So I've owned a PBC for several years now but had yet to attempt a brisket. Admittedly, I was nervous--everything I'd read made it clear that the brisket is a finicky hunk of meat that requires a significant investment of time, money and research. But when I took a trip to Austin, TX to visit my brother recently, I made the pilgrimage to Frankiln BBQ and that was it! I had to face my fears, this was just too good to restrict to the occasional visit to Central Texas!
So Aaron Franklin is one of the biggest names in BBQ and I can see why. His brisket is indeed one of the most delicious bites of food I've ever placed in my mouth. While I'm sure there exist many other great briskets throughout Central Texas and elsewhere, his was the one I just had to try to replicate. Now he custom builds his own pits and stuffs them with SRF Wagyu briskets--neither of which I was willing to do! I had to make this more practical for everyday enthusiasts like myself who have little more than beer money and their trusty PBC!
I started by watching the three part brisket episode of Franklin's "BBQ with Franklin" series on PBS (on YouTube as well) to learn his techniques for trimming, seasoning and cooking. I purchased a commercial grade boning knife and pink butcher paper. I was able to locate a great looking 16.5lb choice grade whole packer (see pic) from my neighborhood Kroger for only $2.99/lb. Here's what followed:
Aging: I wet-aged (aka stored) the brisket in the cryovac in the bottom of my drink fridge for two weeks in the hopes of increasing tenderness (still cooked prior to "sell by" date).
Trimming: Using Franklin's technique, I trimmed the fat cap down to about 1/4" and trimmed excess fat from mostly the deckle area and cleaned up the shape a bit (Franklin talks a lot about aerodynamics on the cooker). In all, I probably removed about 6lbs of fat and scraps from the brisket. I notched the tip of the flat to help identify the grain direction as well.
Seasoning: As much confidence as I have in Meathead's own Texas brisket techniques (dry-brining, injecting, a rub with chili powder and other seasonings), I wanted to try and stay as true to Franklin's process as I could to see how close the results were. Central Texas brisket is known for that dark and (most importantly) salty bark. If you were to dry brine and then use a salt-free rub, the taste just wouldn't be the same. Dalmatian rub is the only way! A 50/50 mix of coarse kosher salt (Morton's works best) and coarse ground black pepper. Franklin apparently uses 16 mesh pre-ground pepper so that the grains are approximately the same size as the salt. Because the resulting seasoning is so heavy on the pepper, his argument was that fresh ground would be too strong tasting. You're also not going to get a consistent grind even with the highest quality grinder unless you sift with a 16 mesh sieve. While you can order 16 mesh pepper online, I found a bottle of McCormick coarse ground pepper at the grocery store that looked pretty close (remember: practical). I put the mix in a small plastic cup and kept it moving as I sprinkled. As Franklin points out, the salt is heavier than the pepper so you have to keep swirling the cup to keep the rub mixed.
Hooking: I was using a PBC after all! I thought a lot about how I wanted to hang the meat. While one of the advantages of the PBC is the limited amount of direct radiant heating the hanging meat is exposed to, I was convinced given my prior experience with ribs that the bottom of the brisket would be right above the coals and would have to absorb more heat regardless of it's location on the rebar, convection, etc. While the flat is certainly more aerodynamic and, hanging vertically, would have less surface area exposed to direct heat, in the end I thought that, primarily due to the length of the cook, the larger, fattier point end would fare better closer to the heat source. I placed three interconnected hooks (see pic) on the flat end.
PBC setup: While trimming and seasoning, I setup my stock PBC using KBB charcoal and the manufacturer's standard lighting method, 40 briquettes in the chimney. I added a few extra briquettes in the basket to prolong the cook since I wasn't sure how long this was gonna take. After transferring the lit charcoal, I put the basket in the PBC and let it preheat for about 15 mins, lid on, rebar in, both thermometer probes through a hole and suspended from the rebar.
The Cook, Part 1: I dropped two chunks (about 4 oz total) of hickory on the coals and hung the brisket at about 0830. Because of the brisket's length, I had to reposition the charcoal basket slightly to accommodate the thing. I stuck the meat probe into the thickest part of the point and replaced the lid. The temp rose to just above 300 for about 10 mins and then began to drop. Franklin cooks his briskets at 275 so I aimed to keep the PBC between 250 and 300. It hit 250 at about the 1.5 hr mark and the smoke began to subside so I opened the lid, added two more chunks of hickory and sprayed the brisket with a mix of Worcestershire sauce and water (Franklin's technique). While Meathead asserts that misting or basting cools off the meat, he also says moisture attracts smoke and I wanted that. Since the PBC cooks so much faster than Franklin's smokers, I wanted to maximize smoke adherence as much as possible. My hope was also that the smoke and slightly higher temps while keeping the brisket on the hooks as long as possible would give me the results I was looking for. I left he lid cracked until the temp hit 300 and then replaced the lid. For the next few hours, I kept misting and checking the meat every time the temp hit 250. When the smoke began to die out again, I added a handful of hickory chips to try and sustain that perfect, clean blueish smoke throughout the cook. When the brisket hit 160, it still wasn't as dark as I wanted it to be. Confident that the meat could withstand the weight, I pushed it to 170 before taking it out and removing the hooks. About 5 hrs total time in the PBC.
