One of my New Years resolutions is to learn to cook brisket. I am good w pork, but beef generally escapes me.
Anybody got a good simple recipe for a brisket flat?? Planning one for this weekend w a double brew day as well.
Brisket is surprisingly easy once you get the hang of it. Ive tried smoking them hot and fast slow and low and in between. Had relative success with both. The last 3 I have kind of settled on a simple strategy that has worked for me.
I try and find a brisket that isnt too thin.(Hard to do these days) The flat should be 1.5- 2 inches thick.
I use a WSM so after I get my fire going I trim the fat cap and the fat between the point and the flat. I do try to trim off the silver skin off but the rest of the fat I leave on.
I spread mustard all over as the "glue" for the rub. I keep it simple Salt Pepper garlic paprika. I also enjoy Montreal steak seasoning. I use it pretty liberally.
Once this is done I check on the smoker to see if the temperature has stabilized. I really don't care where it end up anywhere between 275-325. Most of the time with decent weather my WSM seems to like 290-300 so I have learned not to fight it just go with whatever it wants.
I throw the brisket in an aluminum pan and let it go. I know it normally takes about 30 min a lb at 300 degrees after a few of these cooks so a 12-14lb brisket COULD be done in 6-7 hours.
About half way through the cook time I take a look at it to see if I like the color of the bark. If the bark has set and the color is good I cover it with tin foil.
About an hour before I think it is close to being finished I check to see if its "probe" done. You cant cook brisket by temp or time. People try and tell you to pull it at 190-195 and sometimes thats good and many times its not. You'll end up eat a leather shoe.
Only thing I use the temp for is once its at around 190 is when you begin to probe it with a thermometer or fork and once it goes into the flat "like butter" with no effort is when it done. Ive cooked brisket up over 205 before it relaxed.
Let it sit out on the counter for 10-15 minutes to stop the cooking process then wrap the entire thing in a tin foil and throw in a small cooler with towels to keep it insulated. If you dont have a cooler an oven works although you may need to turn it on to say 150 just to keep it from getting too cool.
Let it rest for as long as you can. At least and hour 2-3 is better.
Once ready to serve open it up and be careful there will be a cup or two of aus jus. Save this its great to add to bbq sauce or to brush back on the meat after cutting.
Make sure to cut it across the grain of the meat and only cut when you are going to eat if you cut it all it will dry out on you if left to sit out too long.
Writing that it seems like a long process but really its very simple and the best part is you arent cooking briskets for 10-15+ hours. You can get results that way too but I enjoy putting on the smoker in the morning and eating it that same day with Low and slow you are getting up at 1-2 in the morning or before you go to bed just to get ready for dinner the next day. I enjoy my sleep.
Im sure there are some spelling errors and funny grammar I did this on my phone so if you have any questions let me know.
A great site to check out is bbq-brethren dot com. It has helped me greatly.
~
