How I do Brisket.
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I want to say I like the prime better, because the fat is often times more ingrained into the meat rather than just on the cap. However, this does not always seem to be 110%. Then, I could get a better size with less overall fat, for a small amount more with prime & so often spent less to get the meat I wanted. On the other hand, there have been times when I felt the prime was too dry & so really needed the choice to get enough fat & that wonderful flavor. I suppose it just depended on the brisket at times. That was the way it used to be. Now, first off I can rarely even find a prime, when I do, they are so ridiculously overpriced that it is beyond ridiculous. For the past year or so maybe, I have just been taking the best of what I can get when we can get a good sale around here, & nothing has been that good, & just try to find what appears to be the best & has the best qualities of what is available at the time.
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twilliams I have been using the dry rub recipe for years, I forgot that one of the modifications I made was adding the rosemary. The original recipe didn’t call for it. You can use the crushed rosemary, just sprinkle it on after you hit the brisket with the dry rub or just leave it off.
Idaho Smokey I put it in with the rub, and used the same amount. We will see, I just got it in the smoker so it’s gonna be a long night but mine won’t go 24hours as I only have a small chuck and pork butt in. It’s been quite the fiasco to say the least. The pork butt that I bought yesterday I opened it up today to rub it down and it was completely rancid smelling. Took it back and went to two different stores to find a good one.
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I want to say I like the prime better, because the fat is often times more ingrained into the meat rather than just on the cap. However, this does not always seem to be 110%. Then, I could get a better size with less overall fat, for a small amount more with prime & so often spent less to get the meat I wanted. On the other hand, there have been times when I felt the prime was too dry & so really needed the choice to get enough fat & that wonderful flavor. I suppose it just depended on the brisket at times. That was the way it used to be. Now, first off I can rarely even find a prime, when I do, they are so ridiculously overpriced that it is beyond ridiculous. For the past year or so maybe, I have just been taking the best of what I can get when we can get a good sale around here, & nothing has been that good, & just try to find what appears to be the best & has the best qualities of what is available at the time.
calldoctoday I am in the same boat on the Prime briskets, for me before everything went nuts, I was able to get Prime briskets for $2.99/lb at Costco. While at HEB(my local grocer) choice briskets were $1.99/lb. So just really for a few more dollars I could get a pretty good brisket. I haven’t bought a brisket since 2020 because of the prices being all over the place. Actually talking about it makes me want to smoke on sooner rather than later.
Yes the marbling is more throughout the brisket in a Prime than a choice. The fat seems also to be softer in a Prime than choice as well. A couple of years ago for Father’s Day I bought a wagyu brisket. BOY HOWDY! That thing didn’t have a single ounce of lean on it. The flat rivaled the point on a Prime brisket.
I guess I am more of closer to hot and fast liking to run the temp in the 250°-275°.
But anyone who has experience with brisket knows that sometimes you just get a really crappy one.
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processhead I think you are right on with this. I know the competition cooks would tell you different but they would have to prove it to me.
Idaho Smokey I’ll be your huckleberry. I’ve cooked a few briskets of all sorts of grades, from select to “American Wagyu” (SRF brand they crossbreed full blood with Angus) and Australian Wagyu. I can tell a difference in all of them, imo. That doesn’t mean that any of them can’t be good - they all can. There are some differences though:
Flavor - The difference in the flavor of different breeds and grades of cattle can be substantial. We finished 20th in the world in brisket in 2020. There is no doubt in my mind we would have been higher if we’d cooked SRF the beginning of the year. I had seen people around the country start cooking the Australian A9s, and decided to try it. I loved it. The flavor is so much better, imo. However, the judges here in the KC area preferred the “beefier” flavor from SRF.
Tenderness - This is largely a competition thing. You can cook any big hunk of meat to tenderness. Just cook the you know what out of it. It will fall apart and the relatives without teeth will rave about how tender it is! It will also be dryer than a mummy fart. Proper tenderness, however, is much tougher to get on the lower quality meats while keeping it moist. This is the biggest point where that extra fat comes in to play.
Another great thing about the higher quality briskets is that it gives you a wider window to have that perfect tenderness. With a select, you have a couple minutes to pull it off of the pit and have it perfect. What if you are wrapping ribs at that point? What if you are trying to get your chicken on the pit? Lots of things can overlap in a competition, and you need to be able to multitask and not have your meat get overcooked. On an SRF, our window is probably 30 minutes or more, with a proper rest on it. That makes it much easier to catch it.