The Cook, Part 2: While Meathead uses tinfoil (aka the "Texas Crutch") to wrap at this point, again, I was trying to stick as closely to Franklin's methods as possible. That, of course, means pink butcher paper. Using two sheets about 3' long overlapping side by side, I laid the brisket at one end, sprayed it, rolled it once, tucked the sides in, and rolled it over once more. I then placed it on a half sheet pan fitted with a wire rack and put it in a 275 degree preheated oven. While you could, in theory, finish the cook on the grate in the PBC, I figure why bother trying to regulate temp when the oven will do it for you? It's wrapped, so there's no reason it needs to be in the smoker still. I stuck a probe through the top and waited for it to hit 203. When it was there (about 2 hrs total time in the oven), I placed it in a faux cambro (aka Styrofoam cooler) for an hour.
Slicing: I followed Franklin's advice for thickness--width of a #2 pencil for the flat, a big pencil (gotta think back to your elementary school days!) for the point. I used the Sorkin method a la Meathead for slicing--down the flat perpendicular to the grain until hitting the point, then cut the remaining clod (point and flat) in half, turn it 90 degrees and slice.
The Results: Appearance: a dark, almost black bark speckled with grains of pepper. Appears to have lost 1/3 of it's weight during the cook. The remaining exterior fat mostly melted off leaving just the right amount of unrendered fat on top of the flat. The fat from the deckle area rendered completely. Beautiful smoke ring! Pics below doesn't do it justice. Tenderness: Now this is where you really see the biggest difference between the quality of beef. While my brisket passed the pull test with flying colors, it just wasn't quite as tender as Franklin's. No surprise here as my choice packer from Kroger was in no way destined to be as tender as a SRF Wagyu. Franklin's is just on the edge of crumbling while sliced. Mine held together no problem. That said, for the price and availability, what I had can't be beat. Taste: Un-freakin-believable. That salty, peppery, smokey bark? Yahtzee! Just the right amount of smokiness, the remaining fat just melted in your mouth. Again, there was a bit more chew to it than Franklin's, but hey, I was impressed.
Conclusion: Overall, a triumph deluxe! What might I do differently? I'm not willing to spend more on a brisket given the price and success with the choice grade I got from the grocery. So that leaves me wanting to try and improve tenderness if possible using these briskets. Again, my results were adequately tender, but I may try holding it longer next time in the cambro. Any sugguesions would be appreciated. It might be that, as Meathead has implied, that's as tender as a choice grade is gonna get. If that's the case, I'm satisfied!
So Aaron Franklin is one of the biggest names in BBQ and I can see why. His brisket is indeed one of the most delicious bites of food I've ever placed in my mouth. While I'm sure there exist many other great briskets throughout Central Texas and elsewhere, his was the one I just had to try to replicate. Now he custom builds his own pits and stuffs them with SRF Wagyu briskets--neither of which I was willing to do! I had to make this more practical for everyday enthusiasts like myself who have little more than beer money and their trusty PBC!
I started by watching the three part brisket episode of Franklin's "BBQ with Franklin" series on PBS (on YouTube as well) to learn his techniques for trimming, seasoning and cooking. I purchased a commercial grade boning knife and pink butcher paper. I was able to locate a great looking 16.5lb choice grade whole packer (see pic) from my neighborhood Kroger for only $2.99/lb. Here's what followed:
Aging: I wet-aged (aka stored) the brisket in the cryovac in the bottom of my drink fridge for two weeks in the hopes of increasing tenderness (still cooked prior to "sell by" date).
Trimming: Using Franklin's technique, I trimmed the fat cap down to about 1/4" and trimmed excess fat from mostly the deckle area and cleaned up the shape a bit (Franklin talks a lot about aerodynamics on the cooker). In all, I probably removed about 6lbs of fat and scraps from the brisket. I notched the tip of the flat to help identify the grain direction as well.
Seasoning: As much confidence as I have in Meathead's own Texas brisket techniques (dry-brining, injecting, a rub with chili powder and other seasonings), I wanted to try and stay as true to Franklin's process as I could to see how close the results were. Central Texas brisket is known for that dark and (most importantly) salty bark. If you were to dry brine and then use a salt-free rub, the taste just wouldn't be the same. Dalmatian rub is the only way! A 50/50 mix of coarse kosher salt (Morton's works best) and coarse ground black pepper. Franklin apparently uses 16 mesh pre-ground pepper so that the grains are approximately the same size as the salt. Because the resulting seasoning is so heavy on the pepper, his argument was that fresh ground would be too strong tasting. You're also not going to get a consistent grind even with the highest quality grinder unless you sift with a 16 mesh sieve. While you can order 16 mesh pepper online, I found a bottle of McCormick coarse ground pepper at the grocery store that looked pretty close (remember: practical). I put the mix in a small plastic cup and kept it moving as I sprinkled. As Franklin points out, the salt is heavier than the pepper so you have to keep swirling the cup to keep the rub mixed.
