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smoking B is for Brisket

chuk hell

chuk hell

Here in Texas, Brisket is the undisputed king of meat mountain. Sure, we love our sausage, chicken, ham and even pork shoulder but when you say BBQ in Texas, people think brisket.

Well, I'm having my traditional 4th of July party/BBQ and I'm going to smoke 2 briskets. To smoke brisket you'll need one of these.

If ya'll are interested I'll post my recipe and technique and maybe even some pix.
 
Sounds good Chuk! For me I will be smoking up some pork tenderloin this weekend. It's supposed to be a fantastic weekend too. Temps in the mid 80's, low humidity, sunshine, sunshine, sunshine!
 
chuk hell said:
Here in Texas, Brisket is the undisputed king of meat mountain. Sure, we love our sausage, chicken, ham and even pork shoulder but when you say BBQ in Texas, people think brisket.

Well, I'm having my traditional 4th of July party/BBQ and I'm going to smoke 2 briskets. To smoke brisket you'll need one of these.

If ya'll are interested I'll post my recipe and technique and maybe even some pix.
Click to expand...

Chuk, I'm interested. THX!!
 
Preperation

Buy brisket that is untrimed, of what they call 'packer trimed". It will have a big "fat cap" on top of the brisket. Trim that down to about 1/4 to 1/2" thick. Don't trim too much because remember, fat=flavor.

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After triming squirt a bunch of plain yellow mustard on the brisket and rub it all over.

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This time I added a little Tabasco to the mustard, just for the hell of it. The mustard will hold the rub on and the vinegar will infuse the spices into the meat.

Next, you want to add your rub.

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There's a lot of hoo ha about what goes in a rub. Personally, I just throw one together out of what I have in the pantry. It will usually include, but is not limited to the following:

garlic powder
cajun seasoning
chipotle powder
cayenne powder
black pepper
onion powder
oregano
ginger
paparika
salt

i don't like using sugar in rubs for beef but I do us it on pork.

Pat your rub allover the brisket.

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Once you have got your rub on, put the brisket in the fridge for an hour or two while you get your fire ready.

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Now get your fire ready. You're gonna need one of these.....

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I like your fridge. Beer takes up one shelf, meat another.
 
darthcarl said:
I count 7 kinds of beer?
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What can I say? ;)


At this point i've been smoking those 2 briskets continuously for 22 hours and they are just about ready to come off. The party starts in an hour and a half so I'll have to wait until tomorrow to post the rest of the procedure and pics.

Happy Independence Day everyone! :onfire: :mouthonfire: :onfire:
 
Can't wait to see the final results! Thanks for taking the time to share your work...

btw, I spy Tecate, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Dogfish IPA?, Sam Adams summer ale perhaps?....
 
OK, when the fire is ready and the brisket has set for a while I put it on the smoker "naked"; not me, the brisket...that is,not wrapped in foil.

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That's a good temp to start out. You want to keep it between 200º and 250º for the duration. It really, REALLY helps to have a thermometer on yout smoker. Mine didn't come with one but I spent about 8 bucks for this one and it's a great thing to have...otherwise you just have to guess.

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After the brisket has been on the smoker for 6 to 8 hours I take it off and wrap it in heavy duty foil. Triple wrap it. This will keep it from getting too smokey. Too much smoke can actually make it taste sort of bitter. It also serves a very important funtion...it keeps the brisket from drying out. Once it's wrappped in foil all the fat juice that runs off will be trapped in the foil and the meat will cook in it's own juice.

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Here's the smoker going strong at 3:30 am, just before I went to bed for a few hours.

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OK, this is the 4th of July. The briskets have been on the smoker for about 19 or 20 hours. It's time to take them off and drain the juice out of the foil.

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That's what I'm doing here...

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After I drain off all that juice I put the brisket back on the smoker for an hour or so to dry it a bit...the outside, not the inside.

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Here's the final product. meat that has been smoked for 22 hours. it's a labor of love...and sleep deprivation!

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here's another shot...a whole brisket cut up and ready to serve my guests....

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One more, a close up! The redness on the edge of the meat is the smoke ring.

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And that's how I do Texas style brisket! I wish ya'll could have been here to have some....and a few beers!:)
 
Brisket looks great, but I have one question. If you're triple wrapping after 6-8 hours, why not just finish it in the oven? Much easier to control, and you don't have to continue feeding your cooker.

Vayo con Queso
 
Welcome laststandchili!

Hey Chuk, that brisket looks perfect! All the brisket I've had has been dry. NYC, ya know.
 
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