Smokin-It User Forum!
Recipes => Beef => Topic started by: SCSmoker on October 07, 2013, 01:46:59 PM
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Hi guys,
I got the #2 a few weeks ago and have made great ribs & pulled pork so far. I tried my first brisket yesterday, and while the rub & smokiness were great, it was really dry.
I put the 4.6 lb brisket it in at 225 uncovered, flipping it every few hours and spraying with apple juice. When it hit 170, I wrapped it in foil and put in back in until 190 (total cook time ~10 hours). I then wrapped a few more times in foil, and put in a cooler with towels for 1.5 hours. When I took it out to cut it, almost no juice came out, and it tasted very dry. It was a fairly lean brisket, but still I am sure it could have been much better.
Any advice??
Thanks!
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I would suggest injecting with beef broth or some other combo of liquid products. You probably should consider a water tray in the smoker if you don't wrap. You could consider wrapping at 165 with some liquid.
I inject my brisket, let sit overnight and smoke with 2.5oz of cherry wood. I set the temp at 240, and wrap at 165 and once the internal temp hits 192 its off to the cooler for an hour.
I posted my brisket story from yesterday in the beef section.
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Hey SC, that's why "they" say brisket is one of the hardest meats to smoke (hehe). Ed is certainly right about injecting and letting sit overnight in the fridge to "get happy!" Brisket is a very tough cut of meat, and can certainly dry-out.
With that said, I believe one thing that might have led to your dry meat is too much intervention! These smokers cook very differently from stick burners, or any other "traditional" smoker (charcoal, gas, wood...). What you will probably find out is that you really don't have to babysit them to get good Q out of them. Every single time you open the door, flip, spritz, fiddle, etc..., you disrupt the cooking process and release moisture.
Try this next time:
1. Prep your brisket the night before. Trim the fat cap to about 1/4" thick and score it to accept rub. Inject it with a beef injection. Check out the recipe section for brisket injections; there are several to suit your taste. Coat it with your favorite seasonings or dry rub, wrap and place in the fridge. Here's an injection I use:
1/2 cup beef broth
1/4 cup Worcestershire
2 tblsp crystal hot sauce
2 tblsp demerara sugar
1 tblsp salt
1/3 cup Foster's beer (or any other full-flavor beer)
2. The next morning, prep your smoker and add the wood. I personally like straight hickory, or hickory/cherry for brisket, but that's my taste - find yours.
3. Remove the brisket from the fridge and place on a shelf. You can add a little more rub, if you wish, but the meat is already well-seasoned.
4. Place the brisket in the cold smoker fat-side-up with a water pan (or soup can) in the bottom filled with apple juice or beer (about 1/2 way). Set up your thermometer in the meat (the Maverick 732 rocks). Set the temp to 225.
5. Go drink coffee, watch t.v., take a nap....you get the idea.
6. Monitor your temps, and make sure (every now and then) you see smoke coming out of the blow hole.
7. Wait for the briskie to hit 200 internal (count on about 1 1/2 hours per pound).
8. At 200, remove and double-wrap in foil for a rest. Place in a cooler with a heavy towel over it. The resting period is very important for brisket! (at least, I've found).
9. After at least 1 hour (1 1/2 to 2 is even better), pull that bad boy out and carve it against the grain! Use a really sharp knife because it will fall apart due to moisture and tenderness with a dull knife! ;)
10. Final step - fill yourselves, and relish in the praise and accolades you'll surely receive for such an incredible brisket!! ;D ;D
Sometimes, it's natural to make things much harder than they need to be. One thing I've learned about these smokers is that minimal intervention is the key! They will produce good Q despite us! Great temp-controlled, moist environment - vastly different from traditional smokers!
Here's a link to my last one, if it helps:
http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=979.0
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I think your problem was opening the door so many times... gotta leave the door shut! I think basting and flipping in these electrics do a LOT more harm than good. Even after my 24 + hour smoke the brisket was not dry although it looked like a rock since I smoked it too low for too long. I do have the flavor savor thing and put some beer in it though to help with the moisture inside. And YES.... these briskets are tough to master.
When my meat is dry I'll put it in a crock pot with some bbq sauce, bell peppers and onions and cook it down... good stuff... I use the ratio of 1lb of meat to 1.5cups of bbq sauce with a bell pepper and an onion.
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You guys are gonna laugh at me. I don't like brisket - ever - which is probably why I don't make it. I'd had it in TX, OK, LA, AL - all over. I am among that small population that can pass "brisket" by anywhere.
Now, beef ribs? Real Fred Flinstone smoked, barked, and tender? Those I love. I also find them more consistent to smoke, and much more flavorful. Harder to find, though.
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What divot said. You may want to try a little bigger hunk of meat also. I have had some difficulty in the past when "scaling down" on the smoker. My .02 ,Sean
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Ok DM.... got me a brisket in the #3 and used your injection recipe... :D
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Good luck, Jerz! Can't wait to see the results!
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After 17 hours it came out perfect... the best I ever did. I left it wrapped in foil for three hours and the slices held together and were extremely tender. The injection recipe is perfect... thanks.
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Nice job, Jerz!
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Thanks! 8lb brisket yielded 4lbs.... it even taste good cold... I foodsaved and froze three lbs.
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I love a cold brisket sammie! I find the flats a lot harder than a packer cut. I guess the thinness and lack of additional fat make them cook different; easy to dry them out. That was a flat, wasn't it? Always hard to tell in the cooked pics.
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It was a packer actually... I got it at Costco in a shrink wrapped bag type packaging.
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Probably one reason it cooked so well! Hard to find packers that small in my neck of the woods! Actually, hard to find one under 12 pounds! ;D I hear Costco has the same quality of meat that Sam's does. Again, great job!
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Jerz, That is one great looking brisket! My mouth is watering and I am not really a huge brisket fan. My wife on the other hand is from Texas and when I got my #3, the first thing she said to me was "when are you making me Brisket?" I am still a newbie, but I think I may take the plunge and go for it. I was kinda waiting to get my feet wet and get a few cooks under my belt, but with DM's recipe and your recent success, it may just give me the kick in the tail to give it a try.
Thanks guys for the inspiration.
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Thanks! I know it was good.... my brother is in the restaurant industry and bragged how good it taste and proceeded to take another frozen pound along with some other foods that I food saved up to his mountains house.
I would definitely measure the ambient temp inside the smoker next to the meat to make sure you're getting the heat that you want. It took a bit of tweeking to realize what temp the dial actually was in comparison to what my igrill was reading.... good luck!
Cheers!
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Jerz, That is one great looking brisket! My mouth is watering and I am not really a huge brisket fan. My wife on the other hand is from Texas and when I got my #3, the first thing she said to me was "when are you making me Brisket?" I am still a newbie, but I think I may take the plunge and go for it. I was kinda waiting to get my feet wet and get a few cooks under my belt, but with DM's recipe and your recent success, it may just give me the kick in the tail to give it a try.
Thanks guys for the inspiration.
Make her proud, Charlie! It's not that hard with our smokers! ;D