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Brisket Cooking Method needed. I want Bark!!!

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Gonzo26

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Okay, so I've cooked approximately 30 briskets or so, and I can never get a good bark. Taste, tenderness, juicy ect, but no good bark. I'm ready to try something else out for a change. Appreciate all the advice.

I remember LHR mentioning a method where you would sere it first ???
 
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.
 
Send me your email and I will send the best, easiest and failproof brisket recipe there is. texlex939@sbcglobal.net
 
Gonzo
Contrary to popular belief and preaching on the site
You will never ever get a good park on a brisket by wrapping it up in oil and sticking it in an ice chest for an hour or 2 or 3 or 4
All your gonna do there is steam the meat and then steam away ANY Bark On the outside of said brisket
Cali Is correct on the hot and fast version of cooking your brisket
 
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Originally posted by LONGHORNREALTOR:
Gonzo
Contrary to popular belief and preaching on the site
You will never ever get a good park on a brisket by wrapping it up in oil and sticking it in an ice chest for an hour or 2 or 3 or 4
All your gonna do there is steam the meat and then steam away ANY Bark On the outside of said brisket
Cali Is correct on the hot and fast version of cooking your brisket

yep. never really got why people wrap the thing up in foil to steam it. Brisket is the simplest thing in the world to cook. Salt, Pepper, time, wood and leave the thing alone until it is done. It may or may not be done when the thermometer reads 190. it may or may not be done when the thermometer reads 205. it all depends. Main point is, put on the pit, keep temp between 225-250 and leave it there. you will get a good crust.
 
Originally posted by 1stB12Champs:
Originally posted by LONGHORNREALTOR:
Gonzo
Contrary to popular belief and preaching on the site
You will never ever get a good park on a brisket by wrapping it up in oil and sticking it in an ice chest for an hour or 2 or 3 or 4
All your gonna do there is steam the meat and then steam away ANY Bark On the outside of said brisket
Cali Is correct on the hot and fast version of cooking your brisket

yep. never really got why people wrap the thing up in foil to steam it. Brisket is the simplest thing in the world to cook. Salt, Pepper, time, wood and leave the thing alone until it is done. It may or may not be done when the thermometer reads 190. it may or may not be done when the thermometer reads 205. it all depends. Main point is, put on the pit, keep temp between 225-250 and leave it there. you will get a good crust.

Could not have said it better myself
 
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LHR, bought the Masterbuilt you recommended. What's your method for cooking brisket on these things? What temp? Do you wrap it or not? Thanks!
Posted from wireless.rivals.com[/URL]
 
Originally posted by 1stB12Champs:

Originally posted by LONGHORNREALTOR:
Gonzo
Contrary to popular belief and preaching on the site
You will never ever get a good park on a brisket by wrapping it up in oil and sticking it in an ice chest for an hour or 2 or 3 or 4
All your gonna do there is steam the meat and then steam away ANY Bark On the outside of said brisket
Cali Is correct on the hot and fast version of cooking your brisket

yep. never really got why people wrap the thing up in foil to steam it. Brisket is the simplest thing in the world to cook. Salt, Pepper, time, wood and leave the thing alone until it is done. It may or may not be done when the thermometer reads 190. it may or may not be done when the thermometer reads 205. it all depends. Main point is, put on the pit, keep temp between 225-250 and leave it there. you will get a good crust.

This... and you don't need a thermometer. When the fork slides in easily, it is done.
 
Do you wrap it after a certain amount of time? I'm trying to figure out how to avoid having too much smoke flavor.
Posted from wireless.rivals.com[/URL]
 
My uncle puts a tiny bit of charcoal in with his wood and gets a great bark on his briscuit.
 
Fellas, how long can a brisket (whole, not sliced) be rested before it requires refrigeration?
Posted from wireless.rivals.com[/URL]
 
no meat (cooked or raw) should be between 40-140 degrees or more than 4 hrs. I never go 3 to be safe.