There’s one more important part of competition cooking that plays a huge role in why the higher grade meats are important. Pretty much all of us cook hot and fast. It’s the only way I cook now, but it’s something I learned from cooking contests. If you are going to cook your brisket at 200* for 16 days or whatever, then you will be fine with pretty much whatever grade. Get a no roll, and go to town! If you’re cooking that brisket at 325, though…you better have some fat in there.
There are a lot of reasons that teams cook hot and fast, but at the end of the day no one would if the judges didn’t like it. I cook hot and fast all the time now. Don’t remember the last time I cooked at 225 on a big hunk of meat. I remember one time summer 2020 when I tried. Threw a butt on my pellet grill when I got home from work. Set it 200. Sat around, drank a couple beers…I was going to let it cook overnight. About 2 hours in I cranked the heat and got it done before bed. To me, it’s a better product, in a fraction of the time.
But that’s why comp cooks cook higher end briskets, and how they do, in fact, make a difference.
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Idaho Smokey I’ll be your huckleberry. I’ve cooked a few briskets of all sorts of grades, from select to “American Wagyu” (SRF brand they crossbreed full blood with Angus) and Australian Wagyu. I can tell a difference in all of them, imo. That doesn’t mean that any of them can’t be good - they all can. There are some differences though:
Flavor - The difference in the flavor of different breeds and grades of cattle can be substantial. We finished 20th in the world in brisket in 2020. There is no doubt in my mind we would have been higher if we’d cooked SRF the beginning of the year. I had seen people around the country start cooking the Australian A9s, and decided to try it. I loved it. The flavor is so much better, imo. However, the judges here in the KC area preferred the “beefier” flavor from SRF.
Tenderness - This is largely a competition thing. You can cook any big hunk of meat to tenderness. Just cook the you know what out of it. It will fall apart and the relatives without teeth will rave about how tender it is! It will also be dryer than a mummy fart. Proper tenderness, however, is much tougher to get on the lower quality meats while keeping it moist. This is the biggest point where that extra fat comes in to play.
Another great thing about the higher quality briskets is that it gives you a wider window to have that perfect tenderness. With a select, you have a couple minutes to pull it off of the pit and have it perfect. What if you are wrapping ribs at that point? What if you are trying to get your chicken on the pit? Lots of things can overlap in a competition, and you need to be able to multitask and not have your meat get overcooked. On an SRF, our window is probably 30 minutes or more, with a proper rest on it. That makes it much easier to catch it.
There’s one more important part of competition cooking that plays a huge role in why the higher grade meats are important. Pretty much all of us cook hot and fast. It’s the only way I cook now, but it’s something I learned from cooking contests. If you are going to cook your brisket at 200* for 16 days or whatever, then you will be fine with pretty much whatever grade. Get a no roll, and go to town! If you’re cooking that brisket at 325, though…you better have some fat in there.
There are a lot of reasons that teams cook hot and fast, but at the end of the day no one would if the judges didn’t like it. I cook hot and fast all the time now. Don’t remember the last time I cooked at 225 on a big hunk of meat. I remember one time summer 2020 when I tried. Threw a butt on my pellet grill when I got home from work. Set it 200. Sat around, drank a couple beers…I was going to let it cook overnight. About 2 hours in I cranked the heat and got it done before bed. To me, it’s a better product, in a fraction of the time.
But that’s why comp cooks cook higher end briskets, and how they do, in fact, make a difference.
Midwest_kc
Yet to try a brisket so this more info to stow away.
Mummy fart?? Never heard that one before, popcorn around here… LOL -
Midwest_kc
Yet to try a brisket so this more info to stow away.
Mummy fart?? Never heard that one before, popcorn around here… LOLPapaSop haha! I really couldn’t remember what the saying was, so I just made something up that sounded dry!
Seriously though, do it. They’re delicious and not as difficult as people make it out to be. Just pay attention. To me, they’re way easier than sausage.
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PapaSop haha! I really couldn’t remember what the saying was, so I just made something up that sounded dry!
Seriously though, do it. They’re delicious and not as difficult as people make it out to be. Just pay attention. To me, they’re way easier than sausage.
Midwest_kc said in How I do Brisket.:
PapaSop haha! I really couldn’t remember what the saying was, so I just made something up that sounded dry!
Seriously though, do it. They’re delicious and not as difficult as people make it out to be. Just pay attention. To me, they’re way easier than sausage.
My one son has been bugging me for years. Wish the price would come down. Last I looked was in the $7 range.
