1st Brisket. Checklist here...Last minute suggestions.

[G man]

1.  Purchased whole packer Prime at Costco.  $2.79 pound.  Very happy!  Around 12#'s.  Will trim excess fat of course.

2.  To brine or not to brine?  Read many places that prime doesn't need to be brined.    Oh the decisions..If I do brine, will use Tony's butt brine, (half the salt) and will make two gallons.  If I do brine, 12 hours??

3.  After brining (or not), rub will be Canadian (or Montreal) steak seasoning, plus added black pepper.  After rub, wrap and back in fridge for xxx hours?

4. Cook fat side down with point in the rear of the #2 @225 for xxx hours or temp?  Planning of 3 ounces mesquite and 3 ounces cherry....

Many people say cook by feel, not internal temp.  I plan on going by "both"...with internal temp of flat to 190....at that point will separate point and return to smoker for burnt ends. 

5.  And the burnt ends opens up even more questions!!  (which I will determine answers during the 16 hours of smoking).

6.  Leftovers will be sealed.  I ordered a VacMaster pro 140 so will be experimenting with that too.  As to when to "seal" leftovers".... Is it best to leave the remainder un sliced before sealing and freezing?  And, does it need to cool before sealing?   

Thanks again in advance for the advice.

 

[SuperDave]

Regardless of the grade, I inject with beef broth and garlic.

 

[DivotMaker]

If that beautiful hunk of meat was mine, I'd let it swim in the pool for 12 hours, skip the injection, rub it and smoke it.   If you do brine, be sure to rinse it well before adding your rub.  I'd also recommend not to halve the salt...that's what makes a brine work! 

 

[G man]

It is swimming now.....
I figured, (perhaps maybe incorrectly), since it was Prime it would not need as much salt as a choice or select.
Since it is half the salt, (1 1/4 cups plus 2 tsps curing #1) will it be safe to let it go 18 hours?

G.

 

[DivotMaker]

Good to go 18, or even 24 hours.  Less salt = longer brining time.  Check out this article on brining:

Brines 101

 

[SconnieQ]

That was probably me who said the PRIME brisket from Costco does not need to be brined or injected. All I have done with my Primes is to do a dusting of TenderQuick for 4-6 hours (for the faux smoke ring), rinse, oil, rub, then straight away into the smoker. Such a quality piece of meat...it comes out floppy, and melt in your mouth moist and tender. I go to about 195 in the flat though. 200 in the point. Wrap and rest at least 2 hours in a cooler. That being said...I just haven't tried brining, because since I've had my SI, I've always bought the Prime briskets from Costco. I can't imagine that it could get any better, but brining sure couldn't hurt! And I would definitely recommend brining (and injecting for that matter) for anything other than Prime.

Go by temp. Those guys that go by "feel" are usually pretty experienced, and don't even temp their briskets anymore. Monitoring the "feel" on the SI involves opening it up, which you don't want to do. You want to keep that door closed to keep the moisture in, and temperature consistent.

 

[G man]

That was probably me who said the PRIME brisket from Costco does not need to be brined or injected. All I have done with my Primes is to do a dusting of TenderQuick for 4-6 hours (for the faux smoke ring), rinse, oil, rub, then straight away into the smoker. Such a quality piece of meat...it comes out floppy, and melt in your mouth moist and tender. I go to about 195 in the flat though. 200 in the point. Wrap and rest at least 2 hours in a cooler. That being said...I just haven't tried brining, because since I've had my SI, I've always bought the Prime briskets from Costco. I can't imagine that it could get any better, but brining sure couldn't hurt! And I would definitely recommend brining (and injecting for that matter) for anything other than Prime.

I have to agree. The smell of the raw brisket was extremely nice.....Well, I did end up doing the brine.  I'm having a couple Texas Boys over to judge.  I'll let you know what they say!

Go by temp. Those guys that go by "feel" are usually pretty experienced, and don't even temp their briskets anymore. Monitoring the "feel" on the SI involves opening it up, which you don't want to do. You want to keep that door closed to keep the moisture in, and temperature consistent.

 

[mizzoufan]

I brine pretty much everything that goes in my smoker, but you probably don't need to for prime.  Injection is more of a flavor thing and sometimes I do, sometimes I don't but the beef broth and garlic is a great flavor add to brisket. 

For burnt ends, I've usually frozen the point previously then thaw but the process would be the same.  Cube it into bite sized bits, pour on your favorite sauce and some honey, add some rub and mix well.  Then I pour them out on a seafood rack and smoke at 235ish for about 2 hours.

For vacuum sealing, it's mostly preference.  I prefer convenience meals so I pre-slice before sealing (also makes it thaw faster). 

 

[G man]

Regarding the sealing, do you seal when the food is still warm?

And regarding burnt ends...I was at Q39 a few months ago.  Some incredible burnt ends at the place!

(former Mizzou grad and present disenfranchised Mizzou fan).

 

[DivotMaker]

If you separate the point for burnt ends later (as I usually do), Gordo, you can definitely seal while still warm.  Seal it, and straight to the freezer!

 

[G man]

So seal the point whole.........freeze......Then thaw, chop, back on the smoker to finish?  Sounds great!!

Thanks.

 

[DivotMaker]

So seal the point whole.........freeze......Then thaw, chop, back on the smoker to finish?  Sounds great!!

Thanks.

That's what I do!  I always save the burnt ends for a meal of their own....they deserve it!

 

[es1025]

I dry brine overnight 1/2 tsp per lb with kosher salt.
4 oz of cherry or hickory
Temp 250
Salt, pepper, garlic is the rub
Wrap at 160, add some more salt and a 1/2 can of beer.
Pull off at 198.

Rest for an hour.

 

[Chef Willie]

thanks for the advice here. My first brisket is in the #3 now. Hoping for 5 hour smoke on this 5 pounder. Using cherry wood and tossed in some 3 day brined chicken legs for an experiment.

 

[DivotMaker]

Hey Chef, good to hear from you again!  Good luck with the brisket!  3 days is a LONG time to brine chicken legs....let us know if they're too salty.