geneseohawk
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I'm new to cooking brisket and would like advice on your tried and proven technique for cooking one. Temp? Wrap? Rub? Etc.... Thanks for any advice.
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Solid information, @Pacman! No need to get too fancy with the first brisket; stick with the basics as outlined above.There will be a million comments/opinions and at least as many posts telling you to search the forum for a million more posts/opinions.
For brisket #1 trim it carefully, but leave at least 1/4 inch of fat on top to protect the meat for a long cook. Don't go crazy; just remove the stuff you're never going to want to put in your mouth on in the mouths of anyone you like.
First time out, stick with Kosher salt, coarse black pepper and maybe some onion and garlic powder (you'll see this abbreviated places as SPOG). Apply the rub and let it sit for a while, but it's not super critical on brisket #1. Some people put a "slather" of everything from yellow mustard to more exotic things to help the rub "stick". For brisket #1, just add the rub. It really does stick to the already tacky raw meat. Don't coat the meat in rub so much that you don't see meat through the rub.
Cook at your preference of 225 - 275 (lots of different opinions here). I usually start at 225 for a couple hours (for more smoke on a pellet grill) and then move up to 250 for the balance of the cook. It will take a while depending upon the size/shape of the brisket to get to an internal temp of around 160 - 170 (I pay attention at 165) where you hit the "stall" where it seems like nothing is happening for like an hour. Lots of references to this as well.
When you start seeing the internal temperature starting to rise again, you may want to wrap the brisket in butcher paper or foil if that's what you have. Continue to cook until in the 195 - 205 range when the meat is "jiggly" and a probe goes into all parts of the meat with ease. I (and others) have an artificial number of 203 as that has never let me down.
Pull the meat, wrap and rest for at least a few hours. Some people wrap in blankets and toss in a big ice chest. I've done that or I've just parked with another layer of butcher paper it in an oven that isn't on.
There are many others here with MUCH more experience than me. I just know how I ventured down the same path and I and others were very pleased with my brisket #1, #2, #3, etc. Keep track of what you did and make at least a mental note of what you might change on the next cook.
Fat side up or down?There will be a million comments/opinions and at least as many posts telling you to search the forum for a million more posts/opinions.
For brisket #1 trim it carefully, but leave at least 1/4 inch of fat on top to protect the meat for a long cook. Don't go crazy; just remove the stuff you're never going to want to put in your mouth on in the mouths of anyone you like.
First time out, stick with Kosher salt, coarse black pepper and maybe some onion and garlic powder (you'll see this abbreviated places as SPOG). Apply the rub and let it sit for a while, but it's not super critical on brisket #1. Some people put a "slather" of everything from yellow mustard to more exotic things to help the rub "stick". For brisket #1, just add the rub. It really does stick to the already tacky raw meat. Don't coat the meat in rub so much that you don't see meat through the rub.
Cook at your preference of 225 - 275 (lots of different opinions here). I usually start at 225 for a couple hours (for more smoke on a pellet grill) and then move up to 250 for the balance of the cook. It will take a while depending upon the size/shape of the brisket to get to an internal temp of around 160 - 170 (I pay attention at 165) where you hit the "stall" where it seems like nothing is happening for like an hour. Lots of references to this as well.
When you start seeing the internal temperature starting to rise again, you may want to wrap the brisket in butcher paper or foil if that's what you have. Continue to cook until in the 195 - 205 range when the meat is "jiggly" and a probe goes into all parts of the meat with ease. I (and others) have an artificial number of 203 as that has never let me down.
Pull the meat, wrap and rest for at least a few hours. Some people wrap in blankets and toss in a big ice chest. I've done that or I've just parked with another layer of butcher paper it in an oven that isn't on.
There are many others here with MUCH more experience than me. I just know how I ventured down the same path and I and others were very pleased with my brisket #1, #2, #3, etc. Keep track of what you did and make at least a mental note of what you might change on the next cook.
I put it down.Fat side up or down?
And some prime meats are better than others.The best tip I ever received on brisket is to buy the best meat you can afford. As Trouthead mentioned, Prime grade makes a big difference.
So what's considered the "best meat"? I've only used the Costco Primes with mixed results, they seem to very an awful lot and I can't tell by looking at the pkg what they really look like.
I agree with most of the posts to your question and offer the following:I'm new to cooking brisket and would like advice on your tried and proven technique for cooking one. Temp? Wrap? Rub? Etc.... Thanks for any advice.
PacMan pretty much nailed it. Couple comments. Keep it simple, Salt and Pepper liberally (make sure you can enjoy the meat flavor which can be overtaken by rubs if your not careful). I cook at 235 degrees straight through fat side up and also put a weber pan with a can of beer in the back center of the grill for a moist cook (you may need to add another can after 5 hours or so). I also have injected brisket with a beef broth (injections every 1 to 1.5 inch) which has come out extremely well. Lastly I take the brisket off at 165 degrees and wrap in foil. If I injected brisket with broth then I add some to the foil wrap. I cook to 203 degrees, then let it rest....What has been described above is a combination of RecTeqs recipe and Steve Raichlen's Brisket receipe. I attached the link to Steves recipe. Lastly document what you do and keep your recipe changes up to date. Let us know how it turns out. Thanks, I think I will go get a brisket now to smoke in the coming days. Remember "IF Your Looking, you ain't cooking....Keep the lid closed....I'm new to cooking brisket and would like advice on your tried and proven technique for cooking one. Temp? Wrap? Rub? Etc.... Thanks for any advice.