Brisket tutorial

[colecp]

Is there a "go to" thread that's universally accepted as the brisket tutorial? So many brisket posts, I'm hoping someone can point me to "the one". Thanks!

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[old sarge]

I am not aware of a universal one size fits all brisket recipe.  I hit mine with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder and to help with bark, brown sugar (same mixture I use for pork). Some fat trimming. If prime, no injection; sometimes I will Jacquard but not too often.  If choice, I will inject beef broth.  Middle of smoker fat side down and the trimmed fat laid on the top portion which lacks fat.  4 to 6 ounces of hickory depending upon how I feel, 225 degrees, and walk away. I start between 10PM and midnight and don't give it another thought. I check the internal temp when I get up and just let it go.   The stall hits at 170 degrees, plus or minus and it takes time to climb out of it.  When the meat hits 190/195 I pull , double wrap in heavy foil and then a heavy towel and place in a cooler till serving time. Works for me.

[colecp]

Thanks much! I'll give it a go.

[barelfly]

That’s a pretty good and standard way of smoking brisket that Old Sarge gives you for our Smokin-it smokers. I do the same thing, and even pull about the same temp (195*). You may see or read others pull at a higher temp, but I don’t think that is needed for our smokers. Haven’t ever smoked a brisket to higher than 200*. The only difference for me, I smoke at a higher temp, using 250*, but that just means less smoking time. Some on here smoke at 275* (using the digital models).  All ways work great!

Just find a few rubs you like and you are set. I’ve tried SPOG and its great. I also really like Oak Ridge BBQ Black Ops rub - it’s my favorite rub! And Costco has pretty good prices on Prime grade brisket.

Have fun!

[tostitobandito]

Yeah I'll second the slightly higher temps.  Not sure about 250F, but I've found that somewhere around 235-240F is the sweet spot for me.  Makes cook time a lot more reasonable too.  225F is just too slow.

Other than that, just trim and season to your liking and throw it in the middle of the smoker.  I do fat side up cause I like it dripping down over the meat.  There's no directional heat/fire though, so you could do it either way as the fat isn't really needed as a shield.  Also, make sure you have a container of water in the smoker next to the firebox.

[colecp]

Thanks for all the help! Now I'm just waiting on the weekend!

[kona77]

 One of the errors I made on my first brisket is I had watched some on-line video's and the guys really over-trimmed the
brisket (fat is your friend)..I made that mistake on my first smoke and learned from that error.. Have used "prime" cuts on most of my smokes but when I did use a "choice" grade I did brine for 24 hours.. I took the advise from an early moderator (DM) and have used a rub from Jim Baldridge that I get from Amazon.. I also agree with Ol Sarge's other tips but I use 7-8oz of hickory on my brisket.I do smoke at 225 but want to try a higher temp on my next brisket (250-265) to cut down on smoke time