Smoked beef brisket

[VirginiaBlue]

I know that there have been several topics on here over the years about cooking out, BBQ, etc, but I had a nice experience yesterday.
I have always wanted to try smoking a beef brisket. I have seen Bobby Flay and Paula Deen do it, and it really looks good on TV. The problem was that it presented a dichotomy: (1) they're so big that it requires a lot of people, and (2) what do you do if you invite a lot of people over, and it's a failure?
We have some good, close friends, however, retired like us, and recently they assured me that if it's a failure, no problem, we would all just laugh and head out to a restaurant. They actually got my wife past the nightmarish thought of a failed dinner party, which is apparently something that females are born with.
So...yesterday morning I put a 6 pound brisket on the smoker and smoked it for 8 hours. Coated it with BBQ sauce, wrapped it in aluminum foil, and returned it to the smoker for about an hour. Sliced it thin (1/4") per the instructions.
It was DELICIOUS! Fork-tender! I recommend it, if you haven't tried it. I didn't put a lot of seasoning on it, just lemon pepper and salt.

[CATHYnKY]

Good for you. Sounds wonderful. I don't have a smoker, sooooo...last year for Easter I found one already smoked at Sams Club. Put in on the grill loosely wrapped in foil and it was delicious. I'm sure not as good as yours, but was a big hit. Will do so again this year. Also grilled a marinated pork tenderloin I had to cook completely. Some good eats. Can't believe Easter is 2 weeks from tomorrow.

[surveyor]

Excellent! Beef Brisket is the only cut I've yet to smoke. I've got a few orders of apple wood, alder and pear coming soon for this season.

My wife's the same way with regard to hand wringing prior to hosting a dinner gathering. Half the time I'll offer to smoke something or prep something on the grill so there's more room in the kitchen to prep other items. Often she wants to do everything in the kitchen so she has some sense of control. :)

Where'd you pick up the brisket? Chain store? Butcher shop?

Thanks for sharing.:thumbup

[DenCat]

Stop it, you're making me hungry!

[matt57]

ya know, i just started smoking ribs last year. i got pretty good at that. but, for some reason i've been a little intimidated by brisket when it should be the other way around. from my understanding a brisket is a lot easier to master than ribs. (which i don't claim to have mastered ribs).

i think i may try to smoke one next weekend. i love using my smoker,

[VirginiaBlue]

surveyor wrote: Where'd you pick up the brisket? Chain store? Butcher shop?

I called my favorite butcher first. He said that there wasn't much demand for them, but he kept a couple frozen if anybody asked. Problem was, they were about 10 pounds, and he said he didn't want to saw one in half.

The supermarket we use said they didn't even stock them.

But...I found a whole stack of fresh ones at Sam's Club, for $2.79/pound. Someone else told me that Costco had them, too, for a little over $3.

One thing I forgot to mention, that I understand is crucial, is to slice it across the grain of the meat. If you don't, it will be chewy. I'm serious - it was so tender you could cut it with your fork.

[capcat]

http://www.saltlickbbq.com/
Yum. This place is legendary.
I haven't ordered one formy family, but have for relatives who live far away.In person, it's great brisket served with a sauce that isto die for.Thurman's Pride is the one I've ordered (cooked for 14 hours?).
At home, I've never cooked a brisket that long. Six hoursand it's ready on mine. I'vealways marinated it first....and according to purists, don't pierce themeat as you turn it.

[CATHYnKY]

capcat wrote: http://www.saltlickbbq.com/
Yum. This place is legendary.
I haven't ordered one formy family, but have for relatives who live far away.In person, it's great brisket served with a sauce that isto die for.Thurman's Pride is the one I've ordered (cooked for 14 hours?).
At home, I've never cooked a brisket that long. Six hoursand it's ready on mine. I'vealways marinated it first....and according to purists, don't pierce themeat as you turn it.


Let the juices run out.

[capcat]

^
That's it. It's hard to mess one up if cooked long and low enough. If you don't have a smoker, I know people who season brisket and then cook iton a low temp in the oven for hours, sinceby nature, it's nota tender cut of meat. They leave it at that, but I think I'd finish up on a grill for flavor. I've nevercooked one thatway, though.

[matt57]

virginiablue, about what temp. did you keep yours at. i know with ribs you want 200-225. not sure with brisket.

[VirginiaBlue]

matt57 wrote: virginiablue, about what temp. did you keep yours at. i know with ribs you want 200-225. not sure with brisket.
I cooked the brisket at about 230-235. I used the Walmart brand charcoal, and the briquettes are about twice as big as normal. The fire got hotter. I actually had to cool it down a couple of times. For the smoke I used hickory chips that I had soaked in water - I just threw handfuls directly on the coals from time to time.

My smoker has an upper and lower rack, and I started it out on the lower rack. I thought that the upper rack might be hotter, since heat rises, but it was cooking too fast on the lower rack so I moved it up. I was using my wife's high tech digital Pampered Chef thermometer, and the meat temp got to about 150 in the first 2-3 hours. Target temp is about 175. Anyway, when I moved it up, it slowed the cooking process, not sure why. As I said, it got a good 8 hours.

For those not familiar, smoking meat gives it a pinkish layer on the outside, called the "smoke ring". Every time my daughter eats something I have smoked, she asks, "is this done?", and I have to explain the smoke ring again to her.:D

[matt57]

just thought i'd bumb this thread and let you guys know about the wonderful pork shoulder i smoked for thunder....took the friday before off and smoked2 boston butts for 14 hours.....mmmmm they were excellent!!!!!!

[ukfanman]

I smoke several briskets a year, and they are fantastic.

I use a Brinkman smoker with the side fire box. Start the fire with charcol, then work the temp up to 225. Then add hickory wood that I get from my BBQ buddy. A fruit wood such as cherry, apple or pear also works well.

For the brisket, I pick up an untrimmed brisket from Walmart, try to find one about 10 lbs. Put my rub on, let set overnight.Make my own rub, but Emeril's Essance is very good.

Throw in the 225 smoker, fat side up, thick side toward the smokebox. Smoke for one hoursthe number of pounds plus one extra hour. (10 pound brisket, smoke 11 hours) I mop ( Wor sauce, vinegar, pepper and water)every 3 hours to keep the thing moist. When it is done, we take it off and let set for about 1/2 hour.

Thinly slice across the grain. And serve with our favorite Q sauce. Wife likes Montgomery Inn, as for me I use my own concoction/

[Grub]

http://usera.imagecave.com/Grub/Margieshouse164.jpg

Some ribs and brisket we did last summer...we've since repainted the smoker black. The decision to paint it gray was not our best one.

You should try smoking salmon sometime - incredible stuff.

[NC Cat]

Low and slow, baby. Low and slow! :cool:

[KY Blue in Carolina]

For a combination Derby, Cinco de Mayo, and surprise 40th birthday party this weekend, I'm smoking a couple of briskets and roasting a 60 lb. pig NC style.

I'm hungry already.

As far as smoking a brisket; I've kept them on (low) heat for as long as 24 hours. I find that they take about as much smoke as they're going to in the 1st 6 hours. I usually smoke for 6 hours the night before, then wrap in foil to keep them moist and hold in the oven at 220 degrees overnight and the following day. Then set out and let cool to room temp; slice, put back in pan, smother in sauce and then put back into the smoker in the pan the last hour or so before serving.

[BigBlueAngus]

anybody can smoke a beef brisket, They are slow and have no vertical. I once beat a Pork Tenderloin 24 zip in a game of make it and take it!