We did our 1st brisket on the PBC!!!

[slopoke76]

Well we did our very 1st brisket on the PBC yesterday and it turned out OK!!! It was a 4.3kg flat New Zealand import we picked up at S&R (like Costco). It was already trimmed pretty good, so I didn't have to do too much to it. I used Montreal Steak seasoning for the rub and injected with beef broth, no oil. Double hooked and hung at 10am over ready coals with temp probes in place. PBC was averaging around 260-270 after an initial high of 420 (I think there's a joke in there somewhere ). Internal hit 168 three hours later at 1pm, double wrapped with Kingsford BBQ foil, added a little more beef broth, wrapped it up tight on put it on the grate till it reached 200 internal at about 2:15 pm. Promptly put it in the faux cambro till about 6pm when we were ready to eat. I took a quick reading with the MK4 and it read 158f, so I guess thats ok for a hold of about 4 hours?

It sliced up nice and easy, was plenty juicy, pulled apart with just a little tug and tasted pretty good to us. There wasn't much in the way of marbling in the meat, so probably not a high grade and I don't know how or if New Zealand grades their meats. But I do know much of the beef produced there are just grass fed and not grained. I honestly don't think there is much, if any difference between the beef from NZ and what we can get here locally at about half the price. They are all grass fed as graining cattle here is cost prohibitive on a commercial scale and mostly Brahman cattle as they do well here in the tropics as opposed to North American breeds that just don't do well here. So that's what were kinda stuck with. In the interest of coaxing a little more tenderness out of this meat, maybe we could take it a little farther? Say 203-205 internal? Aging it for 30 days or so?

I'm thinking for our next brisket try, we'll just pick up a fresh cut local slab and use the PBC B&G rub and perhaps incorporate suggestions any of you might have to make the best of what have available here. Oh, by the way, any suggestions on what to do with leftover brisket meat? Thanks to all of you for helping us along in this PBC adventure and enjoy the pics from our home to yours!!!

Oh and the kids made another cake, and wifey showed the budding pitmaster a little appreciation for a job well done!!!

Freeman & Cynthia

[RonB]

Congrats on a successful cook.

[FireMan]

When I first saw the first pic I thought, "what's Harrison Ford doing in a slopoke post?" Then I did a second look, I still wondered.
Now I wonder when you will start doing BBQ classes in the Philippines? Good looking cook. Your helpers are a little mixed in their emotions. The little guy looks ready to go, big sis not so much. Keep up the great work & continue having fun!

[slopoke76]

Sis looks pissed off, coz she just got back handed by her brother for tormenting him from behind!!! Hahaha....ya, I've gotten the Harrison Ford comment for years, some actually have asked for an autograph convinced I was Mr. Ford!!!

[Steve Vojtek]

Yep FireMan is right. You're Harrison Ford! Spill the beans! Han Solo..😁

[Spinaker]

Nice first brisket cook!

I would recommend to you wet aging the brisket next time. While this won't really add moisture to the brisket, it will make it more tender. Just make sure it is vacuum sealed well enough to do so. If there is any bloating of the bag, what so ever, throw it out. This is a sure sign of something funky going on in the bag. Once you take it out of the bag, be sure to give it a good rinse under some cold water.

I would also recommend dry brining for at least 48-hours. This will give that salt PLENTY of time to pull moisture down into the meat. Grass-fed cattle are inherently leaner, so you may need more time on the brine to achieve optimal moisture content in the meat.

As for the left over brisket meat, I love to throw it in some Texas Chili Con Carne. I also chop it, mix with sauce to make sandwiches with slaw and butter pickles.

Keep writing and posting pictures of your progress. It has been a joy to follow so far!

Good looking kids too! Cheers!

[slopoke76]

Thanks Spinaker, I will look into brining and aging for the next try for sure!!!

[Spinaker]

You bet. Let us know if you have any questions. slopoke76

[kmhfive]

Well, it looks like you did pretty darn well! Congratulations.

[Mr. Bones]

Fantastic cook, an' pics as well!
Tell th' kids Great job!!!!
Many thanks fer sharin' so much with us!!!

[fzxdoc]

Great cook, slopoke76 , er, Harrison Ford. Sounds like your PBC loves it in the tropics, chugging right along at stable temps to turn out delicious food.

The photo of the kids is so cute--proud of their strawberry cake. I bet they gobbled it right up, after filling up on the brisket.

I second Spinaker 's suggestion: chili con carne made with brisket meat is great. Makes marvelous fajitas too.

Kathryn

[Huskee]

That last picture of the brisket makes me realize I've never put frosting on my brisket and sliced it quite like that...maybe I should try it... 🙃😂😂😂

That sounds like a conveniently quick cook, nice! I too have always thought grass fed beef was more- I hate to say tough- but 'not as tender' as traditional market grained beef. It ate more steak-like when I've had it. I know Select grade (the lowest here in the states) benefits from a high internal temp...but I can't say with any voice of experience if that would transfer over to grass-fed such as you can get. Might be worth a try on the next one eh? Worst case scenario it falls apart and gets crumbly, but it'll still be tasty.

[FireMan]

Yeah frosting on a brisket. Gotta find what page that's on in Meatheads book.

[RobertC]

I've occasionally wondered whether grass-fed beef is "not as tender" because of their diet or because of the way they're "finished" in feed lots, which restricts their movement compared to grass fields.

Texture aside, I prefer the taste of grass-fed beef.

[DWCowles]

Beautiful!

[JCGrill]

Great cook! From the description it sounds like it was pretty good, but I can't blame you for wanting to up your game. I do a lot of grass fed steak, but no experience beyond that. However, it's a leaner meat (like bison or venison) so you aren't going to render as much internal fat. Since you are injecting I say take it up a few more degrees, it seems unlikely you would dry it out.

[flyv65]

Congrats on your first brisket: looks like it came out pretty well. I second Spinaker's recommendation about the dry brine, but my PBC tends to make a brisket stall around 150 so thats when I wrap. Good luck!