All Things Brisket

[lonestarsooner 123]

On ‎5‎/‎16‎/‎2018 at 4:50 PM, ChampKind said:

 

 

Understanding that it is Aaron byGod Franklin we are talking about, he doesn’t use near enough pepper IMO. I subscribe to the Mueller theory of 1:powerofininity salt to pepper. Personal preference and all (and my customers apparently like it)

 

I am all over this with Champ.  Rub I did over the weekend was 1:5:0.5 salt/pepper/cayenne.  Came out phenomenal.  First time I've added cayenne to it.  Really like what it did to the flavor along with the smoke of the mesquite.  That's definitely going to stay as my go to brisket rub.

[Dr Fear 1286]

I am all over this with Champ.  Rub I did over the weekend was 1:5:0.5 salt/pepper/cayenne.  Came out phenomenal.  First time I've added cayenne to it.  Really like what it did to the flavor along with the smoke of the mesquite.  That's definitely going to stay as my go to brisket rub.

By weight or volume?

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[lonestarsooner 123]

12 minutes ago, Dr Fear said:

By weight or volume?

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
 

I do kind of what Champ said up thread. If I had to pick one it’s probably closer to volume. It’s more of an eyeball test for me than precise. By weight it’s probably closer to 3:1, maybe a bit higher? After messing around with lots of briskets the last couple of years I just dialed it in. Had been sea salt/course ground black peppercorns only until this last cook this weekend when I added the cayenne back in. Really took it over the top for me and the neighborhood crew I cook for. But we also all like spicy food. Cayenne didn’t make it spicy in the traditional way but definitely kicked up the flavor and love what it did to the bark.  

[dcbc 14644]

4 hours ago, lonestarsooner said:

I am all over this with Champ.  Rub I did over the weekend was 1:5:0.5 salt/pepper/cayenne.  Came out phenomenal.  First time I've added cayenne to it.  Really like what it did to the flavor along with the smoke of the mesquite.  That's definitely going to stay as my go to brisket rub.

About 1/2 teaspoon of Cayenne in my Dalmatian rub has been a great addition. 

[mapplewhite132 309]

[mapplewhite132 309]

That started out as a 14 lb prime from H-E-B (they were open). Took north of 11 hours even with a pit temp of 290-300.

[Twizzler 189]

What do you look for when selecting a brisket? I got the  flexible, less hard fat, fat in the flat attributes, but does the shape matter?  Thick point or not?

[Anastasis 23704]

1 hour ago, Twizzler said:

What do you look for when selecting a brisket? I got the  flexible, less hard fat, fat in the flat attributes, but does the shape matter?  Thick point or not?

In my opinion shape is the most important part, but would love to hear the thoughts of others. I look for a nice thick flat and compact shape (e.g. that one on mapplewhite's posts looks pretty good in post cook form).  I don't particularly like working with the long "lanky" briskets. 

Edited July 18, 2018 by Anastasis

[Dutch 4540]

52 minutes ago, Anastasis said:

In my opinion shape is the most important part, but would love to hear the thoughts of others. I look for a nice thick flat and compact shape (e.g. that one on mapplewhite's posts looks pretty good in post cook form).  I don't particularly like working with the long "lanky" briskets. 

Anyone else notice that it's getting harder to find briskets with a nice uniform flat? I'll go through the case at Costco and of 20 briskets maybe one or two (and even then, only one or two if I'm lucky) that have a uniform thickness across the flat. Most of them taper down and are way too thin.

[elfenix 34676]

thick flats and left side of the steer if i'm lucky. 

Edited July 18, 2018 by elfenix

[kevwun 16380]

I pick the one that's the closest in shape to a rectangular box.  Flats that taper to the width of a piece of paper are very annoying.

Edited July 18, 2018 by kevwun

[HouTex 1913]

My father, who I always thought was a good BBQ cook in his day, always told me to try feel the brisket and choose one that was the most pliable.  But now I think that means it has the least internal fat.  Now I'm thinking it's the opposite of what he said.

[kevwun 16380]

I don’t think you can tell much through feel about a brisket that’s chilled to a few degrees above freezing.

[luke duke 6448]

4 hours ago, HouTex said:

My father, who I always thought was a good BBQ cook in his day, always told me to try feel the brisket and choose one that was the most pliable.  But now I think that means it has the least internal fat.  Now I'm thinking it's the opposite of what he said.

What happens to fat when it gets cold?

[deft 7051]

I don’t think you can tell much through feel about a brisket that’s chilled to a few degrees above freezing.

 

 

That’s why I hide all of the briskets at heb behind the canned veggies and go back the next day to check which one is the most pliable.

