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smoking B is for Brisket

If I may... I'd like to interject that one of the most important parts of a good brisket is the actual packer choice selection. Talk to your butcher and ask him to bring out a case of packers and look for the ones that have the best marbling on the flat side. It's a different type of marbling than like you'd see on a steak, but after looking at a few, you'll see that difference.

I've Q'd many a brisket. Some came out great, so were dry as hell even though the were cooked the exact same way. As I'm sure CH cant attest to.... ya never know if you got a good one til you taste it and try and tug it. A nicely marbled brisket, you should be able to slice, tug on the slice horizontally, and the muscle strands should separate....but it shouldn't come apart.

CH, Did did you separate the point from the flat? There's nothing better than burnt ends... but as I'm sure you know... the point needs to be cooked longer that the flat for the fat to render.


And........

All this from a ... :) Yankee!!! So I know you may take it stride.

:Edit ... forgot to add a pic.
pict0381lh8.jpg
 
Wow, that's an awesome pic Scotty! Got me drooling!

You are right about selection of a good brisket although you seem to know more about it than me. I usually just use my "meat instincts" and try to pick out the best of the bunch. If you can post more about exactly what to look for I'd love to read it.


As far as the point and the flat, I'm not sure what you mean. Can you explain exactly which part is which? I'm also not sure what you mean about about separating them. Can you elaborate? When smoking I realize the thick end will need more time so I take that into consideration when positioning them on the smoker grill. Of course when they are closer to the fire box they get more heat.
 
chuk hell said:
As far as the point and the flat, I'm not sure what you mean. Can you explain exactly which part is which? I'm also not sure what you mean about about separating them. Can you elaborate? When smoking I realize the thick end will need more time so I take that into consideration when positioning them on the smoker grill. Of course when they are closer to the fire box they get more heat.
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There is the Flat -- the bottom most portion this is usually the part they sell corned Then there is the Dinkle or Point this part sits on top of a fat layer on the Flat. The two can be seperated however I leave mine together until I cut them then I scrape that fat layer if its to thick under the point, the point has a different grain direction anyways.
I tend to smoke mine until the internal temp gets to around 150 160 then I foil it until I reach a temp of at least 190 before I unwrap and "dry" out on the smoker again.
 
I'm gunna bet getting a case of packers (the whole thing...the flat and the point). I'll try to get a pic of the marbling I'm talking about.
Here's a good site (not mine) that talks about the different parts.
http://www.azbbqa.net/articles/brisket-trim.htm
(This just shows how to separate before cooking, but I leave it on and Q the whole thing since the coals are already going). But like LuckyDog says, it's easy to tell since the grain runs in a different direction. when it hits 165 or so, you should be able to just run a knife down the fat layer and the point will slide right off.
 
the toughest cut of meat to cook consistently.........if you can get 3 out of 5 to come out great, your doing good. Heres a few pics of a couple I did recently.................enjoy

Picture079.jpg

100_0115-1.jpg

100_0117.jpg
 
damn, i know this is an old thread, but chuck, ive never made one by wrapping it up, that sounds like an awesome idea! i think ill be doing that real soon.

by the way, i like the 90 minute in the fridge. nice touch, should go great with all that brisket!
 
There's always some 90 Minute in my fridge! And usually some 60 minute too!

Right now I've got some of their "PUNKIN" beer. The first pumpkin beer I've tried that I actually like, mainly because they don't overdo the spice and pumpkin flavors.
 
chuk hell said:
There's always some 90 Minute in my fridge! And usually some 60 minute too!

Right now I've got some of their "PUNKIN" beer. The first pumpkin beer I've tried that I actually like, mainly because they don't overdo the spice and pumpkin flavors.
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man i thought about it, and i dont think i can do the brisket for 20 hours.. i dont have indirect smoke :lol:

try some dogfish world wide stout, now THATs a beer.
 
ross said:
damn, i know this is an old thread, but chuck, ive never made one by wrapping it up, that sounds like an awesome idea! i think ill be doing that real soon.

by the way, i like the 90 minute in the fridge. nice touch, should go great with all that brisket!
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I know it's a huge topic for debate, but them juices out of the foil are something that sould NOT be lost !
 
Scotty said:
I know it's a huge topic for debate, but them juices out of the foil are something that sould NOT be lost !
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What would you use it for? Gravy? It's mostly just rendered fat. just curious.
 
Well, many uses. Gravy is a definite possibility, but it's great as is. The juices have so much collagen, it's naturally thick when it cools a little.

Mostly, I just use it to spoon over the layered pieces of sliced flat right before service. The extra juice in the bottom of the pan is a bonus if you are serving it in a chaffer. You can baste the slices to keep it looking nice and attractive.

It's also great for .... *Insert ANYTHING here*
Some ideas:
poured over spuds of any kind
drizzle over grilled veggies
addition to stew / chili (if not comp)
addition in making demi glaze / or any hearty sauce
adds a great flavor to beef steaks / Philly's
The list goes on and on.
 
Scotty said:
It's also great for .... *Insert ANYTHING here*
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Throwing at your friends
Giving it to your dog
Giving it to your frog
Leaving it on the counter for days on end until one of your roommates is forced to clean it up
Adhearing the wallpaper to the wall
Using it to style your hair
Using it to style your friends hair
Putting it in your shoes and then walking around while recording the noise it makes for use on a sound effects album
Use it for matress filling
 
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