Smoked Brisket: A How-To Primer

[Puertex]

I have cooked exactly one brisket. I wrapped in paper at about 160 degrees. I used some injection (I forget what I used). It was getting late when I wrapped it, so after I wrapped the brisket, I put it in the oven at 225 degrees. I figured that since it was wrapped, there was not going to be much smoke getting to the meat. In the kitchen, I had light and electricity is a lot cheaper than pellets. After it got to 203 degrees and was the consistency of butter, I put it in a cooler for about an hour. It had a decent bark. The flavor was good, but the flat was pretty dry and the point was a lot drier than I had hoped.

I had planned to try a second brisket using mostly the same procedure, but to wrap it in foil.

I would appreciate any criticism and suggestions.

Thanks.

Congrats on your first brisket !
It takes practice to iron out the kinks...
Once wrapped, its fine to put in the oven to finish it as long as a probe is used to monitor meat temp and low temps are used.
You may have done this... I make a boat with the foil when wrapping and put a cup of apple juice before closing the wrap. Other liquids may be used like broth.
This helps keep everything moist during the second leg of the session.
While smoking the meat, some folks use a couple of probes to measure meat temps plus the ambient probe to avoid overcooking the thin parts.
Also, another idea is to tie up the meat with food grade string to to reduce overcooking of oddly shaped parts.
I have tried this and it produced good results.
Search: How to tie a roast...
Good luck !

 

[Bogeyfire]

Another great read from the ThermoWorks ThermoBlog on Brisket.

Smoked Brisket: A How-To Primer

There are as many methods of cooking brisket as there are pitmasters. Here, we break down some of the methods so you can learn the basics of brisketry.

blog.thermoworks.com

I read the whole thing. Great info!

Unfortunately, it appears comments are disabled. I see the meticulous recording of the temp graphs. We know that "Martin" was going for the 203º mark. But the glaring omission is, what temperature was he conducting his tests?

I see a couple of commenters said they do it at 225º and 250º. But, I don't see that ThermoWorks ever addressed temperature!

Any insight would be great.

 

[Puertex]

I read the whole thing. Great info!

Unfortunately, it appears comments are disabled. I see the meticulous recording of the temp graphs. We know that "Martin" was going for the 203º mark. But the glaring omission is, what temperature was he conducting his tests?

I see a couple of commenters said they do it at 225º and 250º. But, I don't see that ThermoWorks ever addressed temperature!

Any insight would be great.

I went back to the article and found they did mention using 250 F... Reference: "Billows controlling temperature at 250 F" Billows is their fan system.
For a ton of information on smoking meats including brisket check this out :

Authentic Texas Style Smoked Brisket Recipe

Behold the best smoked brisket recipe ever! Texas style brisket is more than a recipe, it is a concept and a goal. It all begins by selecting the right meat, trimming it, seasoning it, smoking it, slicing it, and more. Follow this easy BBQ brisket guide for mouthwatering results!

amazingribs.com

My newbie approach to brisket is smoke it at low temps 170 to 200 F during the first 3 hours for max smoke + aided by smoke tube. Then kick it up to 225 F until the meat reaches 160 F ish internal and pull it and wrap it with al-foil with apple juice.
Then return it to the smoker (no smoke tube) set at 225 F to 250 F depending on my hunger factor...
At this point my aim is the finish line. Then wait till internal gets to 203 F ish.
The hungrier I am, the higher the temp up to 250F. Most of the time 250 F... The reason to keep the temp at or below 250 F is meat tenderness. That's what at lot of folks refer to "Low and slow".
So in my mind I am being pulled in two directions...
One is pushing me to low temps for tenderness but this results in extended cooking sessions. The other is to raise the temp to 250F (or higher) but I start thinking about sacrificing tenderness for speed.
That's my 30 cents... Inflation is hitting so I have to increase my cents !

 

[GTDjr]

Congrats on your first brisket !
It takes practice to iron out the kinks...
Once wrapped, its fine to put in the oven to finish it as long as a probe is used to monitor meat temp and low temps are used.
You may have done this... I make a boat with the foil when wrapping and put a cup of apple juice before closing the wrap. Other liquids may be used like broth.
This helps keep everything moist during the second leg of the session.
While smoking the meat, some folks use a couple of probes to measure meat temps plus the ambient probe to avoid overcooking the thin parts.
Also, another idea is to tie up the meat with food grade string to to reduce overcooking of oddly shaped parts.
I have tried this and it produced good results.
Search: How to tie a roast...
Good luck !

Thanks

 

[GTDjr]

If it was dry, chances are good that it was overcooked, and wrapping in foil won’t help that. Wrapping in foil steams the meat, and IMO makes it taste like pot roast.
Monitor the pit temp and the brisket with an accurate leave in thermometer, and use an accurate instant read to verify.

Thanks.

 

[GrillMeister]

Pulled this 16 lb. Prime packer from the freezer last weekend. It's going on tonight. Man I miss that $2.59/lb. price.

 

[JamesB]

Pulled this 16 lb. Prime packer from the freezer last weekend. It's going on tonight. Man I miss that $2.59/lb. price.

View attachment 5601

Wow, I jus looked at Sam’s Club, 4.73 a pound. It’s actually a bit cheaper at H-E-B. Think I’m gonna pick a couple up before they go up more.