I know, OMG, here is newbie Jumanji (Michael) with more questions! But I've done my searches, so I'll trim it down to some specifics. About to do my first brisket - ever! That's right, a 58 yr old man who's never cooked a brisket. Not grilled, not oven, and certainly never smoked. Some of you might remember in my introduction that my brother and father were championship BBQ guys, so maybe I was just intimidated. For whatever reason, here we are today. A brisket virgin!
So I purchased a 11.7 lb brisket packer. (Trimmed up and seasoned/rubbed, it's 10.3 lbs.) As I was perusing them, the butcher came by and asked if she could help, and picked out what she said was a good one. Nice and bendy, and only a small hard spot on one area of the outside. Trimmed up pretty good and not much extra fat. So I got a good one, I think. She said she would stake her 17 yr reputation as a butcher on it. And if it turns out sucky, I know where she works!
I've moistened with olive oil and covered with rub. After that, brothers advice - four hours at 225 deg, then four hours in foil, and you're done. Ok, so I think maybe I should use a probe since I have one on the 3D. But in my search on forum, I read people foiling to finish, and some with butcher paper instead. I'm intrigued by the butcher paper wrap, because it seems I could still use my probe that way. So here are my somewhat "targeted" questions:
1. It's 6 pm. I can put the brisket on tonight around midnight, which would mean about six hours in the fridge with the rub. Or wait another day which would have the rub on over 24 hours. Does it matter?
2. I read to budget about 1.5 hrs per pound, for cook time. Plus another hour or two to rest. That would be about 16-17 hr cook. Sound right?
3. My brothers advice was that you really want about half of the smoke with the brisket wrapped in foil, or its going to dry out. He said this steams it, plus cooks a bit faster. I OTOH would like to use the probe to tell me when it's done - cooked to 190 deg, and then finish up wrapped up in foil in a cooler. I read about RG (Jason) using butcher paper instead of foil, cooking to around 160-170 deg, wrap in paper, put the probe back in, and finish cooking to 190 deg. That is also supposed to keep things moist, especially during the "stall". Does my wrap temp target sound right? I also read another that said to wrap in butcher paper at 190 deg, but I think that was a mistake as by that time, its already done! The butcher paper wrap temp is probably my biggest question.
Otherwise, I think I am pretty good to go for smoke number five on the Smokin-It 3D. Baby backs, tenderloin, prime rib, spare ribs, and now brisket. It's like a hobby you can eat!
So I purchased a 11.7 lb brisket packer. (Trimmed up and seasoned/rubbed, it's 10.3 lbs.) As I was perusing them, the butcher came by and asked if she could help, and picked out what she said was a good one. Nice and bendy, and only a small hard spot on one area of the outside. Trimmed up pretty good and not much extra fat. So I got a good one, I think. She said she would stake her 17 yr reputation as a butcher on it. And if it turns out sucky, I know where she works!
I've moistened with olive oil and covered with rub. After that, brothers advice - four hours at 225 deg, then four hours in foil, and you're done. Ok, so I think maybe I should use a probe since I have one on the 3D. But in my search on forum, I read people foiling to finish, and some with butcher paper instead. I'm intrigued by the butcher paper wrap, because it seems I could still use my probe that way. So here are my somewhat "targeted" questions:
1. It's 6 pm. I can put the brisket on tonight around midnight, which would mean about six hours in the fridge with the rub. Or wait another day which would have the rub on over 24 hours. Does it matter?
2. I read to budget about 1.5 hrs per pound, for cook time. Plus another hour or two to rest. That would be about 16-17 hr cook. Sound right?
3. My brothers advice was that you really want about half of the smoke with the brisket wrapped in foil, or its going to dry out. He said this steams it, plus cooks a bit faster. I OTOH would like to use the probe to tell me when it's done - cooked to 190 deg, and then finish up wrapped up in foil in a cooler. I read about RG (Jason) using butcher paper instead of foil, cooking to around 160-170 deg, wrap in paper, put the probe back in, and finish cooking to 190 deg. That is also supposed to keep things moist, especially during the "stall". Does my wrap temp target sound right? I also read another that said to wrap in butcher paper at 190 deg, but I think that was a mistake as by that time, its already done! The butcher paper wrap temp is probably my biggest question.
Otherwise, I think I am pretty good to go for smoke number five on the Smokin-It 3D. Baby backs, tenderloin, prime rib, spare ribs, and now brisket. It's like a hobby you can eat!