly when sliced and this helps keep it a little more moist that it would be otherwise.

Can you all look at this trim job on my first brisket and offer pointers?

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