[immortal13 4059]

10 hours ago, elfenix said:

thick flats

 

Oxymoronic

[kilroydos 267]

12 hours ago, immortal13 said:

Oxymoronic

My first girlfriend was nicknamed "thick flats".

 

My second girlfriend was nicknamed "oxymoronic".

[Mojo Hand 4580]

Put a prime on at 6:45 EST this morning.   Cut off more fat than I've ever had before, so it it's a lot smaller than the 12lber I expected.    Holding steady at 250 or so and the brisket is already up to 174.   I've never ridden out the stall before, but I think I'm going to give it a try and not wrap because we're not having it until dinner tonight. 

Edited July 21, 2018 by Mojo Hand

[dcbc 14644]

1 hour ago, Mojo Hand said:

Put a prime on at 6:45 EST this morning.   Cut off more fat than I've ever had before, so it it's a lot smaller than the 12lber I expected.    Holding steady at 250 or so and the brisket is already up to 174.   I've never ridden out the stall before, but I think I'm going to give it a try and not wrap because we're not having it until dinner tonight. 

I've got two on the WSM (one for us and one for a friend of ours whose mother is in the hospital).  The one on the top rack is at 183, bottom rack is at 185.  I'm riding out the stall as well.  They went on at 10 pm last night. I'm guessing about 4--5 more hours.

Edited July 21, 2018 by dcbc

[mapplewhite132 309]

Put a prime on at 6:45 EST this morning.   Cut off more fat than I've ever had before, so it it's a lot smaller than the 12lber I expected.    Holding steady at 250 or so and the brisket is already up to 174.   I've never ridden out the stall before, but I think I'm going to give it a try and not wrap because we're not having it until dinner tonight. 

Don’t underestimate how long it takes to go from 174 to done...

[dcbc 14644]

4 minutes ago, mapplewhite132 said:

 

Don’t underestimate how long it takes to go from 174 to done...

 

This and this some more. 

[Mojo Hand 4580]

3 minutes ago, mapplewhite132 said:

 

Don’t underestimate how long it takes to go from 174 to done...

 

Yeah, it's started pouring and gotten windy here, so I'm thinking of wrapping soon to make sure I don't blow it. 

[dcbc 14644]

1 minute ago, Mojo Hand said:

Yeah, it's started pouring and gotten windy here, so I'm thinking of wrapping soon to make sure I don't blow it. 

Probably unique to my situation, but when I wrap, my briskets don't tend to probe done until around 209 or so.  The first time I did a no wrap, it was probing like wvb at 200 and only took about an hour longer.  I feel like I lose a bit of momentum as to both in cooker temp and meat temp when I pull the brisket off to wrap.  Depending on how today's cook goes, I may go no wrap from here on out.  Just easier not to mess with it and add some charcoal at the 12 hour mark. 

[Mojo Hand 4580]

Yeah, the brisket has dropped from 178 to 172 so far because I pulled it to wrap.  The rain did not help.   But the WSM is stable at 275 now, so it should rebound. 

[Anastasis 23704]

Wtf is rain?

[dcbc 14644]

5 minutes ago, Anastasis said:

Wtf is rain?

Yeah, it's supposed to hit 105 F here in the northeastern block of the state today.

Edited July 21, 2018 by dcbc

[Mojo Hand 4580]

It's pouring in the DC area.    Just got back up to 178, so 45 minute detour for the wrap. 

[dcbc 14644]

I'm at 190 on both briskets and the cooker is rocking along at 244.  I'm guessing another 2 hours.

Edited July 21, 2018 by dcbc

[Mojo Hand 4580]

I'm at 187, WSM stable at 275.  

[Mojo Hand 4580]

So, I'm at 199 and in the home stretch.   I won't be serving for 3 1/2 hours.   Once it's done, I let it rest at room temp for about 45 min, then wrap in foil and a towel and put in a cooler or a turned-off oven, right?    And then unwrap and turn on the oven or throw back on the smoker at 200 or so about an hour before serving?   Is that right? 

I've never had to navigate a few hours' gap before.   I've only ever smoked a day early and reheated, or served same day but been late and kept everyone waiting while I finish. 

Edited July 21, 2018 by Mojo Hand

[luke duke 6448]

Wrap it in foil and put it in a cooler when it cools to~185. The towel really isn’t necessary. You won’t need to reheat it.

[Mojo Hand 4580]

Got it.  Thanks! 

[AustinMT 952]

Question on wrapping:  I’ve smoked a lot of briskets, and don’t wrap unless I get time-pressed.  When I do, I use foil.  Is the peach butcher paper better for wrapping?

[dcbc 14644]

33 minutes ago, luke duke said:

Wrap it in foil and put it in a cooler when it cools to~185. The towel really isn’t necessary. You won’t need to reheat it.

