I may get banned for this.......

SmokinParrotHead · May 2010

Okay......I went into my good friend's butcher shop today and was just browsing. Told him I was looking to cook something up for Mother's Day for the Wifey, Madison, and me. I was thinking Prime Filet........but then he said "I have a nice Brisket here if you want to cook that". Well, as much as I love brisket, and as much as I have been wanting to try it......I also know it can be a tough cook(not just tough as in the meat afterwards). Anyways, I tell him "man I don't know if I have time to experiment, and besides that is a long cook" and he said "What? You can get all the smoke in it you need in three hours and then finish it in a roasting pan in the oven".

Then he told me that lots of guys use the roaster pan, liqiud, and oven method to get the brisket back to the juicy state. He told me to smoke it for 3 hours or so then to put it in a roasting pan with liquid in it and roast it in the oven for an hour an a half to two hours.

Now I have had his brisket before and I know it is good, very good........but what do you all think? I had thought originally of doing a low and slow all day tomorrow but those plans changed when I told my wife, lol. I don't want to waste the meat, but I will be too busy during the next work week to cook it all day or even over night.............what say you all?

Should I try the "quick cook"? Have any of you done this? Btw.........it is a flat, and it weighs right at seven pounds.

Thanks folks!!

FatMike · May 2010

I do some quick Butts and they always turn out great but have no experience with a brisket in a quick cook..I'd let her rip and give it a try..Keep us posted

hornhonk · May 2010

Go for it. I've done it..not with a flat..and it came out great. Make sure you use a good rub.

SmokinParrotHead · May 2010

Heck now that I have been reading more here I think the better option may be just to go with the higher temp cook and maybe a foiling period instead of using the oven at all. Anyone???

Little Chef · May 2010

Sure, it can certainly be done this way, but it is no longer a "low n slow"....it is now a braised brisket. Throw it in a crock pot instead with some nice veggies.... :blink: Don't get me wrong, I am certainly NOT knocking you, or anybody else. Once you wrap anything in foil, from my perspective, it is now steamed, or braised. We do not use foil with any cooks in this household, but that was kind of a "naturalist" approach we decided on years ago. Go for it. Brisket is one of the most difficult cooks, and you don't want to mess up Mothers Day!! I do, however, encourage you to try to master brisket the 'old fashioned' way in the future.

Enjoy the cook, and enjoy your day!

Mainegg · May 2010

Lee I did a 7.5 pounder last month and it came out great
It is to late now but it was a 15 hour cook for me. very easy and with a good cut even better.
here is the link to my post of what I did.
http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=864216&catid=1

thirdeye · May 2010

Actually.... in the old days a lot of brisket was simmered first, then finished in a pit, OR started off in a pit and braised until tender. It was a time reduction thing.

Smoking it at low temps for a few hours before going to the foil will definitely add some flavor, in fact you can hit it a little harder than normal with smoke. The downside to this whole process is that there will be no crispy bark, but you can do a crisp up at the end. The upside is, the brisket will be moist, tender and flavorful.

Here is a base recipe from my cookin' buddy Pitmaster T for an oven brisket. He often recommends this method to younger briskateers so they will understand the level of tenderness that can be achieved in a brisket..... of course this is only one step in learning how to barbecue a brisket without foil. My comments are in parentheses.

5 pound brisket flat
(I add some lockhart rub, a mix of salt, pepper and cayenne)
2T pepper
3T celery salt
sprinkle of cayenne (if you like it)
The pepper and celery salt need to be kind of heavy because the braising, steaming action will knock some of the flavor down.

Season the brisket, lay it on a double piece of foil with the fat side up. Take another double layer of foil and lay over it and seal all the edges tight. The brisket goes into a 275° oven for 4 to 4-1/2 hours. When the timer goes off, remove the brisket (DON’T open the foil) and rest it for at least 30 minutes. Then open the foil and drain the juices into a measuring cup. Save them for dunking.

If you want to crisp up that fat, put it back in the oven under the broiler for a couple of minutes. For slicing, cut against the grain. If it’s really tender, make thicker slices.

Hungry Celeste · May 2010

Will your guests/family enjoy it? Then cook it....who gives a flyin' flip about the methodology. Follow the flavor rule: flavor rules. Save the ideas about "purity" for competitions, or academic exercises. The Egg is a cooking tool, not a religious faith.

Carolina Q · May 2010

Hungry Celeste wrote:

The Egg is a cooking tool, not a religious faith.

Now, you just MIGHT be banned for THAT!!

Bacchus · May 2010

Nothing new at all, I've done it a few times myself. In fact I prefer a speed brisket, bumping up to 350 after the first 2 hours of smoking lo/slo then braising for an hour or so to finish.

Marvin · May 2010

That is the way we do all flats. Most of the time, we add no extra liquid. The meat will supply its own from the fat drippings and from steam. If you believe in Dr. BBQ's "Big Time Barbecue Cookbook" (I do), he makes a flat-footed statement that the only way to assure a tender brisket flat (as opposed to the whole brisket) is to do as you plan. Take off the brisket at 160 degrees and make sure that the brisket in the foil pan is tightly sealed with foil before putting it in the oven. That way you are also using steam to cook.
Enjoy!

I may get banned for this.......

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