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Idaho Smokey I’ll be your huckleberry. I’ve cooked a few briskets of all sorts of grades, from select to “American Wagyu” (SRF brand they crossbreed full blood with Angus) and Australian Wagyu. I can tell a difference in all of them, imo. That doesn’t mean that any of them can’t be good - they all can. There are some differences though:
Flavor - The difference in the flavor of different breeds and grades of cattle can be substantial. We finished 20th in the world in brisket in 2020. There is no doubt in my mind we would have been higher if we’d cooked SRF the beginning of the year. I had seen people around the country start cooking the Australian A9s, and decided to try it. I loved it. The flavor is so much better, imo. However, the judges here in the KC area preferred the “beefier” flavor from SRF.
Tenderness - This is largely a competition thing. You can cook any big hunk of meat to tenderness. Just cook the you know what out of it. It will fall apart and the relatives without teeth will rave about how tender it is! It will also be dryer than a mummy fart. Proper tenderness, however, is much tougher to get on the lower quality meats while keeping it moist. This is the biggest point where that extra fat comes in to play.
Another great thing about the higher quality briskets is that it gives you a wider window to have that perfect tenderness. With a select, you have a couple minutes to pull it off of the pit and have it perfect. What if you are wrapping ribs at that point? What if you are trying to get your chicken on the pit? Lots of things can overlap in a competition, and you need to be able to multitask and not have your meat get overcooked. On an SRF, our window is probably 30 minutes or more, with a proper rest on it. That makes it much easier to catch it.
There’s one more important part of competition cooking that plays a huge role in why the higher grade meats are important. Pretty much all of us cook hot and fast. It’s the only way I cook now, but it’s something I learned from cooking contests. If you are going to cook your brisket at 200* for 16 days or whatever, then you will be fine with pretty much whatever grade. Get a no roll, and go to town! If you’re cooking that brisket at 325, though…you better have some fat in there.
There are a lot of reasons that teams cook hot and fast, but at the end of the day no one would if the judges didn’t like it. I cook hot and fast all the time now. Don’t remember the last time I cooked at 225 on a big hunk of meat. I remember one time summer 2020 when I tried. Threw a butt on my pellet grill when I got home from work. Set it 200. Sat around, drank a couple beers…I was going to let it cook overnight. About 2 hours in I cranked the heat and got it done before bed. To me, it’s a better product, in a fraction of the time.
But that’s why comp cooks cook higher end briskets, and how they do, in fact, make a difference.
Midwest_kc I just checked Costco. The only Wagyu brisket they show are flats and they come in 2 to 3 pieces to total 10 pounds. Cost per pound is $59.99. Waygu brisket is something that I won’t be trying for a long time if ever.
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Thanks for sharing those insights Midwest_kc .
You, and those like you, have a level of expertise cooking big chunks of meat that only comes with time in the trenches and trying different methods and ingredients. -
Midwest_kc I just checked Costco. The only Wagyu brisket they show are flats and they come in 2 to 3 pieces to total 10 pounds. Cost per pound is $59.99. Waygu brisket is something that I won’t be trying for a long time if ever.
Idaho Smokey Fair. They are pricey. I buy 20+ pound from snake river farms, and I get the gold grade, which is their highest end, for about $250, whole packer. The black grade I want to say is around $200, but they seem to be out on their website, so I’m not 100%.
I just spent $101 before taxes on a prime grade at Costco last week, which definitely makes it a little more appealing to get the SRF.
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Idaho Smokey Fair. They are pricey. I buy 20+ pound from snake river farms, and I get the gold grade, which is their highest end, for about $250, whole packer. The black grade I want to say is around $200, but they seem to be out on their website, so I’m not 100%.
I just spent $101 before taxes on a prime grade at Costco last week, which definitely makes it a little more appealing to get the SRF.
Midwest_kc What is the SRF?
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Snake River Farms. They sell the American Wagyu I mentioned in my earlier post, which is wagyu cross bred with Angus. I believe they’re out of Idaho.
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Snake River Farms is part of Agrabeef as is Double R Ranch and they are here in Idaho. The headquarters is in Boise, Idaho about 50 miles from me.
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Snake River Farms is part of Agrabeef as is Double R Ranch and they are here in Idaho. The headquarters is in Boise, Idaho about 50 miles from me.
Idaho Smokey Yeah, Double R is their choice line, right? They are one of the suppliers for the new KCBS steak series along with Creekstone.
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Midwest_kc I just checked Costco. The only Wagyu brisket they show are flats and they come in 2 to 3 pieces to total 10 pounds. Cost per pound is $59.99. Waygu brisket is something that I won’t be trying for a long time if ever.
Idaho Smokey Totally agree with the decision. I don’t think that most will appreciate the quality.
