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Brisket Cooking Method needed. I want Bark!!!

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Originally posted by TGTexas:
For my second brisket ever, it turned out way better than the first one. I rubbed it with salt and pepper then put it on the smoker for twelve hours. This was a ten pound brisket. The first brisket I used all mesquite. For this one I did all oak with a few mesquite chips. For me, I prefer the mesquite smell over oak.

I got a great bark but for the second time in a row, it wasn't very moist in the middle. It was more of a well done brown color than red. Still good but I wanted moist.

I took it out of the smoker and wrapped it in tin foil, then a towel and let it sit for an hour.

Any recommendations on how to get it more moist? Did I over cook it perhaps?

The ribs turned out great again btw. I'm thinking it must be pretty hard to screw up a rack of ribs.
Without being there, knowing what temp you smoked it at, I'd say you overcooked it. For a 10-pounder to be done in only 12 hrs, I'd say your fire was too hot. Shoot for 225, not much hotter.

Also try this next time; when you are certain it's ready, (use the fork test right where the flat meets the cap,) take it off the smoker, and wrap it loosely in Saran Wrap, then loosely in foil, then in a towel, then place in an empty ice chest for about 30 minutes. It will redistribute some of the juices throughout the brisket.

One final note: Moist does not equal rare. When you're smoking a brisket, you should get a nice red/pink smoke ring around outer part of the brisket, just underneath the bark; like this:



Note the color of the interior of the meat.

When you say "in the middle it wasn't moist," was that underneath the fat cap or down the middle from end to end?

My 2-cents.
 
What you guys don't realize is that Joeywa buys his briskets from a mail order place called

The Longhorn Realtor Cafe in Cedar Park Texas and it is cooked Lin a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker

man you guys are gullible
 
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Originally posted by LONGHORNREALTOR:
What you guys don't realize is that Joeywa buys his briskets from a mail order place called

The Longhorn Realtor Cafe in Cedar Park Texas and it is cooked Lin a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker

man you guys are gullible
Keep on believing that. Anyway, who shops there? It's all gluten free.
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How quickly you have turned your back on your roots with LyfeTyme. I'm shocked, I tell ya.
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Originally posted by joeywa:
Nice job Gonzo. Those look fantastic. You'll no doubt fine tune your procedure every time you smoke a brisket, but looks like you've got it down pretty good.

So when is the Orangeblood's BBQ at your place?
3dgrin.gif

Thanks. I'm curious to see what you use in your mopping sauce. Yours looked pretty shiny. I use a combination of beer, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and a little paprika.
 
Originally posted by TGTexas:
Down the middle from end to end...it was good, just a little dry.
What was your temperature during the smoking process TG?

Originally posted by Gonzo26:
Originally posted by joeywa:
Nice job Gonzo. Those look fantastic. You'll no doubt fine tune your procedure every time you smoke a brisket, but looks like you've got it down pretty good.

So when is the Orangeblood's BBQ at your place?
3dgrin.gif

Thanks. I'm curious to see what you use in your mopping sauce. Yours looked pretty shiny. I use a combination of beer, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and a little paprika.
I don't use a "moppin sauce," rather I use a spray bottle with melted butter, olive oil, apple juice and orange juice; spray once an hour for the first four hours. The shininess you see in the pic on the smoker is where some of the juices/fat has puddled, plus, in the other pics, the brisket was still warm. Once it's out of cooler and begins to cool down, usually during slicing the bark loses that shiny aspect.
 
Originally posted by bill james:
So much win in this thread, mods can you archive it?
Yep, this one needs to go to the classics soon.
 
Joeywa-I have been reading your posts on this thread as well as some others recently. I would say you know what you are doing when it comes to smoking meat. If you could email me I might want to ask you a few questions. I am going to get a custom made cooker from GatorPit in Houston and am going to give this a try. I wrote down your recipe for brisket in this thread yesterday. Please email me at sundance710@yahoo.com.

Many thanks to you.
 
Originally posted by Reverent Horn:

Originally posted by sundance7:
ttt
Originally posted by sundance7:


Originally posted by TxshrnsNC:
THis has been my problem as well. I always make good smokey brisket, but it never has that much bark on it. I was thinking it was primarily due to the fact that I tend to cook smaller briskets at around 220, perhaps I should increase the heat up to maybe 250? I think I will try the butcher paper as well.
Can you purchase butcher paper in a supermarket or do you have to order it online?
ttt

Try any restaurant supply, but online is easy enough.
Thanks, Reverent Horn.
 
Has anyone experimented with cooking brisket sous vide (sealed in vacuum packets and cooked at low constant temp in a water emersion circulator) before placing on grill at high heat to layer-in smoke and bark?
 
Originally posted by Craben:
Has anyone experimented with cooking brisket sous vide (sealed in vacuum packets and cooked at low constant temp in a water emersion circulator) before placing on grill at high heat to layer-in smoke and bark?

Not sure how that would work since the brisket is only taking on the smoke flavor to, I believe, 160 degrees. What schedule would you be on?

My initial thought is why make something as easy as a brisket that hard? I just cant imagine it making it any better. All I do is leave it on the smoker unwrapped and Ill put mine up against any brisket I have had...
 
Originally posted by sundance7:
Joeywa-I have been reading your posts on this thread as well as some others recently. I would say you know what you are doing when it comes to smoking meat. If you could email me I might want to ask you a few questions. I am going to get a custom made cooker from GatorPit in Houston and am going to give this a try. I wrote down your recipe for brisket in this thread yesterday. Please email me at sundance710@yahoo.com.

