ProdigalHorn
First Time Poster
08/15/11 10:31 PM
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OK, never done it before, and I have to say I was happy with it for a first try. I used Salt Lick's dry rub and a little of their sauce as a baste, and the flavor is fantastic - it's actually better after sitting in the fridge for a day.
I didn't get nearly the tenderness it should have, or the smoke ring. It was only a 3-pound brisket - is it more or less difficult to smoke one of that size? It seems like it might be better to do a bigger piece of meat because you're going to smoke it a lot longer and get more of a ring and and maybe get a more tender result?
I threw the chicken in as an afterthought because I didn't want to wait five more hours for dinner, and it confirmed my opinion that barbecued chicken is the best kind.
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utstudboy
2500+ posts
08/16/11 09:10 AM
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Bigger piece of meat and cook longer - best one I ever cooked I started at night and woke up periodically. You just have to get the meat to the desired temperature.
Last time I bought a brisket at Kaspar's meat market in Weimar (on I-10) - just west of Highway 71
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OrngNugz
250+ posts
08/16/11 10:27 AM
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Congrats on popping your brisket cherry. Looks good but I would definitely buy a bigger piece of meat to start with.
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South Austin
2500+ posts
08/16/11 11:05 AM
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I've only been smoking for about a year and a half, but I quickly have learned that you get better results with a bigger piece of meat. Try a 6-8 pound brisket next time.
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ProdigalHorn
< 25 posts
08/16/11 11:14 AM
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Where do you guys get them? I was at Smith's (Krogers' West Coast brand) and this was pretty much what they had. It may be tougher to get a good sized brisket here, but I'm sure it can be done.
For the experts, how much charcoal do you put in in relation to the size of the grill? My issue (although it went pretty well) is making sure to keep the temp stable. I found that really hard to do when putting in the new coals. It's almost like you have to have a bunch of them brewing in the chimney and then add five or six at a time as the temp starts to drop. Any effective techniques you guys use?
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South Austin
2500+ posts
08/16/11 03:37 PM
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ProdigalHorn, I fill in about a third of my smoker with charcoal, but I have a Big Green Egg which holds the heat really well. I can't give you helpful advice on a more traditional smoker.
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immtex
100+ posts
08/16/11 06:21 PM
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Charcoal??? I hope you aren't using briquettes? I wont let that stuff poision my smoker.
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NickDanger
10,000+ posts
08/16/11 07:22 PM
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I have never even heard of a brisket at 3 pounds. Do we think it was probably a partial and heavily trimmed? It sounds kinda groos to some, but I prefer to not pay the butcher to give a brisket a market trim. I don't eat it enough or have any fat/cholesterol type issues so I leave all the fat on and cut it off upon serving. Smoking is an endeavor that will evoke intense opinions. I just have mine. Have fun with it and do whatever pleases your taste buds.
Two more opinions: 1) Red rings are vastly overated and 2) a bigger fattier piece of meat cooked very low and slow, without sauce until you serve it and then only if you wish and only after letting the brisket rest in foil for at least 30 minutes before slicing will probably do you just fine.
Oh yeah.. 2 more. No "green" wood and briquettes without lighter fluid built in will work just fine for the heat, but they won't give a good smoke flavor even if they claim they will. We've all heard the expression "Where there's smoke, there's fire", but the briquettes specifically say to wait until there is no more fire and no more smoke. The only difference is burn temps imo. They work especially well to place under your smoking materials to give high heat (and, therefore, smoke) without a quick burn.
Tip: Persimmon makes for a nice mild smoke.
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South Austin
2500+ posts
08/17/11 06:02 AM
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immtex, to clarify I use natural lump hardwood charcoal with no lighter fluid, plus some wood chunks. Natural charcoal is the bomb.
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Uninformed
10,000+ posts
08/17/11 07:09 AM
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Try Sam's Club or Costco. Even some of the Walmart type groceries have decent meats. In the Midwest, I have had the same problem of finding a place to get an untrimmed brisket. I guess you could ask the butcher at Smith's.
Hookem
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NickDanger
10,000+ posts
08/17/11 01:07 PM
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Shop for price. The brisket is the shittiest cut of meat ever. That doesn't mean you can't make it taste good, but paying for "high quality" brisket is an exercise in foolishness. I am not sure about this, but I don't think brisket makes "select" on the prime, choice, select USDA ramkings.
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celis
1000+ posts
08/24/11 09:33 PM
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I think most of the briskets that I got at Kroger were marked select on the bag.
A whole brisket is actually 2 separate muscles, the flat and the point (or deckle).
It looks like you smoked a trimmed flat.
<P>
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ProdigalHorn
25+ posts
08/26/11 09:38 PM
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I was thinking that as well, although it did have the fat layer dividing the two pieces, so I was able to split it. If there was a point, it was awfully small!
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Tailgate
1000+ posts
08/27/11 12:16 PM
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Looks tasty
[censored] OU
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ProdigalHorn
100+ posts
09/02/11 04:20 PM
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Doh! Going for brisket no. 2 tomorrow but Costco only has the flat as well. But at least it's a bigger one, this one is about 5.5 pounds. So I think the results will still be better.
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envgeo
500+ posts
09/03/11 07:55 PM
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Smoked a nine # brisket last night. $1.99/# at tom thumb.
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Lidig8r
500+ posts
09/04/11 01:16 PM
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Likewise.. got a 10 pounder at Tom Thumb.... trimmed a little of the fat, put on the smoker at 4:30 a.m. Saturday morning.... off the smoker at 12:30 and into the oven until it hit 195 degree about 3:30... let rest for about 30 then back on the smoke till 5. Let sit for about an hour... carved.. all sorts of deliciousness!
Tis far better to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor souls who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the grey twilight that knows not victory nor defeat!
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BigLeonard
1000+ posts
09/07/11 02:56 PM
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Yes, you can buy graded brisket (Select/Choice/Prime) and it does make a difference. I've experienced with Select vs. Choice several times - Choice always wins in a landslide.
For what it's worth, Costco only sells Choice. H-E-B's are typically Select.
AA is for quitters
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