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calldoctoday I am in the same boat on the Prime briskets, for me before everything went nuts, I was able to get Prime briskets for $2.99/lb at Costco. While at HEB(my local grocer) choice briskets were $1.99/lb. So just really for a few more dollars I could get a pretty good brisket. I haven’t bought a brisket since 2020 because of the prices being all over the place. Actually talking about it makes me want to smoke on sooner rather than later.
Yes the marbling is more throughout the brisket in a Prime than a choice. The fat seems also to be softer in a Prime than choice as well. A couple of years ago for Father’s Day I bought a wagyu brisket. BOY HOWDY! That thing didn’t have a single ounce of lean on it. The flat rivaled the point on a Prime brisket.
I guess I am more of closer to hot and fast liking to run the temp in the 250°-275°.
But anyone who has experience with brisket knows that sometimes you just get a really crappy one.
HerbcoFood Yeah Buddy & I am telling you. That must be something. I would love to try that some day. But first, things need to get back down to the way they should be.
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I just finished my big brisket smoke for the year. This year getting good briskets in my area was difficult. No prime and the choice were small. I did 4 briskets that equaled 52 pounds. I usually have 3 briskets that go close to 60 pounds before trimming.
I trim my briskets out so that most of the hard fat is removed and the fat cap is trimmed to ¼ to ½ inch. I pay attention to the end of the flat when I buy the brisket and when I trim out the brisket. I will trim a thin end off rather than end up with this part of the brisket getting burnt to the point you can’t use it. This is a good video by Franklin BBQ on trimming brisket: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaMgt1Altys .
I get my briskets rubbed at least 2 days before I put them in the smoker. I have used mustard or Worcestershire sauce to wet the surface of the briskets before I hit them with the dry rub but don’t do it this way any more. I will say that should you use the mustard or Worcestershire sauce use just enough to wet the surface You don’t want to end up with the brisket looking like it had been dunked in a vat of mustard. When I do my dry rub now I start with the fat cap down and hit the surfaces of the brisket that are exposed with a liberal coating of dry rub. I then go do something else for 20 or 30 minutes. This lets the salt in the rub work. The salt brings out the surface moisture in the brisket and this soaks into the rub and holds it in place when I turn the brisket fat cap up. I repeat the dry rub and wait on all of the new exposed surfaces and then put the brisket into large zip lock bags. They have 2 and 2 ½ gallon zip locks now. The bagged briskets now go back into the fridge until I am ready to smoke them.
I make the rub using a recipe from “Smoke and Spice” by Cheryl and Bill Jamison. I highly recommend this book. The rub is called Wild Willy’s Number One-derful Rub. This is good basic rub and can be easily modified to suit your taste. This is the recipe I use including notes and changes I have made over the years.
Wild Willy’s Number One-derful rub
¾ cup smoked paprika
¼ cup freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup course salt, either kosher or sea salt
¼ cup sugar (I use Turbanado, or brown sugar)
2 tbls. chili powder
2 tbls. garlic powder
2 tbls. Onion powder
2 tsp. Cayenne
2 tsp. Ground Rosemary
This is a great dry rub for steaks, ribs, brisket, and pork.
I have a CookShack SM066 smoker. I have been using these smokers for going on 20 years. I say this simply to make the point that the following is what works in my smoker and may not work the same way in whatever smoker you are using. These smokers were designed and built as Brisket ovens. They are wood stingy and cook very moist. I do 4 briskets using 8 to 10 oz. of wood. I use wood chunks and will do a mix of whatever I have on hand. Hickory or Pecan mixed with apple or cherry. I figure on a 24 hour smoke time and several hours extra to let the briskets “rest”. I do not worry about the stall and I do not wrap my briskets to get them over the stall. I start out with cold briskets and a cold smoker I want to get as much smoke on the briskets as I can before they hit 160 degrees internal temp. I do my briskets fat cap up. I use a leave in probe style thermometer and set the alarm temp for 190 degrees. I set the smoker temp at 175 degrees and come in the house. I will check the smoker several times over the next couple of hours and if the smoker is not producing good smoke after a couple of hours and I haven’t hit the 160 degrees internal temp I will add another chunk of wood and turn the smoker temp up to 225 degrees. I like my sleep so just before I go to bed I turn the smoker temp down to 195 degrees and go to bed. The next morning I turn the smoker temp back up to 225 degrees and wait for the thermometer alarm to go off. I do not cook brisket by time or internal temperature but by feel. When the alarm goes off I take a toothpick or skewer out to the smoker and probe the brisket. When the probe goes into the brisket and feels like you were probing a warm stick of butter the brisket is done. I have over the years had briskets that probed done at 190 degrees. Most of them probed done at 205 degrees and some big briskets went to 215 degrees before they were done. Since I am doing several briskets they usually get done at different times. I take them out as they get done and put them into disposable aluminum pans and cover them with foil. They then go into a warmed insulated cooler. I warm the cooler with hot water in a pan when I know the briskets are getting close. I will leave the briskets in the cooler for a minimum of 2 hours and they will stay hot up to 8 hours in the cooler. I can’t prove it by any scientific method but I think the time in the cooler actually makes the briskets better. Better flavor and more tender for sure and may enhance the moistness of the meat.