Many thanks to you.
Joeywa-could youu email me at sundance710@yahoo.com, please?
 
So, what is the general consensus of the board experts on the effectiveness of brining/marinading a brisket? Will it really make it more moist, etc? I've always just dry rubbed. What do ya'll think?
 
Originally posted by NormS:
So, what is the general consensus of the board experts on the effectiveness of brining/marinading a brisket? Will it really make it more moist, etc? I've always just dry rubbed. What do ya'll think?
I've used both, and each imparts its own flavor profile while neither significantly affects the moisture content; (at least on brisket and pork shoulder.)

IMO, (and Cali can chime in here, as he's done a TON of research on this,) on a cut of meat that will be on the smoker generally 6-8 hrs minimum, moisture content is controlled more by the temperature you smoke it in than by the brine/rub you use. Also, the amount of fat in said cut of meat will play a large part in moisture of the finished product.
That said, too much salt will create challenges in maintaining moisture, brined or rubbed.

Cali's brines are great, not only because of the flavors that the products give to the meat, but also because you can strain his brines after you've brined the meat and use the spices/seasonings that are left in your strainer as a wet rub/paste to apply prior to placing the meat on the smoker. This makes a dry rub application unnecessary.
I also believe his are low in sodium, (~35 mg/svg IIRC.)
 
When yall say "maintain 220", how do yall do it? Its hard for me to maintain my temps on my grill. Just curious. Thanks.
 
Originally posted by joeywa:
Originally posted by fatfootball101:
When yall say "maintain 220", how do yall do it? Its hard for me to maintain my temps on my grill. Just curious. Thanks.
Grill or smoker? What are you using FF?
Its a Chargriller with an offset smoker box. So I guess smoker.
 
Someone remind me later in the week to move this to the classics because I'm sure I'll forget. Good stuff fellas.
 
Control the temp with the damper on the firebox and the smokestack.



Wide open will allow maximum airflow, hence it will keep a very hot fire. If you almost close both, it will restrict airflow, encourage smoke and keep the flames/heat down. All smokers are little different, so you'll have to toy with it a bit to find how open or closed you'll need to have them both to maintain the temperature you want.

Also, get you a charcoal chimney, like this:


Start off with this and get the coals nice and white. Dump it on your grate in the firebox. Add a couple of logs, close the damper and smokestack about 80% and let the smoke get clear, then put the brisket in the smoke box.

Also, if you don't have one of these on your smoke box, get one; Academy has them by the dozen:

 
Originally posted by joeywa:
Originally posted by NormS:
So, what is the general consensus of the board experts on the effectiveness of brining/marinading a brisket? Will it really make it more moist, etc? I've always just dry rubbed. What do ya'll think?
I've used both, and each imparts its own flavor profile while neither significantly affects the moisture content; (at least on brisket and pork shoulder.)

IMO, (and Cali can chime in here, as he's done a TON of research on this,) on a cut of meat that will be on the smoker generally 6-8 hrs minimum, moisture content is controlled more by the temperature you smoke it in than by the brine/rub you use. Also, the amount of fat in said cut of meat will play a large part in moisture of the finished product.
That said, too much salt will create challenges in maintaining moisture, brined or rubbed.

Cali's brines are great, not only because of the flavors that the products give to the meat, but also because you can strain his brines after you've brined the meat and use the spices/seasonings that are left in your strainer as a wet rub/paste to apply prior to placing the meat on the smoker. This makes a dry rub application unnecessary.
I also believe his are low in sodium, (~35 mg/svg IIRC.)

There are so many variables in play starting with the meat, the temp, the time, the smoker (how the air circulates within one makes a difference), etc but brining will reduce moisture loss up to 170 degrees internal temp.

For chicken, seafood, steaks, and most cuts of pork that's enough protection to increase the moisture in the finished product.

For Brisket and Butt, which are both cooked well above 170 (Butt up to 190-195), the impact of brining will be more in the texture than in the moisture but there should still be a slight increase in moisture vs a non-brined cut.

All meat loses moisture as it cooks, which is why I am a proponent of cutting down the cooking time by starting out hot. I have yet to cook it hot all the way through as LHR has but will as soon as I buy one of Chorn's smokers in a few weeks and can get back to experimenting.
 
See, I told y'all Cali would have the answer.

There's nothing wrong with hot-searing the brisket over the coals immediately during the process, then dropping the heat to 220 after about 10-15 minutes and moving the brisket away from the fire. That may be something to try as well Cali.
 
Bump - I will have some pictures to add to this thread Saturday night.
 
I'm so damned excited to get a new smoker. When we moved at the start of April and my amazing wife told me I was not allowed to bring my old crappy smoker to the new house, it was like Christmas, she just didn't know it.
 
Originally posted by caliHORNia:
I'm so damned excited to get a new smoker. When we moved at the start of April and my amazing wife told me I was not allowed to bring my old crappy smoker to the new house, it was like Christmas, she just didn't know it.
Little did she know that you had already been out shopping for the replacement!
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I too start at 300 and let the temp drop to 225. I've had good success using this method getting a good bark and staying moist. I usually pull it off the smoker at 185 (with the idea the temp is still rising), put it in a pan wrapped in foil, in a cooler with towels over the top and let it sit for an hour.

I'd like to know more about the fork test and how to know when particular briskets are done. What lets you know one is done at 190 and another at 205 and what are the different ways to tell?

Thanks much!
 
I can tell you that the Lockhart joints all do this. That's where I first learned it. Luling City Market pit master told me he gets up to 375-400 when he starts out.
 
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