JohnnySavage
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Now that summer is coming to an end, and I'm down to the last two briskets in my freezer, I thought I'd document exactly how to cook a brisket properly. Now my BBQ buddies and I spend many hours at events, sitting around our smokers in the middle of the night, drinking PBR, spitting Skoal, telling lies; and, arguing about brisket. My way is not only my way, it's the best way. Don't listen to Pork Butt, rumor has it he grills with propane when nobody is looking.
First you have to find a quality supplier. Wally Mart is ok in a pinch. But if you buy brisket at $3.50 a pound, you're going to taste whatever it is Wally Mart sprays it's meat with to make it red. The local butcher here sells it at about $6 a pound - pricey but much better quality. You may have seen the local teens tipping the very cow it came off of just last week.
Find a brisket with at least an inch thickness at the end of the flat. Woah... the flat? Well, you see, a brisket is two muscles - the flat and the point. The grain of the muscles generally goes in 90 degree directions to each other. The point is the tender muscle (the brisket is the chest of the cow and because those muscles work hard, a brisket has to be cooked low and slow or you won't be able to chew it). Yo also need one that's at least 15 pounds. A little 10 pounder is tempting but you'll end up giving the flat to the dog because it will dry out. You need thermal mass in your smoker.
When you get your meat home, trim the bejesus out of it. I know... you just paid $100 for a piece of dead cow and you want to get your money's worth out of it. But the smoker doesn't get hot enough to render the fat and the fat will insulate the meat from the chemical reaction that makes the smoke ring and gives it flavor. Lay it flat, point side down and trim off the entire fat cap (a point of argument between BBQ'ers). Trim it off!!! Then flip er over and trim off the fatty pockets and edges. Then take a sharp filet knife and go between the flat and the point. In there is fat called the deckle - it's hard as a rock and nasty. Trim that out of there.
Now - seasoning. Another point of contention. I like a light coating of salt and pepper. Some lesser BBQers cover the damn thing in all sorts of nonsense. Salt and pepper. Nothing more. Let it sit at room temp for an hour or so while you get your smoker going. Start with charcoal and get the smoke box really hot. Then cut off the air and put some hickory in the fire box. Another point of contention. Any hardwood will do. Some use apple, some pecan, some oak. I can't really taste the difference and use hickory because that's the way I do it. Let the temp in the smoke box drop to about 280.
Put your meat in. I forgot to mention that you should trim the meat to remove any "sharp edges" Those will just burn and the dog will get em. Your meat should be aerodynamic. Put the flat side down, with the point aimed at where the smoke is coming from. You want the smoke to hit the point first and flow down over the meat and then out of the box. Maintain a smoke box temp of 225.
Cook the meat to an internal temp of 140 degrees. I use a dual probe thermometer. One probe is in the point and one is in the smoke box. It's a fancy thing that transmit the temps to my phone. Never, ever open the smoke box whilst you are cooking! Figure 1/2 and hour for each pound of meat to get to 140.
Once your point is 140, take it out and spritz it with some apple juice and wrap that baby in heavy foil. And then wrap it again. You want it tight and moist. Reset your probe and put it back in the smoker. Some people say wrapping is cheating, but they are idiots. The smoke flavor (and smoke ring) comes from a chemical reaction between the meat and the smoke. Once the meat reaches 140 degrees, that chemical reaction ends so there's really no point in turning your $100 piece of meat into jerky, Spritz and wrap!
At this point you no longer need the wood and you can switch the firebox to just charcoal. You need the heat now not the smoke, and charcoal lasts longer and maintains the heat more consistently. Now you want to take the temp of the point up to about 190. Again, about 1/2 hour per pound for a total cook time of about an hour per pound.
Once the point is about 190 - take it out and wrap it in newspaper and put it in a cooler. Leave it be for at least an hour before you cut it. It will keep cooking in there and the temp should get up to about 200. After two hours it will be perfect for cutting.
