DM's Brisket Injection

[DivotMaker]

I recently realized I'd never posted the injection I use for brisket, so here it is!

1/2 cup beef broth
1/4 cup Worcestershire
2 tbsp crystal hot sauce
2 tbsp demerara sugar
1 tbsp salt
1/3 cup Foster's beer (or any "full-flavor" beer - it's for flavor, not alcohol.  I won't use "light" beer for this)

I like to inject the day before smoking, coat in mustard and rub, wrap in plastic, and rest in the fridge overnight. 

Enjoy!

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[Randy]

This is the best. I use it every time on brisket.  I inject then rub wrap tight let sit for 24hr then in the #3 for 24hr takes that long in mine. get it to 185, 190 pull rest 2 hr enjoy. love this injection. I ony do packer cuts 14 16 lb.

[DivotMaker]

Thanks Randy!  Glad you like it!

[kelvinator]

If I got a brisket of this size and did this process but had to cut it in half since I have a #2 do you think it would take 24 hours as well? or would halving the brisket cut the cook time down? Maybe I should have gotten a #3...oh well too late

[DivotMaker]

Kelvin, if you cut a full packer in half, it will cook like one piece of the smaller weight.  If I start with 2 7 lb pieces, it takes 10-12 hours total.

[kelvinator]

Kelvin, if you cut a full packer in half, it will cook like one piece of the smaller weight.  If I start with 2 7 lb pieces, it takes 10-12 hours total.

Makes sense! Thank you! I almost wish I could fit a full one that way I could start one at like 6 on a Saturday and have it be ready at 6 on Sunday haha. Granted I can just start two halves at 6am sunday but sometimes I am up way to late to get up that early

[DivotMaker]

but sometimes I am up way to late to get up that early

Start them before you go to bed at midnight (or 2 a.m.?), then wrap/rest in the cooler until dinner!

[kelvinator]

but sometimes I am up way to late to get up that early

Start them before you go to bed at midnight (or 2 a.m.?), then wrap/rest in the cooler until dinner!

Haha yeah I usually don't stay up past 2am. Sometimes its just nice to sleep in what with getting up early for school and work all week. I hear that wrapping and letting sit in a cooler the meat will stay hot for quite awhile. I bought a 500ft roll of heavy duty foil from Cash & Carry just for this. How long do you think it will stay hot enough to not be too cold when eating?

I won't lie I spent a lot of time reading this forum at work today (slow during the holiday season) haha and read some stuff on amazingribs.com and there is so much information out there I am started to get a bit overwhelmed with deciding what I should make and how i should make it haha. Being a cook previously I am a huge believer in brining and will definitely give this a try. I may go simple and not brine for my first pork butt though just to not get to carried away.

I was thinking of just using a stock pot to brine the meat in instead of a bag or brining container. Maybe I will just get a big cambro from cash and carry...hmmm

[DivotMaker]

Hehe, Kelvin...you're definitely bit by the same bug we are, and there's no cure - sorry!

You can hold in the cooler (or cambreau) for 3-4 hours with no problem.  You can also double-wrap, and place back in the smoker at 140 for a longer period.  The idea is to keep the meat above 140; it's no longer cooking, and that is the "food safe" temp.  If it's wrapped tight, there'll be no loss of moisture or anything.

[kelvinator]

Hehe, Kelvin...you're definitely bit by the same bug we are, and there's no cure - sorry!

You can hold in the cooler (or cambreau) for 3-4 hours with no problem.  You can also double-wrap, and place back in the smoker at 140 for a longer period.  The idea is to keep the meat above 140; it's no longer cooking, and that is the "food safe" temp.  If it's wrapped tight, there'll be no loss of moisture or anything.

Haha yes sometimes I think I enjoy the reading and researching more than the actual hobby I am reading about. Just gotta try to get as much smoking done as I can so I can start to figure everything out. Too much information overload right now and little smoking experience has me asking too many questions.

Sounds good thanks for the info! And don't worry I know all to much about food safety. I was a cook at a retirement home for awhile so we had to take the temperature of almost everything. Don't wanna get the old people sick you know.

[DivotMaker]

Yeah Kelvin, we have to be conscious of safe temps with the "low and slow" methods we use.  Too easy to let something sit in the danger zone for too long!  Some foods, like poultry especially, are at great risk between 40° and 140°, so we want to minimize that exposure.  That's why you never want to do a whole turkey larger than 12-14 lbs.  May seem overly-cautious, but better safe than sorry!

[kelvinator]

Yeah Kelvin, we have to be conscious of safe temps with the "low and slow" methods we use.  Too easy to let something sit in the danger zone for too long!  Some foods, like poultry especially, are at great risk between 40° and 140°, so we want to minimize that exposure.  That's why you never want to do a whole turkey larger than 12-14 lbs.  May seem overly-cautious, but better safe than sorry!

Definitely, I remember my old sous chef telling me he read an article that said that ~80% of chickens have E.coli. Definitely don't want that! haha

[Smokem if ya got em]

Any issues with using an equilibrium brine before you introduce the injection?

[Walt]

That's how I do all my brisket.  EQ brine for 4 or 5 days, rinsed, dry, inject, rub with cane syrup & yellow mustard, sprinkle liberaly with rub.  Rest for 24 hours then cook.  No problem.

[Smokem if ya got em]

Thanks Walt.  I used your equilibrium brine recently on a 7.9 lb brisket but did not inject until I was ready to smoke.  I really like the ease of this brining method.  Was a little surprised at the small amount of salt and sugar I was using for that size of brisket. My schedule got a little crazy after I started the brine and as a result I ended up leaving it in the brine for 6 days.  I used one of the 2.5 gallon ziplock bags I recently found in stock at Walmart for the brining.  I did not inject until I was ready to smoke.  Tasted really good but was wondering if I should have given the injection more time to work.