Hooking: I was using a PBC after all! I thought a lot about how I wanted to hang the meat. While one of the advantages of the PBC is the limited amount of direct radiant heating the hanging meat is exposed to, I was convinced given my prior experience with ribs that the bottom of the brisket would be right above the coals and would have to absorb more heat regardless of it's location on the rebar, convection, etc. While the flat is certainly more aerodynamic and, hanging vertically, would have less surface area exposed to direct heat, in the end I thought that, primarily due to the length of the cook, the larger, fattier point end would fare better closer to the heat source. I placed three interconnected hooks (see pic) on the flat end.
PBC setup: While trimming and seasoning, I setup my stock PBC using KBB charcoal and the manufacturer's standard lighting method, 40 briquettes in the chimney. I added a few extra briquettes in the basket to prolong the cook since I wasn't sure how long this was gonna take. After transferring the lit charcoal, I put the basket in the PBC and let it preheat for about 15 mins, lid on, rebar in, both thermometer probes through a hole and suspended from the rebar.
The Cook, Part 1: I dropped two chunks (about 4 oz total) of hickory on the coals and hung the brisket at about 0830. Because of the brisket's length, I had to reposition the charcoal basket slightly to accommodate the thing. I stuck the meat probe into the thickest part of the point and replaced the lid. The temp rose to just above 300 for about 10 mins and then began to drop. Franklin cooks his briskets at 275 so I aimed to keep the PBC between 250 and 300. It hit 250 at about the 1.5 hr mark and the smoke began to subside so I opened the lid, added two more chunks of hickory and sprayed the brisket with a mix of Worcestershire sauce and water (Franklin's technique). While Meathead asserts that misting or basting cools off the meat, he also says moisture attracts smoke and I wanted that. Since the PBC cooks so much faster than Franklin's smokers, I wanted to maximize smoke adherence as much as possible. My hope was also that the smoke and slightly higher temps while keeping the brisket on the hooks as long as possible would give me the results I was looking for. I left he lid cracked until the temp hit 300 and then replaced the lid. For the next few hours, I kept misting and checking the meat every time the temp hit 250. When the smoke began to die out again, I added a handful of hickory chips to try and sustain that perfect, clean blueish smoke throughout the cook. When the brisket hit 160, it still wasn't as dark as I wanted it to be. Confident that the meat could withstand the weight, I pushed it to 170 before taking it out and removing the hooks. About 5 hrs total time in the PBC.
The Cook, Part 2: While Meathead uses tinfoil (aka the "Texas Crutch") to wrap at this point, again, I was trying to stick as closely to Franklin's methods as possible. That, of course, means pink butcher paper. Using two sheets about 3' long overlapping side by side, I laid the brisket at one end, sprayed it, rolled it once, tucked the sides in, and rolled it over once more. I then placed it on a half sheet pan fitted with a wire rack and put it in a 275 degree preheated oven. While you could, in theory, finish the cook on the grate in the PBC, I figure why bother trying to regulate temp when the oven will do it for you? It's wrapped, so there's no reason it needs to be in the smoker still. I stuck a probe through the top and waited for it to hit 203. When it was there (about 2 hrs total time in the oven), I placed it in a faux cambro (aka Styrofoam cooler) for an hour.
Slicing: I followed Franklin's advice for thickness--width of a #2 pencil for the flat, a big pencil (gotta think back to your elementary school days!) for the point. I used the Sorkin method a la Meathead for slicing--down the flat perpendicular to the grain until hitting the point, then cut the remaining clod (point and flat) in half, turn it 90 degrees and slice.
The Results: Appearance: a dark, almost black bark speckled with grains of pepper. Appears to have lost 1/3 of it's weight during the cook. The remaining exterior fat mostly melted off leaving just the right amount of unrendered fat on top of the flat. The fat from the deckle area rendered completely. Beautiful smoke ring! Pics below doesn't do it justice. Tenderness: Now this is where you really see the biggest difference between the quality of beef. While my brisket passed the pull test with flying colors, it just wasn't quite as tender as Franklin's. No surprise here as my choice packer from Kroger was in no way destined to be as tender as a SRF Wagyu. Franklin's is just on the edge of crumbling while sliced. Mine held together no problem. That said, for the price and availability, what I had can't be beat. Taste: Un-freakin-believable. That salty, peppery, smokey bark? Yahtzee! Just the right amount of smokiness, the remaining fat just melted in your mouth. Again, there was a bit more chew to it than Franklin's, but hey, I was impressed.
Conclusion: Overall, a triumph deluxe! What might I do differently? I'm not willing to spend more on a brisket given the price and success with the choice grade I got from the grocery. So that leaves me wanting to try and improve tenderness if possible using these briskets. Again, my results were adequately tender, but I may try holding it longer next time in the cambro. Any sugguesions would be appreciated. It might be that, as Meathead has implied, that's as tender as a choice grade is gonna get. If that's the case, I'm satisfied!
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