I had shied away from smoking on Mesquite after reading numerous comments/articles that made it seem somehow of lower quality. Then I tried the BBQ at a local restaurant in Round Rock called "Green Mesquite BBQ" and it was fabulous.
So - going in eyes wide open - I had an opportunity this weekend to smoke a brisket as two of my sisters were visiting. My wife picked up a nice Prime full packer at Costco and I split it down the middle and froze one half for later.
I had a bag of Mesquite chunks that I had picked up at HEB a while back and decided to give them a try. The chunks are noticeably smaller than what I usually get with Hickory, Oak, Pecan etc.. The main thing I think I learned was that since Mesquite has a much higher lignite component, you can go much lighter on the amount.
I probably should be more precise in how I apply chunks on my charcoal, but I just laid down a chunks every couple inches on the fuse I constructed in a semi-circle around my Vortex on the Weber Kettle.
About 12 hours later, I had a nice, very dark, crusty brisket with the flat registering about 200 degrees. The point had hit 200 some time earlier and I had stopped measuring it then. Next time I am going to separate the two again as I have done previously to good effect. I wrapped in foil and a towel and held it until about 7 hours later. Probably not the safest as it had dropped below 140 degrees by that point.
The meat turned out pretty well. The point was actually fantastic, but the flat was little tough. It definitely did not pass the standard test of holding together until separated by a gentle tug.
I won't blame the mesquite for that however. The flavor was actually REALLY good and I plan to keep using and refining my "Mesquite Technique"
So - going in eyes wide open - I had an opportunity this weekend to smoke a brisket as two of my sisters were visiting. My wife picked up a nice Prime full packer at Costco and I split it down the middle and froze one half for later.
I had a bag of Mesquite chunks that I had picked up at HEB a while back and decided to give them a try. The chunks are noticeably smaller than what I usually get with Hickory, Oak, Pecan etc.. The main thing I think I learned was that since Mesquite has a much higher lignite component, you can go much lighter on the amount.
I probably should be more precise in how I apply chunks on my charcoal, but I just laid down a chunks every couple inches on the fuse I constructed in a semi-circle around my Vortex on the Weber Kettle.
About 12 hours later, I had a nice, very dark, crusty brisket with the flat registering about 200 degrees. The point had hit 200 some time earlier and I had stopped measuring it then. Next time I am going to separate the two again as I have done previously to good effect. I wrapped in foil and a towel and held it until about 7 hours later. Probably not the safest as it had dropped below 140 degrees by that point.
The meat turned out pretty well. The point was actually fantastic, but the flat was little tough. It definitely did not pass the standard test of holding together until separated by a gentle tug.
I won't blame the mesquite for that however. The flavor was actually REALLY good and I plan to keep using and refining my "Mesquite Technique"
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