BBQ brisket

[John McLaughlin]

Went out on the bot today with wife and granddaughter and limped home on one engine. However came home to a great brisket. It took approximately 12 plus hours plus three more resting. I cooked it mostly at 225 then gradually bumped it up along the way with the hottest being 275 for 30 minutes. I pulled it a 201 degrees. I have always found briskets to be a challenge however this one without a doubt was my best one. Nice smoke ring, juicy and vey tender.

 

[Looper7]

Well my mouth is watering

 

[OCMD]

Lol all that work! Well, I don't have a smoker, so we just finished our take out from Smoker's BBQ Pit - Ocean City, MD. Ribs, Pit Beef, Smoked Chicken, Fried Chicken, Banana Pudding, Co just outside of the PInes....but I bet yours was better!

 

[BakedZiti]

Looking good! I broke in my GMG this weekend with some ribs

 

[John McLaughlin]

Lol all that work! Well, I don't have a smoker, so we just finished our take out from Smoker's BBQ Pit - Ocean City, MD. Ribs, Pit Beef, Smoked Chicken, Fried Chicken, Banana Pudding, Co just outside of the PInes....but I bet yours was better!

I have heard they have good BBQ, however during my cook I was able to enjoy a great boat ride with my wife and Granddaughter. Another advantage was no Ocean City traffic

 

[John McLaughlin]

Looking good! I broke in my GMG this weekend with some ribsView attachment 121106View attachment 121107

Ribs look fantastic. One thing you mighT consider is wrapping the bottom tray in aluminum foil to make clean up easier

 

[HangOutdoors]

The GMG is awesome, I have been looking at picking 0one up soon.

 

[919Cummins]

I currently use a Pit Boss. I wanted to try a cheaper brand to see if I'd like it. So far it has been really good. When this one dies, I'll upgrade to something else.

Ribs done on the Pit Boss.

Wings done on my Webber charcoal grill.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Huh, now I am hungry. Looks fantastic. I would like 24 wings, and two slabs for curbside pickup at 5:00 pm??

And I was just reading another thread here on dieting and losing weight that was getting me inspired!

 

[BakedZiti]

Ribs look fantastic. One thing you mighT consider is wrapping the bottom tray in aluminum foil to make clean up easier

Haha, ya i accidentally broke the foil when removing them and all the butter and brown sugar juices spilled out, rookie mistake

 

[919Cummins]

Haha, ya i accidentally broke the foil when removing them and all the butter and brown sugar juices spilled out, rookie mistake

Sound close to how I do it, with the addition of honey.

 

[John McLaughlin]

Huh, now I am hungry. Looks fantastic. I would like 24 wings, and two slabs for curbside pickup at 5:00 pm??

And I was just reading another thread here on dieting and losing weight that was getting me inspired!

Isn't that the way it always is

 

[drewkaree]

John, you say you find brisket to be a challenge. What, specifically, is the challenge you refer to, for yourself? Taste, dryness, flavor, time required?

I've never done anything other than the original recipe from my Traeger, and I haven't had any problems or complaints other than the time.

I put it on smoke (160-180) for 3 hours, then bump it up to 225 and throw in my thermometer setup. Set the thermometer alarm to go off @205, and then pull it off,rest for half an hour, and then slice it up.

I've tried mopping it and other stuff like foil/apple juice, but I don't feel like it adds a lot more to it other than effort on my part, and adding sauce after the fact is fine by me

 

[drewkaree]

Btw, Meathead is someone whose recipes/methods you might want to investigate. There hasn't been anything of his that I made that I've been disappointed with

 

[John McLaughlin]

IMO the challenge with brisket is mostly the cut, the size and fat. Depending on each factor the outcome can be differen. This cook took a very long time however on others my cooks have taken a lot less time as little as six hours. Whereas something like a Boston butt is fairly consistent in cooking time and outcom. I use a simple rub much like Franklin in Austin does. Salt pepper and I also add paprika
as to meathead I have his book.

 

[Grogfather]

Every brisket I've done has cooked a little differently, nature of the beast so to speak. I trim all the 'hard' fat (won't render) and pretty tight everywhere else. Flat fat side down at 225 to the stall and then wrap in pink butcher paper (per Aaron Franklin). Pull around 203 internal, but more based on how it feels/experience. For me the key is a good rest. I pull mine and let them set on the counter for 20-30 minutes, then into a preheated (heating pad) cooler for at least an hour, can go 4+ without a problem. The debate rages on for whether to leave it whole or peel off the point for burnt ends; jury still out but I love them.

 

[John McLaughlin]

@Grogfather
I agree however I wrap in foil even though it is not Franklin's preferred method as I do not have pink butcher paper and am to cheap to buy a container.

 

[drewkaree]

IMO the challenge with brisket is mostly the cut, the size and fat. Depending on each factor the outcome can be differen. This cook took a very long time however on others my cooks have taken a lot less time as little as six hours. Whereas something like a Boston butt is fairly consistent in cooking time and outcom. I use a simple rub much like Franklin in Austin does. Salt pepper and I also add paprika
as to meathead I have his book.

I wonder if the thickness of a brisket vs the "roundness" of a butt is what makes a brisket so much more variable. More mass and thickness maybe tempers everything, whereas a brisket is fairly uniform in its thinner makeup, leading to the variation.

As I'm reading your posts, it's occurred to me that I don't think I've ever really tracked the time it's taken, other than to account for a difference between doing a point vs a flat (less quantity, so less time). I've failed back to letting the electronic alarms tell me things are good

 

[John McLaughlin]

I must also admit I cook more pork butts then briskets as I my big toe at times react definently to red meat. So most of the red meat I cook are steaks and even them not very often. One of the benefits of growing more senior

 

[Dixemon]

I've cooked brisket about a dozen times, and in my experience the cut with the most intramuscular fat always wins. Ie. Prime. I have cooked the choice slabs from Sam's with mixed results even though the process was the same. I spend a lot of time looking for the most marbeling possible in the meat and it usually turns out well.
Looks really good btw!! You've inspired me to bust out my Lang stickburner sometime soon.