1st Brisket on the # 2 tomorrow
- Thread starter gregbooras
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gregbooras
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Ralph said:
Actually the pan was half full this morning, so not to bad of a aim
But it caught moistly fat so not what I was looking for, but an interesting test.
Greg
DivotMaker
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Any update yet, Greg?
gregbooras
Moderator
We had friends over for dinner and the brisket was a huge success. I put the brisket in at 10:30 pm last night and it hit 195 degrees at 9:30 this morning. So I pulled it tippled wrapped in foil, set smoker to 140 degrees and left until 4:30 pm. Removed from smoker and placed a cooler for 1 hour and let sit 30 minutes before slicing. The taste was amazing, the smoke was just right and the brisket was tender. We all tried it with BBQ sauce and Au Jus, but I think the Au Jus was the best.
Along with the brisket we had homemade coleslaw and potato salad.
A bit more smoke ring then normal... but heck it tasted and looked great.
Thanks again for everyone's input here.
Greg
Along with the brisket we had homemade coleslaw and potato salad.
A bit more smoke ring then normal... but heck it tasted and looked great.
Thanks again for everyone's input here.
Greg
DivotMaker
New member
Nice job, Greg!! That ring shows how much the brine penetrates over time! Maybe could have brined less, but who cares if it tasted good! 
gregbooras
Moderator
DivotMaker said:Nice job, Greg!! That ring shows how much the brine penetrates over time! Maybe could have brined less, but who cares if it tasted good!
It was a 12 hour brine with 1 t #1 cure, maybe go with 1/2 t or maybe even just 1/4 for the next smoke.
But the neighbors said, wow that looks good....... because of the ring.
First rule of cooking, make sure the food looks appealing, second rule of cooking, almost overriding rule number 1, make sure it tastes dam good
Greg
DivotMaker
New member
Personally, I'd reduce the brine time on a cut that size. 12+ hours is good for a full packer (12+ lbs), but I'd do a flat that size about 8. It's not the amount of curing salt in a gradient brine, it's the length of the swim. If the brine penetrates about 1/4", it will have done its job. A brine, unless you're actually trying to cure the entire piece, like Canadian bacon, only needs to penetrate the surface a small amount to modify the protein molecules so it holds the moisture inside. Just my 2¢... Still looks great!
One more thing about length of time - since you aren't controlling the amount of salt, like with an equilibrium brine, too long of a brine time can really affect the saltiness of the interior meat, if it penetrates too deep.
One more thing about length of time - since you aren't controlling the amount of salt, like with an equilibrium brine, too long of a brine time can really affect the saltiness of the interior meat, if it penetrates too deep.
gregbooras
Moderator
DivotMaker said:
Tony,
I am not a fan of anything to salty, in a mix, soup, or in chips. You can always add salt, but once it is in the mix you are stuck with the taste. The salt level for this was perfect.
But I am not really sure what you mean by the following statement:
One more thing about length of time - since you aren't controlling the amount of salt, like with an equilibrium brine, too long of a brine time can really affect the saltiness of the interior meat, if it penetrates too deep.
For this brine (Brisket)
Brine ingredients:
½ gallon of water
3 oz. fine sea salt
¼ cup brown sugar
1 t (#1 cure)
For my butts I use the following brine and they look fine.
Brine Ingredients:
96 oz. water
3/4 cup fine sea salt
½ cup brown sugar
8 cups ice
1 t. #1 pink cure
DivotMaker
New member
Greg,
To have a better understanding of the different brining processes, read this (if you haven't):
Brines 101
What I mean by "controlling the salt" is not that you aren't measuring it for your brine, but that you can't absolutely control the absorption rate, unless you use an equilibrium brine. Walt uses an equilibrium brine in his famous brined/injected recipe. You are using a gradient brine, which relies on time to control the absorption. It's not precise, and there's a lot of "black magic" in our gradient brine process. I gradient brine my butts and briskets, more for simplicity than anything else. But, I've also learned pretty good estimations of time. I use equilibrium brining for things like beef jerky, where I want very precise results every time, with no guess work.
Didn't mean to hijack your thread into a discussion on brining! But, since you asked...
To have a better understanding of the different brining processes, read this (if you haven't):
Brines 101
What I mean by "controlling the salt" is not that you aren't measuring it for your brine, but that you can't absolutely control the absorption rate, unless you use an equilibrium brine. Walt uses an equilibrium brine in his famous brined/injected recipe. You are using a gradient brine, which relies on time to control the absorption. It's not precise, and there's a lot of "black magic" in our gradient brine process. I gradient brine my butts and briskets, more for simplicity than anything else. But, I've also learned pretty good estimations of time. I use equilibrium brining for things like beef jerky, where I want very precise results every time, with no guess work.
Didn't mean to hijack your thread into a discussion on brining! But, since you asked...
gregbooras
Moderator
DivotMaker said:Greg,
To have a better understanding of the different brining processes, read this (if you haven't):
Brines 101
What I mean by "controlling the salt" is not that you aren't measuring it for your brine, but that you can't absolutely control the absorption rate, unless you use an equilibrium brine. Walt uses an equilibrium brine in his famous brined/injected recipe. You are using a gradient brine, which relies on time to control the absorption. It's not precise, and there's a lot of "black magic" in our gradient brine process. I gradient brine my butts and briskets, more for simplicity than anything else. But, I've also learned pretty good estimations of time. I use equilibrium brining for things like beef jerky, where I want very precise results every time, with no guess work.
Didn't mean to hijack your thread into a discussion on brining! But, since you asked...
Hey Tony,
No worries, I post here to exchange ideas, recipes and hopefully gain some knowledge that would take years on my own. My goal is to also give back with some of the things I have learned over the years.
Thanks for the link I will take a look tomorrow and see what I can pick up.
Most important since this is not a competition smoke, the brisket really tasted good. The bark was good, it was tender and the salt level was spot on. Overall I would do this over and over again. The smoke ring..... well we both know this has nothing to do with the end result, but wow it was way too deep, but looked cool.
Thanks Greg
gregbooras
Moderator
DivotMaker said:Greg,
To have a better understanding of the different brining processes, read this (if you haven't):
Brines 101
What I mean by "controlling the salt" is not that you aren't measuring it for your brine, but that you can't absolutely control the absorption rate, unless you use an equilibrium brine. Walt uses an equilibrium brine in his famous brined/injected recipe. You are using a gradient brine, which relies on time to control the absorption. It's not precise, and there's a lot of "black magic" in our gradient brine process. I gradient brine my butts and briskets, more for simplicity than anything else. But, I've also learned pretty good estimations of time. I use equilibrium brining for things like beef jerky, where I want very precise results every time, with no guess work.
Didn't mean to hijack your thread into a discussion on brining! But, since you asked...
Hey Tony,
I watched the videos on brining and while a bit dry, I did pick up some really good points.
While I don't use cola in a brine it was good to know that mixing curing salt with cola could form a lethal compound.
Thanks for saving.
Greg
DivotMaker
New member
Yeah, the cola and cure was kind of off the wall - I actually forgot about that part! The main thing, to me, was learning a good understanding of the equilibrium brining technique. Using Martin's (Digging Dog Farm) calculator, it's crazy simple. It doesn't matter about time, either. If I'm brining jerky, I can leave it in for several days, if needed, and it will never get any saltier than it is at the point the brine penetrates all of the meat! That's what I really like....time not a factor, and consistency/control.
