How to Smoke a Brisket???

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  • VelociMama
    VelociMama Posts: 3,119 Member
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    Mmmm...

    All I want to know is what time should I be there for dinner?

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    Next Monday evening. I'm going to pickup the brisket at 9am and get the overnight rub going. Start the smoker Monday morning around 7 or 6am so it's ready for dinner on Monday. MMMM
  • VelociMama
    VelociMama Posts: 3,119 Member
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    The biggest problem that I usually find is getting a brisket with a decent layer of fat on it. Seems that all of the stores near me want to trim it to almost nothing.

    The guy sending me the brisket said they won't trim it for me so I can decide how much fat I want on there.

    P.S. Thank you for the foil suggestion. As long as the brisket gets a nice crust on it, I'm cook with wrapping it.
  • BeeElMarvin
    BeeElMarvin Posts: 2,086 Member
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    Everyone has some good advice. The one thing I want to add - brisket is a lot less forgiving than pork. There's a window between the "not done" and "overdone" stages.

    Enjoy!

    True. Wrapping in foil extends that window by a large degree.

    does it screw up the crust?

    No. Mine still has a nice crusty exterior with a thick red ring right inside of that and moist tender meatiness inside of that.

    Jeeezus, mah belly is rumbling now!
  • DaisyMomOf4
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    Wen my hubby smokes a brisket he generously puts salt, pepper, and Head Country seasoning. Then he rubs brown sugar on thickly. He double wraps it in foil. The good kind not the cheap stuff.. He lets it smoke low n slow.. Wen its done he will open the foil and close the smoker so the meat can get a lil smokey. It wont have that black "crust" that some like cause its been wrapped but we dont like tha crust.. Good luck with ur brisket.. :):)
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    GOOD GOD! The only thing worse than sauce is sauce from a bottle.

    The only reason people think Kansas City barbecue is the best is because they've never been to Texas.


    Disclaimer - I do keep a bottle of bbq sauce at the house for hot dogs or sammiches or whathaveyou but it never goes on brisket.

    Hey, I've actually *tasted* Texas BBQ. My brother lived there (God knows why) for over a decade. That was his biggest complaint about Texas is that there's no Gates BBQ there. They do have better Mexican food in Texas. I'll give ya'll that one!

    ETA: (Oh, and ya'll have good pizza as well.)

    He was doing it wrong. There are a lot of crappy BBQ places in Texas but the good ones are the best in the Universe.

    In Kansas City, crappy BBQ joints don't last 6 months. We are very serious about our BBQ here. :laugh: My brother said he went to every BBQ place in town (he regularly eats out several times a week) and couldn't find anywhere that was better than "just ok." Every time he came back to KC, he *had* to go to Gates to get his fix.
  • McBully4
    McBully4 Posts: 1,270 Member
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    My brother said he went to every BBQ place in town (he regularly eats out several times a week) and couldn't find anywhere that was better than "just ok."

    He was in the wrong town. Or doesn't know what bbq should taste like since he ruined it with sauce all his life.
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    My brother said he went to every BBQ place in town (he regularly eats out several times a week) and couldn't find anywhere that was better than "just ok."

    He was in the wrong town. Or doesn't know what bbq should taste like since he ruined it with sauce all his life.

    Word.

    He must have been in Wichita Falls. There is no good barbecue in Wichita Falls.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    My brother said he went to every BBQ place in town (he regularly eats out several times a week) and couldn't find anywhere that was better than "just ok."

    He was in the wrong town. Or doesn't know what bbq should taste like since he ruined it with sauce all his life.

    :laugh: :laugh:

    FTR, he was in San Antonio. The Texas BBQ I ate was from Austin, ftr.

    I also had what Memphis calls "BBQ" once before. Ewww. Just ewww. Memphis don't know *kitten* about BBQ!
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    My brother said he went to every BBQ place in town (he regularly eats out several times a week) and couldn't find anywhere that was better than "just ok."

    He was in the wrong town. Or doesn't know what bbq should taste like since he ruined it with sauce all his life.

    :laugh: :laugh:

    FTR, he was in San Antonio. The Texas BBQ I ate was from Austin, ftr.