The towel helps with the moisture/condensation in the cooler a bit.  But as far as keeping it warm, you're right that it isn't really necessary.

Edited July 21, 2018 by dcbc

[Mojo Hand 4580]

Pulled at 201 and probe slid in like Germans through the French.  I was surprised to get it on the first test, and hope I didn't pull too early, but it felt right so fuck it. 

[dcbc 14644]

1 hour ago, AustinMT said:

Question on wrapping:  I’ve smoked a lot of briskets, and don’t wrap unless I get time-pressed.  When I do, I use foil.  Is the peach butcher paper better for wrapping?

I think the foil will speed things along a bit more, but the peach paper is better for preserving the bark.  If I wrap, I use paper these days, but foil works fine and I have had perfectly good results with it. 

This video does a good job comparing foil with paper with nothing.  In the end, foil finished in 11 hours, paper in 11.5 hours, and no-wrap in 12 hours.  Kind of in line with my experience, if you're cooking under 250, you're saving around an hour at best.  The more noticeable result is the texture of the bark and the amount of smoke penetration.   

Both Aaron and John seemed pretty pleased with the results from no-wrap, even though Franklin wraps in paper at the restaurant.

 

Edited July 21, 2018 by dcbc

[dcbc 14644]

2 minutes ago, Mojo Hand said:

Pulled at 201 and probe slid in like Germans through the French.  I was surprised to get it on the first test, and hope I didn't pull too early, but it felt right so fuck it. 

I pulled at 199 and 196.  Just 15 hours on and there was no question they were ready.

[SizzleChest 8304]

15 hours is a long fuckin' cook.

[kevwun 16380]

I like the texture better when wrapping with paper.  With foil, the brisket cooks too fast sometimes and you end up with over done spots.

[dcbc 14644]

35 minutes ago, SizzleChest said:

15 hours is a long fuckin' cook.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a single brisket take 17 hours.  I don't really care though since I always cook overnight and adjust my start time for lunch versus dinner.  When I don't wrap, I don't have to get up as early.  Once I get the meat on and the temperature settled in, my only job is to add charcoal at 12 hours and maybe spritz with some ACV after that point.  Plus, the longer the cook, the more time I can beg off other things because "I'm cooking brisket."  If I want to cook fast, I have a PBC that can knock things out in short order  But brisket and butts taste much better off the WSM.  If I was having to tend the fire on an offset, I might look for ways to speed things along.  With the WSM, I just glance at the cooker temp occasionally when I'm awake and make small adjustments, if any.

Edited July 21, 2018 by dcbc

[thunderlounge 8365]

2 hours ago, kevwun said:

I like the texture better when wrapping with paper.  With foil, the brisket cooks too fast sometimes and you end up with over done spots.

 

This. No wrap can get a little crunchy, while foiled can be too soft. Paper puts it right in between at a nice, firm, not crunchy or mushy.

 

Edited July 21, 2018 by thunderlounge

[dcbc 14644]

1 hour ago, thunderlounge said:

 

This. No wrap can get a little crunchy, while foiled can be too soft. Paper puts it right in between at a nice, firm, not crunchy or mushy.

 

It's definitely the middle ground on those two things.  I think it depends on the cooker as to the crunch level between paper and no-wrap.  You pretty much can't go wrong with paper though. 

Edited July 21, 2018 by dcbc

[utee94 16075]

I don't ever wrap, only a handful of times when I've been pressed for time and had wind/rain or something working against me.  I much prefer the bark and texture with no wrap at all.  But it's certainly a personal, subjective thing.

[EZ$ 2125]

8 lb’er from last weekend.  11 hours with mesquite.  Best one I’ve made so far.  

[EZ$ 2125]

1 minute ago, EZ$ said:

8 lb’er from last weekend.  11 hours with mesquite.  Best one I’ve made so far.  

Had a little help....

[dcbc 14644]

No slice pictures, unfortunately.  But here's the meteorite.

Edited July 22, 2018 by dcbc

[deft 7051]

That’s a good looking meteorite.

[After irth 1245]

3 hours ago, EZ$ said:

Had a little help....

Not a Bock in sight. How many wives were over at your place?  How much beer got poured down the sink?  How many did not suck your dick?  How disappointing were your BBQ fantasies...?

Next time, serve Weller Bourbon, Shiner Bock, and/or Big Red. Tell everyone else to suck it. 

[Buzzrock 15118]

I shouldn’t read this thread when I’m hungry

[Mojo Hand 4580]

Mine turned out as my best ever, and impressed the hell out of our out-of-town guests.  No sliced pics because our power went out from the storm I mentioned and my phone was dead.  But here's from when I wrapped for the cooler.