Beef How to smoke the best brisket

[Mike]

BRISKET

• Season with favorite seasoning (We used Ben's Bangin' Brisket Rub)
• 225 degrees for approx 12 hours (until internal temp is 195-200)
• put brisket is a roasting pan and cover with aujus
• cover with foil
• wrap in a beach towel and allow to rest for 2 hours
• slice against the grain

AUJUS

• 4 cups water
• 3T beef base (leveled)
• 1 package gravy aujus
• 3T Worcestershire
• heat and mix together

*can also be used as an injection

 

[Ted]

Looking forward to doing my first brisket. It looks like trimming is the difficult part. Also should I be separating the point from the flat before cooking.

 

[Grill_Goon]

I like to separate the point and flat before cooking but I am definitely in the minority with this method. I just find it easier to get an even cook with less dry pieces this way. If anyone has a good reason to keep them together, please tell me.

 

[Smoker4]

Matt at Meat Church has two great videos on YouTube showing trimming. One for burnt ends and one straight up brisket. I've been following him for my brisket and very happy with the results.

 

[FastEddie]

I'm wondering the same thing on separating the point and flat.
I have a 16 lb packer.
Any comments?

 

[Bif Hunkly]

I'm wondering the same thing on separating the point and flat.
I have a 16 lb packer.
Any comments?

Aaron Franklin, from Franklin's BBQ in Austin says that the flat is so lean that it needs the fat from the point to moisten it. However, he doesn't inject or anything like that. He just trims, rubs, tosses them on the smoker and spritzes when necessary.

 

[Mac2bdr]

Aaron Franklin, from Franklin's BBQ in Austin says that the flat is so lean that it needs the fat from the point to moisten it. However, he doesn't inject or anything like that. He just trims, rubs, tosses them on the smoker and spritzes when necessary.

Agreed!

 

[Grill_Goon]

Aaron Franklin, from Franklin's BBQ in Austin says that the flat is so lean that it needs the fat from the point to moisten it. However, he doesn't inject or anything like that. He just trims, rubs, tosses them on the smoker and spritzes when necessary.

That's interesting. I'm wondering how the fat from the point affects the flat. It is my understanding that intramuscular fat is what makes a cut juicy, not the fat on the outside. I'm no Aaron Franklin though. He probably knows what he's talking about.

 

[Bif Hunkly]

That's interesting. I'm wondering how the fat from the point affects the flat. It is my understanding that intramuscular fat is what makes a cut juicy, not the fat on the outside. I'm no Aaron Franklin though. He probably knows what he's talking about.

I'm with you on that. On Netflix "The Chef Show", he says they go through over 100 briskets a day.

I think his book mentioned the reasoning behind keeping it together, but I can't remember it off hand. I'll try to take a look at it later and see if I can find it. If I can, I'll post it here.

 

[Greg Jones]

IIRC, he suggests putting the fat side of the brisket on the smoker up or down, depending on where the heat is coming from, so that the fat can help insulate the meat from drying out. I’m not sure if that’s something totally different from separating/not separating or not?

 

[FastEddie]

My plan is to go fat side down. Decided to leave the point on, on this one. Hopefully get some of that fat layer in between to render down. Might use two probes also. One flat end, one point end just to see what's going on during the cook.

What do you think about throwing in the smoker tube? Too much?

 

[Greg Jones]

Fat side down, two probes is what I would do. Even with two probes, I’d still ensure both the point and flat were probe tender before pulling the brisket.

 

[Bif Hunkly]

I did fat side up and stuck one probe dead center into the side of the brisket. I set it to alert me at 175 (to make sure it was out of the stall) and then wrapped it, resetting the probe to tell me when it was 203. Pulled it off and rested it for an hour or so.

 

[ModernRec]

I have a buddy who always does Fat Side up on his pellet grill. he is huge into saying the drip pan distorts the heat source until the heat hits the top of the recteq, which is why he always does Fat side up. I have never personally done it. I always did fat down on my egg and continue to do it that way,

 

[opus]

I've always gone fat side up in my stick burner. Haven't done one in the pellet yet. I'm still worried I won't get a smokey enough flavor. I always take my left overs to several of my coworkers. This last time I did pork butts on the pellet for the first time. Everyone at work said they were good but didn't have the smoke flavor they were used to in my meat. Not sure yet how I'm going to remedy that issue.

Personally I'm lazy with my cooks. I really don't trim my brisket other than that really hard chunk of fat that is on the point area. I also don't use a temp probe. I just smoke it for 12 to 14 hours. I then put it in my roaster with some bone beef broth and water and cook it for 3 or 4 more hours. Always comes out tender and juicy and the juice is great for making gravy. I always freeze the juice and take it to the MIL, she loves to use it.

 

[gwrace1]

I've always gone fat side up in my stick burner. Haven't done one in the pellet yet. I'm still worried I won't get a smokey enough flavor. I always take my left overs to several of my coworkers. This last time I did pork butts on the pellet for the first time. Everyone at work said they were good but didn't have the smoke flavor they were used to in my meat. Not sure yet how I'm going to remedy that issue.

Personally I'm lazy with my cooks. I really don't trim my brisket other than that really hard chunk of fat that is on the point area. I also don't use a temp probe. I just smoke it for 12 to 14 hours. I then put it in my roaster with some bone beef broth and water and cook it for 3 or 4 more hours. Always comes out tender and juicy and the juice is great for making gravy. I always freeze the juice and take it to the MIL, she loves to use it.

You can always add a smoke tube or heat diffuser that will burn wood chunks.

 

[opus]

You can always add a smoke tube or heat diffuser that will burn wood chunks.

Still not enough smoke flavor. For Thanksgiving I did 2 pork butts. Put them on the stick smoker for around 10 hours and then finished them off on the pellet for another 5 or 6 hours. They were almost perfect.

 

[sandyut]

I'm wondering the same thing on separating the point and flat.
I have a 16 lb packer.
Any comments?

I would never separate the point from the flat. Smoking a flat by itself is a well documented challenge. the FP is much easier. use both probes - one in point and one in flat.

Trimming takes practice but I wouldn't stress about it. Sometimes you pull the Brisket out of the cryobag and its been poorly prepped before you tough it. rare if ever matters. roll with what you get and how you trim. no one cut or over trim will matter.

temp profile I use is 180 for 2-3 hours then 275 to probe tender at about 200 +/-. works good everytime.

 

[Bytor]

I have only done 4 full packers and the last one I did I separated and it was the best brisket I have made and up there with some of the best I have had.

I followed a Malcom video in which he was using the point for burnt ends. I followed his advice with seperating, going on at 225 for 4 hours and wrapping. I did that with both sides, along with some apple juice in the wrap for another 4 or so hours and let rest for an hour or so and it was perfect. I want to try again to see if I can replicate.