    I also had what Memphis calls "BBQ" once before. Ewww. Just ewww. Memphis don't know *kitten* about BBQ!

    Where in Austin?
  • VelociMama
    VelociMama Posts: 3,119 Member
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    I also had what Memphis calls "BBQ" once before. Ewww. Just ewww. Memphis don't know *kitten* about BBQ!

    You missed out. A good Memphis style dry rub barbecue is fantastic. I make my ribs Memphis style, and they are amazing.

    Edit to add that I'm a Tennessee girl anyway, and most of my family had huge barbecue pits growing up for tailgate parties. Good times. No barbecue sauce in sight either. I hate gooey ribs.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    I also had what Memphis calls "BBQ" once before. Ewww. Just ewww. Memphis don't know *kitten* about BBQ!

    You missed out. A good Memphis style dry rub barbecue is fantastic. I make my ribs Memphis style, and they are amazing.

    Edit to add that I'm a Tennessee girl anyway, and most of my family had huge barbecue pits growing up for tailgate parties. Good times. No barbecue sauce in sight either. I hate gooey ribs.

    Well this was shredded beef on bun and it *should* have been drowned in sauce. It was downright nasty. Worst. Sandwich. Ever. And it was over 20 years ago, but I still remember it. Just the worst.

    Other than that nasty restaurant, I enjoyed Memphis. :smile:
  • VelociMama
    VelociMama Posts: 3,119 Member
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    I also had what Memphis calls "BBQ" once before. Ewww. Just ewww. Memphis don't know *kitten* about BBQ!

    You missed out. A good Memphis style dry rub barbecue is fantastic. I make my ribs Memphis style, and they are amazing.

    Edit to add that I'm a Tennessee girl anyway, and most of my family had huge barbecue pits growing up for tailgate parties. Good times. No barbecue sauce in sight either. I hate gooey ribs.

    Well this was shredded beef on bun and it *should* have been drowned in sauce. It was downright nasty. Worst. Sandwich. Ever. And it was over 20 years ago, but I still remember it. Just the worst.

    Other than that nasty restaurant, I enjoyed Memphis. :smile:

    It's just like anywhere you go though. You can get bad barbecue anywhere. The trick is to find the good stuff. :smile: Next time you go, ask around. Most of the best barbecue I had back home was from guys with a smoker pit parked on the side of the highway selling it by the lb.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    My brother said he went to every BBQ place in town (he regularly eats out several times a week) and couldn't find anywhere that was better than "just ok."

    He was in the wrong town. Or doesn't know what bbq should taste like since he ruined it with sauce all his life.

    :laugh: :laugh:

    FTR, he was in San Antonio. The Texas BBQ I ate was from Austin, ftr.

    I also had what Memphis calls "BBQ" once before. Ewww. Just ewww. Memphis don't know *kitten* about BBQ!

    Where in Austin?

    I don't know. It was brought to me by someone else. It was at a political event several years ago. They may have just bought what was cheap and easy (like when people buy Pizza Hut) because there were quite a few of us.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Options
    I also had what Memphis calls "BBQ" once before. Ewww. Just ewww. Memphis don't know *kitten* about BBQ!

    You missed out. A good Memphis style dry rub barbecue is fantastic. I make my ribs Memphis style, and they are amazing.

    Edit to add that I'm a Tennessee girl anyway, and most of my family had huge barbecue pits growing up for tailgate parties. Good times. No barbecue sauce in sight either. I hate gooey ribs.

    Well this was shredded beef on bun and it *should* have been drowned in sauce. It was downright nasty. Worst. Sandwich. Ever. And it was over 20 years ago, but I still remember it. Just the worst.

    Other than that nasty restaurant, I enjoyed Memphis. :smile:

    It's just like anywhere you go though. You can get bad barbecue anywhere. The trick is to find the good stuff. :smile: Next time you go, ask around. Most of the best barbecue I had back home was from guys with a smoker pit parked on the side of the highway selling it by the lb.