If wrapped in a towel and placed in a cooler, like some do, it may stay above 165+ (safer temp) for a long period, extending the total amount of time it can rest.
This post was edited on 5/6 4:34 PM by caliHORNia
 
Originally posted by joeywa:

Originally posted by GoodOldBill10:
Ok I know I will be stomped into the ground and laughed at but what is bark?
The outer 'crust' is the "bark."











Good lord, that looks awesome!
This post was edited on 5/6 5:07 PM by joshgw1
 
I am cooking 2 8lb briskets tomorrow. In the past I have always smoked them, then wrapped them, then placed in a cooler. If I don't wrap it, woyld I still cook it about an hour per pound ? Also, what about a mopping sauce ? Any particular ingredients to use ?
 
That looks really good Joey.

Tomorrow I'm smoking my second brisket ever. I bought a Brinkman smoker from Home Depot and I love it. The ribs turned out great but the brisket was real tough. I bought a 4 lb super trimmed brisket, which my father in law said was my first mistake. He said go for the 10 lb from HEB and if you can bend it and touch both ends together then that's the one you want. I smoked mine using all mesquite wood and the bark was nice, but it wasn't moist at all. I'm hoping tomorrows is better.

I bough a bunch of oak from Harleys up on Anderson Mill and 183. I'm going to use all oak with a few pieces of mesquite. Now my father in law said to wrap it in tin foil for the last hour. What are y'alls thoughts on that? I rubbed mine with straight salt and pepper and a little bit of Lowrys seasoning salt. He also said to make sure you put the fat side up and once you put it in the smoker, don't touch it until it's time to pull it out.

I've been thinking about my second go at smoking a brisket all week. While I can't give a lot of advice on how to cook it I can leave y'all with this. If you will be drinking during the cooking process, PACE YOURSELF. After six hours of standing outside drinking Pacificos, I think a smoked goats arse would have tasted good.
 
TGTexas, that's the point of smoking for so long...to drink beer! Why do you think everyone on here claims to have the best brisket?
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Thanks for the compliments. That was my first brisket of the year a few weeks back. I've done a few more since then.

LHR, I've got to take you task on this a little bit.
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I wrap my finished brisket loosely in Saran Wrap, then loosely in foil and a towel, place in a cooler to rest it for about 30 mins. to let the juices redistribute themselves throughout the cut of meat. This makes for a fantastically moist brisket, even in the flat.

I have neither had a problem with getting a good bark on the brisket, nor have a I had a problem getting fantastic burnt ends with this method. (I had to throw this in there, as LHR's favorite part of the brisket is the burnt ends!)
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I think if you wrap it solely in foil to rest it, you are enabling it to cook further. Also an extended rest time, (over an hour,) will cause your bark to not go away, but to get gooey and soft.

I also will put the brisket on the smoker, fat side up, and go about 1.5 hrs/# at 225-degrees; shooting for internal of 195 degrees as well as the fork test. I leave it alone with the exception of maybe spraying the brisket lightly every couple of hours with a mixture of melted butter, apple juice, orange juice and olive oil. As was mentioned above, brisket is extremely easy to cook if you follow some of the basic steps here. Also, sometimes it's not done at 195. Sometimes it's 205, sometimes 190. Every brisket is a little different. Another tip: get your brisket as close to room temperature as you can before you place it on the smoker. If you pull the brisket straight from the fridge, you have a lot of temperature to make up for when it goes on the smoker and you increase your risk drying out the finished product.

You can certainly smoke them at a higher temp if you'd like, it shortens the cook time, just be careful to not get crazy with this, as you can also dry out the brisket this way, even burn it.

That's the thing about smoking that I love, you HAVE to eat your own mistakes, so you learn rather quickly the best ways that work for YOU and YOUR setup. Like briskets, I don't think I've met two guys that smoke them the same way.
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Throwing 2 briskets on in the am. If they look good, I'll post pictures!
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Texlex39-I tried the roast recipe you sent me a few months ago and it turned out great. I would love to get your brisket recipe. If you could please send it to sundance710@yahoo.com. Many thanks to you.
 
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?
 
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