When its rested properly, unwrap it and separate the point from the flat. Cut both muscles across the grain. Very Very Important! The flat should be cut in about 1/4 inch slices and the point should be cut in about 1/2 inch slices. Put the slices in a foil pan and spritz with malt vinegar. Just a spritz - don't overdo it.
Serve and receive accolades.
First you have to find a quality supplier. Wally Mart is ok in a pinch. But if you buy brisket at $3.50 a pound, you're going to taste whatever it is Wally Mart sprays it's meat with to make it red. The local butcher here sells it at about $6 a pound - pricey but much better quality. You may have seen the local teens tipping the very cow it came off of just last week.
Find a brisket with at least an inch thickness at the end of the flat. Woah... the flat? Well, you see, a brisket is two muscles - the flat and the point. The grain of the muscles generally goes in 90 degree directions to each other. The point is the tender muscle (the brisket is the chest of the cow and because those muscles work hard, a brisket has to be cooked low and slow or you won't be able to chew it). Yo also need one that's at least 15 pounds. A little 10 pounder is tempting but you'll end up giving the flat to the dog because it will dry out. You need thermal mass in your smoker.
When you get your meat home, trim the bejesus out of it. I know... you just paid $100 for a piece of dead cow and you want to get your money's worth out of it. But the smoker doesn't get hot enough to render the fat and the fat will insulate the meat from the chemical reaction that makes the smoke ring and gives it flavor. Lay it flat, point side down and trim off the entire fat cap (a point of argument between BBQ'ers). Trim it off!!! Then flip er over and trim off the fatty pockets and edges. Then take a sharp filet knife and go between the flat and the point. In there is fat called the deckle - it's hard as a rock and nasty. Trim that out of there.
Now - seasoning. Another point of contention. I like a light coating of salt and pepper. Some lesser BBQers cover the damn thing in all sorts of nonsense. Salt and pepper. Nothing more. Let it sit at room temp for an hour or so while you get your smoker going. Start with charcoal and get the smoke box really hot. Then cut off the air and put some hickory in the fire box. Another point of contention. Any hardwood will do. Some use apple, some pecan, some oak. I can't really taste the difference and use hickory because that's the way I do it. Let the temp in the smoke box drop to about 280.
Put your meat in. I forgot to mention that you should trim the meat to remove any "sharp edges" Those will just burn and the dog will get em. Your meat should be aerodynamic. Put the flat side down, with the point aimed at where the smoke is coming from. You want the smoke to hit the point first and flow down over the meat and then out of the box. Maintain a smoke box temp of 225.
Cook the meat to an internal temp of 140 degrees. I use a dual probe thermometer. One probe is in the point and one is in the smoke box. It's a fancy thing that transmit the temps to my phone. Never, ever open the smoke box whilst you are cooking! Figure 1/2 and hour for each pound of meat to get to 140.
Once your point is 140, take it out and spritz it with some apple juice and wrap that baby in heavy foil. And then wrap it again. You want it tight and moist. Reset your probe and put it back in the smoker. Some people say wrapping is cheating, but they are idiots. The smoke flavor (and smoke ring) comes from a chemical reaction between the meat and the smoke. Once the meat reaches 140 degrees, that chemical reaction ends so there's really no point in turning your $100 piece of meat into jerky, Spritz and wrap!
At this point you no longer need the wood and you can switch the firebox to just charcoal. You need the heat now not the smoke, and charcoal lasts longer and maintains the heat more consistently. Now you want to take the temp of the point up to about 190. Again, about 1/2 hour per pound for a total cook time of about an hour per pound.
Once the point is about 190 - take it out and wrap it in newspaper and put it in a cooler. Leave it be for at least an hour before you cut it. It will keep cooking in there and the temp should get up to about 200. After two hours it will be perfect for cutting.
When its rested properly, unwrap it and separate the point from the flat. Cut both muscles across the grain. Very Very Important! The flat should be cut in about 1/4 inch slices and the point should be cut in about 1/2 inch slices. Put the slices in a foil pan and spritz with malt vinegar. Just a spritz - don't overdo it.
Serve and receive accolades.