Idaho Smokey thx for the great writeup!
I had a 16lb prime packer from Costco. I decided to use your rub recipe and it is on the Traeger right now! I split it into the point, which I’m about to corn, and cut the flat in 2 for the smoker.
I decided to go 325, hot and fast, per Midwest_kc , since I have this prime brisket. Haven’t really tried that at start before. Well, I’m going to do 225 for an hour for better smoke from my Traeger, then go 325. Although I’m thinking about sous vide on the smaller part just to compare…
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Idaho Smokey thx for the great writeup!
I had a 16lb prime packer from Costco. I decided to use your rub recipe and it is on the Traeger right now! I split it into the point, which I’m about to corn, and cut the flat in 2 for the smoker.I decided to go 325, hot and fast, per Midwest_kc , since I have this prime brisket. Haven’t really tried that at start before. Well, I’m going to do 225 for an hour for better smoke from my Traeger, then go 325. Although I’m thinking about sous vide on the smaller part just to compare…
Dave in AZ good luck
! Good call going lower for a short amount of time on the pellet grill. At high Temps they burn so clean that they don’t out much smoke flavor on it. A charcoal/wood smoker doesn’t have that specific problem. On my GMG I can run 275 and get good flavor still though, so don’t be afraid to ramp up a bit if you want.Remember: higher cooking Temps mean higher finishing Temps. Cook to tenderness (probing with your thermometer until it slides in and out like butter) vs temp. Don’t freak out if it gets to 207-208 or higher before it breaks.
Also,rest is important here. At least an hour, 2-3 if you ha e the time.
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Dave in AZ good luck
! Good call going lower for a short amount of time on the pellet grill. At high Temps they burn so clean that they don’t out much smoke flavor on it. A charcoal/wood smoker doesn’t have that specific problem. On my GMG I can run 275 and get good flavor still though, so don’t be afraid to ramp up a bit if you want.Remember: higher cooking Temps mean higher finishing Temps. Cook to tenderness (probing with your thermometer until it slides in and out like butter) vs temp. Don’t freak out if it gets to 207-208 or higher before it breaks.
Also,rest is important here. At least an hour, 2-3 if you ha e the time.
Midwest_kc thx much! Somewhere between 1 and 1.5 hrs I ran out of pellets doh! Came out to 90f, so restarting, lots of pellets in bags luckily. Note to self: don’t do smoked brisket, dry cure pastrami, and dry cure corned beef all at once… something will be missed lol!
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Idaho Smokey thx for the great writeup!
I had a 16lb prime packer from Costco. I decided to use your rub recipe and it is on the Traeger right now! I split it into the point, which I’m about to corn, and cut the flat in 2 for the smoker.I decided to go 325, hot and fast, per Midwest_kc , since I have this prime brisket. Haven’t really tried that at start before. Well, I’m going to do 225 for an hour for better smoke from my Traeger, then go 325. Although I’m thinking about sous vide on the smaller part just to compare…
Dave in AZ : I have never done just a brisket flat or a whole packer fast and hot. The smoker I do my briskets in is a Cookshack SMO66. This is a cabinet type smoker and it only goes to 300 degrees. The smoker does cook with a very moist environment. I do remember reading about people that cooked flats on the old Cookshack forum. I just remember that there were complaints about the flats turning out dry. You might want to have a plan ready if you notice that your flat is drying out. Something to spritz it with or a pan you can put it in with a little liquid. I am just guessing on this since I haven’t done brisket the way you are doing them. I can second Midwest-kc on the let it rest for a couple of hours. I use an old ice chest for this. I put a pan of hot water in the chest to get things warm and place the briskets in a pan that will fit into the chest. Cover the pan with foil and put it into the chest to get happy. You can use this method to hold meat in for 4 to 6 hours. Works great if you need to transport something from the smoker or grill to a gathering.
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