    Yeah, the Side-of-the-road guys are usually the best. In KC, it's usually tamales by the side of the road. We have plenty of bad food here(especially some of the buffets), but it would not be easy to find bad BBQ here. There's just no market for it. We have Gates & Sons, Arther Bryant's, LCs, Jack Stack....all with long lines any time you go. There is something I like better about each place, but they are all delicious. I would love to put Gates sauce on Bryant's ribs, with LC's beer-battered onion rings and Jack Stack's beer selections. :laugh:

    OMG! Jack Stack's sauce is *almost* as good as Gates though.
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    My brother said he went to every BBQ place in town (he regularly eats out several times a week) and couldn't find anywhere that was better than "just ok."

    He was in the wrong town. Or doesn't know what bbq should taste like since he ruined it with sauce all his life.

    :laugh: :laugh:

    FTR, he was in San Antonio. The Texas BBQ I ate was from Austin, ftr.

    I also had what Memphis calls "BBQ" once before. Ewww. Just ewww. Memphis don't know *kitten* about BBQ!

    Where in Austin?

    I don't know. It was brought to me by someone else. It was at a political event several years ago. They may have just bought what was cheap and easy (like when people buy Pizza Hut) because there were quite a few of us.

    Well, there you go then.
  • blakejohn
    blakejohn Posts: 1,129 Member
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    Mesquite wood in the smoker keep the meat as far from the heat as you can, low and slow is the way to go.

    as far as rubs, S&P garlic power, onion power and you pick the 5th

    you're making my mouth water
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    I also had what Memphis calls "BBQ" once before. Ewww. Just ewww. Memphis don't know *kitten* about BBQ!

    You missed out. A good Memphis style dry rub barbecue is fantastic. I make my ribs Memphis style, and they are amazing.

    Edit to add that I'm a Tennessee girl anyway, and most of my family had huge barbecue pits growing up for tailgate parties. Good times. No barbecue sauce in sight either. I hate gooey ribs.

    I do my ribs this way too. I dislike sloppy gooey ribs.
  • TromaRon
    TromaRon Posts: 228 Member
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    I Inject with beef broth, then rub with kosher salt & coarse ground pepper. Wrap and put in fridge overnight. While the smoker pre-heats, re-season with a little more salt & pepper. Smoke at 225-240 until the brisket reaches 165, then double wrap in foil and keep cooking til it reaches 190-200. It's done when the thermometer goes through it like butter. When it's done, let it rest in the foil for up to an hour before slicing, to let the juice redistribute itself and not all run out.

    Briskets often hit a "stall" around 150 or so, where the temp won't move. This is when the connective tissue is breaking down. Don't stress and raise the temp, just wait it out. Might last 1-2 hours before the temp really starts moving again.

    My favorite part of briskets are burnt ends. Before cooking I separate the point (small triangular piece) from the flat (bigger rectangular piece). Some people like to leave these together so the fatter point will moisten the flat. I like them separate so they can both get seasoned, and get more smoke. I put the point on the rack above the flat, so that the rendered fat will drip onto the flat. When the flat is done, I take the point out, chop it up into aprox 1" cubes & brush on a light coating of sauce. Then I put them back in the smoker for at least 2 more hours. By then they will look like they're burned up, but they will taste like the most incredible meat candy!

    Hickory smoke is great on brisket. Always keep in mind, thin blue smoke is the way to go. Thick white smoke will ruin the flavor of anything.
  • jencooks
    jencooks Posts: 62 Member
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    bump

    sorry, no advice... i have smoked several pork butts though!

    Pork butts are on my list too! What's your strategy for smoking them?
    I dry rub them with a mixture of (3/4C sugar, 2T salt, 1T paprika, 1T pepper, 1T garlic powder) & let them sit in the fridge overnight with the rub on. Smoke at 250 degrees or lower; we like the lump charcoal best for maintaining temp. They take a long time... 12 hours or so. I never take them off until the internal temp is 190 or higher. The meat is technically done at 180, but truly flavorful meat that shreds easily needs to be 190 degrees.
    I've done this with ribs too- about 6 hours per rack. They are so good, they don't even need sauce.

    Happy smoking :)
  • VelociMama
    VelociMama Posts: 3,119 Member
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    Update:

    Just got the rub on the brisket, and it's going in the fridge for about 48 hours. I plan on doing a slow charcoal smoke at around 210-225 for about 10 hours (it's a small 8 lb brisket). Brisket has a beautiful fat back on it (not pictured).

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