Second PBC Brisket

[goosebr160]

Haven't cooked a brisket since last father's day, figured I should make it an annual thing, so I just stopped at my local butcher and was presently surprised that they had Prime Briskets instead of the usual choice! I picked up a 15 pounder for $85. Not those Costco prices you guys always talk about, but not bad for up here in New England.
My initial plan this time is to dry brine 24-48 hours in advance, then use David Parrish Not Just For Beef Rub. I'm not going to mess with injections this time. I'm going to order some B&B briquettes to pick up at my local Ace since I hear they burn longer. Going to fire up the barrel at midnight, then try to get 6 hours of sleep after I hang the meat. Hopefully everything goes ok over those 6 hours, or else I'll be buying ground beef in the morning. Once I wake up, I can assess the bark/wrapping situation. Any advice on using B&B is appreciated. Also, anyone have experience with doing an overnight cook on the PBC without a fan controller?

[Red Man]

I don’t have a PBC, but I’d recommend not to use a new charcoal for the first time on an overnight cook. Stick with what you know. What time do you plan on serving? With the temps that I hear the PBC runs at, I’d expect the brisket to take less than 12 hours. Might wanna just get up early and throw it in the smoker instead of worrying about an overnight cook.

[goosebr160]

Red Man here's the link to my first cook https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...st-pbc-brisket

It was 4 pounds smaller and took about 10 hours to cook. That was with wrapping it earlier than I wanted to. Im having people come over around 2, I'd rather have it done and in the cambro early, then stressing out with hungry guests like I was last time.

[Red Man]

Overnight it is then 😁

[jecucolo]

The last 15 pound prime brisket I cooked I started the fire at 5am, put the brisket on at 5:30, wrapped it at 1 pm put it in cambro about 2 served at 3.

So 10-12 hours.

Good luck and Happy Fathers Day!

[goosebr160]

Another thing I'm going to change is I'm going to wrap in foil instead of butcher paper. I'm assuming that will cause it to finish quicker, I want to try to get to 180 before wrapping this time though so should be a wash total time wise.

[Mark V]

I wrap to cut out the stall, so I wrap once the temp starts slowing down, about 155 to 160. By then it should have the smoke you want, easily. I actually wonder if you should wrap earlier. I have started injecting with phosphates and do think that makes a difference, but not a large data sample there, twice.

[mountainsmoker]

There is no reason to wrap if you wait till it reaches 180. I am one of those guys that never wraps. The stall is caused by water leaving the meat. So why wrap and keep it in. If anything I increase the temp till it starts going up and then cup it back again. With wrapping you loose all that beautiful bark you work so hard to get. Water is not what is making your brisket tender it is the beautiful fat and why a prime one is better than a choice one.

The other question I have is: Why are you using a charcoal that you have never used before. This is an absolute no-no in barbeque circles I have been involved in the last 40 years. Try it on something cheap instead of a prime brisket.

[texastweeter]

you can crutch and still get great bark, take a look at my brisket I just posted in SUWYK thread. I wrap to speed the cooking process, as well as to to halt the color/smoke absorption one it's is where I want it. You can (and I have) oversmoke meat on long cooks, more so in a stick burner. That brisket I posted was wrapped at 165° after 15 hours. Everybody has their method.

[goosebr160]

Good points on the new charcoal. I'll probably scratch that idea.

[TBoneJack]

Just FYI:

The county's most awarded brisket smoker (Aaron Franklin) doesn't dry brine. Rather, he applies a simple Dalmation Rub (50-50 mix of kosher salt and 16-mesh cracked black pepper) just before putting the brisket on the smoker.

Also, Jeff Savell, professor at Texas A&M (country's #1 Meat Science university) and director of the world-renowned Camp Brisket, doesn't dry brine.

I know dry brining is currently all the rave, but raves come and go. And I think dry brining may be over-hyped, and possibly a myth.

[fzxdoc]

Remember that Prime brisket is often done at 190-195°ish, rather than upwards of 200°, at least in my experience.

Have fun with that cook, goosebr160 , and let us know how it turns out.

Kathryn

[HawkerXP]

agree with the 190ish probe tender with prime.

[David Parrish]

Just FYI:

The county's most awarded brisket smoker (Aaron Franklin) doesn't dry brine. Rather, he applies a simple Dalmation Rub (50-50 mix of kosher salt and 16-mesh cracked black pepper) just before putting the brisket on the smoker.

