Model #1 / First Brisket (over done?)

[jaybob]

So, with my first rib smoke a real success,  my wife being a big brisket fan, figured I'd try a brisket.

(link to my rib thread: http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=1175.0)

The Smoke

- Beef Brisket - 4.25 lbs.
- Trimmed majority of the fat off (and scored some of the areas where there was still fat)
- Injected with Johnny's French Dip Au Jus
- Applied Yellow Mustard then Jack Stack Meat & Poultry Rub,  put in fridge overnight

Pulled out the next morning, thew on a little more rub and put in smoker at 6:45 a.m. @225 with 4.6 oz of Hickory (one full dowel and one split into two with flat sides down)

It took just over 11 hours to reach 195 IT! Which seemed long to me...  Took it out and let it rest in foil in a small cooler for 1 hour.

The results seemed WAY overdone to me. The taste of the meat was really good, and although it was a little juicy, it just seemed way over-cooked. I had the meat prob in the thickest part of the meat. I also injected it quite a bit, maybe I over injected? (if that's possible)

Everything I read on brisket said 195 IT and I got to thinking after the fact, that I eat med rare to rare steaks so why would I cook my brisket to 195? I'm thinking next time I'll try only 150 IT or something close, pull out, slice, then maybe if it needs more cook time, apply some beef broth or cook a little more in oven with some BBQ.

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[DivotMaker]

Hmmm...that does look kind of dry, Jared.  The only thing I can think is that your temp probe may have not been reading properly.  That's a really long time for a briskie that size!  One thing I might suggest is to do a full packer-cut next time, instead of a flat.  When I do a packer cut, I trim the fat to about 1/4", and score an X pattern in it to absorb the smoke and rub.  I then smoke it @ 225 with the fat cap up.  The reason for 195, instead of medium, for a brisket is simply tenderness.  If you cook a brisket to 140, you'll need to have teeth like steel to eat it - it'll be really tough.  The long muscle grain of a brisket is not like a steak; takes a long, low cook to tenderize it.

I know some of our guys do flats, so maybe they'll have a little more input on your cook. 

[jaybob]

Hey Tony, thanks for the tips, that does make sense.

The brisket was small to start with, and was tiny by the time I took it out. lol  I put the meat prob (maverick 732) in the thickest end part of the brisket. Maybe I'll try a larger packer cut next time like you said.

I will say though, my wife just stuck it in the oven today at 250 for an hour with some beef broth and we made some french dip type sammies out of it. And they were really good!

Picked up some pork loin today at Costco so plan on trying that next.

Thanks again for all your help. (now time to watch some Chief's football!)

[DivotMaker]

Hi Jared - hope your Chiefs pull it out (21-21 when writing this).  Several good pork loin recipes here.  It's one of my favorites for sammies!  Baby backs for me today...mmmm..mmmm!

[vwbrad]

Hey Jared,
     I recently cooked a brisket flat that was between 4 and 5 pounds in my new #1 smoker with some great results.  The brisket appears to be dry in the pics.   One thing I wouldn't do is trim the fat cap off the brisket until after it is done.  The fat drips down through the meat and keeps it meat moist when cooking with the fat side up.  I found the #1 tends to dry stuff out.  So I also put some water in the smoker with the meat, I used a 14oz can a little over half full of water.  Some folks mix the water with apple juice or beer to enhance the flavor.  I cooked it to an internal temp of 195

[jaybob]

Thanks vwbrad. That was going to be my next question; should I have left the fat on and smoke with the fat side up? Sounds like I'll try that next time.

Also, I've been using the top rack in the smoker only, which makes getting the meat probe in the right place a little tricky, I've been sticking it in length ways into the fattest part of the meat and thus the probe needs to be almost completely pushed into the meat for it to fit in the smoker. So I'm going to try using the middle shelf more and just pushing the meat probe in the top of the meat at a slight angle into the thickest part.

Thanks,
Jared

[Geo]

I did my first brisket today and it turned out super moist with good results.  I had to alter a few things based on the fact I was preparing for a friend for Christmas..Here were my general thoughts/prep..

I used a rib rub that the friend supplied me. 

Before rubbing I injected with a mixture of beef broth, worchester sauce, garlic powder and onion powder (sprinkled some salt and pepper in too.)

Let it sit over night.

The brisket itself was 12.5 lbs.. I have been doing mostly pork butts but this thing was a MONSTER. Before throwing it in the smoker I reapplied the rub and also reinjected.

I smoked with 6 oz of hickory for 6.5 hours.  I have had good results with 6.5 hours with pork, then I transfer to foil. 

After the 6.5 hours the meat was still pretty noticeably tough (to touch) so I reinjected and wrapped in foil.  I had a bit of injection left so I threw that in the bottle of the foil.  I pretty much always plan to smoke it at 1.5 hours per pound so I smoked this thing for 18 hours.  Afterwards I wrapped in a towel, put it in a cooler and sent it on its way.. I received 15 text messages after delivery.

[DivotMaker]

Congrats Geo!  If you get a chance, post something about yourself in the Introductions section.  Also, we love pictures of good Q!  Welcome to the party!

[es1025]

Jay bob
Try this:

Here is my brisket rub:

This is a mild rub with some late kick:

2.5 oz of Paprika
1/3 cup Brown sugar
3 TBSP of Garlic powder
3 TBSP of Onion powder
2 TSBP of Oregano
2 TSBP Sea Salt
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper

You can adjust the cayenne to taste.

Smoke at 240

2.5 oz of cherry wood.

2nd slot in the smoker, fat side up.

Plan to wrap at 165 and remove at 195, let rest for 1 hour.

This will be the best brisket you smoke.

I looked at your brisket looked well done side.

You need a thermometer to measure the meat temp.

Ed