brisket tips

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nyer

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I'm doing my first brisket on Friday. I have a rub already but I don't have anything to inject it with yet. Does anyone have a homemade injection recipe or can you recommend something I can buy locally? Do you guys put the brisket right on the rack or in a tin pan? I have some apple wood and plan to buy either mesquite or hickory chucks, any recommendations on the wood?
 
I'm a weird one when it comes to BBQ, just never really picked up the love for the brisket...but I can still give a little thought on how I like to do my low and slow. First, beware of salt levels if you are doing two things to the meat and don't know the ingredients or else you might inject salt and rub salt and have double saltiness and a ruined brisket. I have a BGE with a place setter that I use to prevent direct heat hitting the meat, I then place the meat straight on the rack with a drip pan underneath so I don't mess up my place setter.

For the wood it depends, if you love yourself some good ol' Texas brisket than go with the mesquite. I think that mesquite can get too heavy so I use it sparingly and often mix it with another wood which has a tendency to give distinctive layering of smoke flavors that you can pick apart...ie, someone who knows BBQ will be able to tell you used a couple kinds of wood.
 
I pour a can of Dr. Pepper, some worchester sauce, a little crushed garlic, and some apple cider vinegear. Then marinate it for 24 hours. Take it out and and then low and slow. 4 hours in I start basting it with the leftover juice.
 
You use a water pan? I pretty much never open the lid once I begin so the moisture stays in.
 
nope. Everything stays pretty moist in this setup. I use a water pan in my SnP though.
 
I recommend you invest in some Butcher's BBQ Injection. The injection introduces flavor and more importantly phospates. The phospates in a live animal are lost when the animal is slaughtered. Phospates help the meat retain moisture and help with tenderization. Another manufacturer Ames makes a similiar product called FAB B.
 
I recommend you invest in some Butcher's BBQ Injection. The injection introduces flavor and more importantly phospates. The phospates in a live animal are lost when the animal is slaughtered. Phospates help the meat retain moisture and help with tenderization. Another manufacturer Ames makes a similiar product called FAB B.

I printed off your info on doing briskets. I won't be able to get either of those injections before Friday. The only store near me I can think of that might have something is Bass Pro.
 
I don't usually inject brisket, but when I do I just use Beef Stock with a little Worcestershire. I prefer the taste of the beef, over an real flavoring from an injection. I have a Great Outdoors Smoky Mountain smoker, and the brisket goes on the shelf fat cap up. After the first 2 hours I squirt it down every hour with beef broth, with a little bourbon.

Be prepared to wait. A lot of the briskets I have done hit 2 plateaus, so the temps will stick for a while. I did a 19lb whole brisket that took 22 hours @250 degrees that actually hit 3 plateaus, but man when I took it off (after a couple hours rest in a cooler) it sliced like butter. Brisket, more so than any other meat takes Patience, but the results are well worth it. Also make sure you cut it against the grain. If you are doing a whole brisket, the grain may change on you a few times, so keep an eye on it while you are cutting it.
 
I don't usually inject brisket, but when I do I just use Beef Stock with a little Worcestershire. I prefer the taste of the beef, over an real flavoring from an injection. I have a Great Outdoors Smoky Mountain smoker, and the brisket goes on the shelf fat cap up. After the first 2 hours I squirt it down every hour with beef broth, with a little bourbon.

Be prepared to wait. A lot of the briskets I have done hit 2 plateaus, so the temps will stick for a while. I did a 19lb whole brisket that took 22 hours @250 degrees that actually hit 3 plateaus, but man when I took it off (after a couple hours rest in a cooler) it sliced like butter. Brisket, more so than any other meat takes Patience, but the results are well worth it. Also make sure you cut it against the grain. If you are doing a whole brisket, the grain may change on you a few times, so keep an eye on it while you are cutting it.

I may skip the injection and just go with the rub. I'm starting it real early Friday morning and then I'm starting a batch of rye IPA. Hopefully it's going to be a fun day of smoking and eating and brewing and drinking. I think I'm throwing a chicken on the smoker and some jimmy dean sausage too.
 
I printed off your info on doing briskets. I won't be able to get either of those injections before Friday. The only store near me I can think of that might have something is Bass Pro.

Hey, we all do the best we can with what we can get our hands on quickly. If you ever decide to try it here is what phospate meat injections do in scientific terms.

What functional role do phosphates play in meat injection?

Phosphates act to increase the water holding capacity of meat, by forcing the proteins apart, which in turn allows water to move in between protein molecules. Phosphates are also very good chelating agents.

Phosphates are used in meat products for preservation of natural flavours.

Added benefits include:

•Increased moisture retention, which reduces cook-cool losses (decreasing shrinkage) thereby improving yield without a wet "glossy" appearance.

•Developing an intense cured pigment (by reducing nitrite residuals).

•Inhibiting rancidity of fat and "warmed-over flavour" development in re-heated product.
 
My brisket came out pretty good but it was a little tough in the middle. I cooked it for about 11 hrs. till it hit 185 and then I wrapped it in foil and towels and stuck it in a cooler for an hour. The temp dropped to 165 when I pulled it. Is the temp supposed to rise while it's in the cooler to finish it?
 
My brisket came out pretty good but it was a little tough in the middle. I cooked it for about 11 hrs. till it hit 185 and then I wrapped it in foil and towels and stuck it in a cooler for an hour. The temp dropped to 165 when I pulled it. Is the temp supposed to rise while it's in the cooler to finish it?

The temp will rise if there is still meat to cook. At 185 the brisket is well done, so all it does is cool off at that point.

I leave my briskets on till 195 internal. They will cut nice and pull apart easily.

I only wrap and leave in a cooler when I'm taking it somewhere, and at that temp, it will stay hot to eat for a few hours.
 
I don't even start probing my brisket until about 180. Once the probe slides in and out in a couple spots really easily I pull it and wrap for a rest in the cooler. Sometimes it's done, sometimes it's not done until 205 or more.

I used to inject and use a lot of rub, but lately I've just used a light dusting of Montreal Steak Seasoning. It's pretty basic stuff with salt, pepper, garlic, onion, etc... I also usually use a couple chunks of mesquite so it's not too heavily smoked.
 
The last time I cooked one I did on search on HBT. I found a recipe where you slather it with plain yellow mustard and then add the seasonings. You won't taste the mustard when it is done. I have done a pork butt the same way since then. Awesome! It was a big brisket and it was cooked for about 20 hours.
 
In the above: sawdustguy talks of smoke. Looking for 3 hrs of blue smoke compared to white.? What's the deference? And diff in taste profile?
 
In the above: sawdustguy talks of smoke. Looking for 3 hrs of blue smoke compared to white.? What's the deference? And diff in taste profile?

White smoke is acrid and crappy tasting smoke. What we are looking for is sweet blue. Is is a transparent light colored blue smoke. Thats what we are looking for.
 
Agreed! How does one go about getting the Blue? I'm new to smoking and love my WSM but haven't came across any good "how to get good smoke" tips. I use chunks and don't soak.
 
I usually don't get blue smoke until after about an hour or more after putting lit in with unlit and wood. Initial smoke from wood and charcoal is usually white and then shift blue once charcoal and wood burn down a bit. it's very light smoke and sometimes hard to see unless looking against a contrast background.
 
I usually don't get blue smoke until after about an hour or more after putting lit in with unlit and wood. Initial smoke from wood and charcoal is usually white and then shift blue once charcoal and wood burn down a bit. it's very light smoke and sometimes hard to see unless looking against a contrast background.

Now that's what I'm talking about. That's the smoke you want!!:mug:
 
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