Also, Jeff Savell, professor at Texas A&M (country's #1 Meat Science university) and director of the world-renowned Camp Brisket, doesn't dry brine.

I know dry brining is currently all the rave, but raves come and go. And I think dry brining may be over-hyped, and possibly a myth.

The people you mention are working under time constraints, public food safety rules, restaurant codes, etc.... For the cook at home, that has the time and patience, dry brining is the real deal. Once you know there's no going back.

[texastweeter]

Aaron hasn't fared well in competition, his product is solid though. Eat there often.

[David Parrish]

Haven't cooked a brisket since last father's day, figured I should make it an annual thing, so I just stopped at my local butcher and was presently surprised that they had Prime Briskets instead of the usual choice! I picked up a 15 pounder for $85. Not those Costco prices you guys always talk about, but not bad for up here in New England.
My initial plan this time is to dry brine 24-48 hours in advance, then use David Parrish Not Just For Beef Rub. I'm not going to mess with injections this time. I'm going to order some B&B briquettes to pick up at my local Ace since I hear they burn longer. Going to fire up the barrel at midnight, then try to get 6 hours of sleep after I hang the meat. Hopefully everything goes ok over those 6 hours, or else I'll be buying ground beef in the morning. Once I wake up, I can assess the bark/wrapping situation. Any advice on using B&B is appreciated. Also, anyone have experience with doing an overnight cook on the PBC without a fan controller?

This cook happen yet? How'd it go!?!?!?

[mountainsmoker]

He said it would be a Father's Day thing

[David Parrish]

pffffft, whoever reads the FIRST sentence?

[goosebr160]

15.66 lbs, trimmed down to 13.3. Salted and in the fridge!

[jfmorris]

Now you got me jonesing for a brisket for Father's Day! Maybe I'll head to Costco on payday (tomorrow!). I like them around 16 pounds, but I'll have to cram it onto my Performer with the SNS/DNG/Easyspin and let the PartyQ keep an eye on the overnight temps. I would fire up the offset, but am too lazy now for that. The Performer+SNS has spoiled me by letting me sleep without sitting up all night feeding the fire....

[klflowers]

What about the wsm? I thought you had one.

[jfmorris]

klflowers - nope. I've window shopped WSM's and PBC's like crazy for a couple of years, know all about how I would cook on one if I had it, but have not actually pulled the trigger on one. I can't justify at the moment the expense when I have a working offset and the Performer, and my kids are bankrupting me with tuition and wedding expenses (2 married and graduated, 1 to go).

[klflowers]

Oh, OK, I thought you did. I get it about the children - mine are both out of the house, but a couple of days ago my son called and said he had 6 bucks to last until payday - today. Of course, he will pay me back - right. But I love em and want to make sure they get a good start on things, so I continue to fund their lives, at least until I stop...

[TBoneJack]

The people you mention are working under time constraints, public food safety rules, restaurant codes, etc.... For the cook at home, that has the time and patience, dry brining is the real deal. Once you know there's no going back.

The people I mention produce world class brisket without dry brining. One has numerous national brisket awards and a respected video series (Franklin), while the other (Savell) runs a renowned brisket camp that draws yearly participants from all over the world.

So while dry brining probably has some merit, it's not the game changer that it's purported to be. Because both these guys have serious game without it.

[texastweeter]

Aaron uses prime, I asked first time I took a tour of his pits. M. Mixon is the SRF Waygu guy.

[goosebr160]

Ok, I stand corrected. Still, he is a professional chef who has mastered his craft cooking thousands of briskets. He does it so well that he can teach his method and still no one can do it better than him. Huge difference from an amateur cook.
Franklin also doesn't inject, does that mean all the chefs winning competitions injecting their briskets are doing it wrong? No. There are many ways get good results. To say something doesn't work because Aaron Franklin doesn't do it? I'll stop there.

[TBoneJack]

I didn't say that dry brining doesn't "work". I just said it isn't the game changer it's purported to be.

BTW, I cook prime briskets as well. And dry brining produces no noticeable difference for me. But maybe it does for some cooks (or maybe I did it wrong), or for those who choose to cook Choice or Select grades of meat. I can't comment to that from experience.