So I got my Pit Barrel Cooker about a year ago and I've always wanted to make a brisket. Recently I bought Aaron Franklin's meat smoking manifesto (thru AR) and my desire hit a fever pitch. On Saturday, the forces of the universe got together and made it happen. Everything came together: a crowd of people coming over, the boy's soccer game got cancelled so I'd be home, Costco had the perfect Prime brisket for cheap, and some last minute guests from Austin were coming. There would be no better time to make authentic Texas brisket!
I studied the book, videos, anything I could get my hands on to prepare for the cook. I trimmed up the meat, applied the rub (just salt and pepper), and fired up the PBC. I dropped in some oak chunks and I was ready to roll. It was about as effortless a cook as I've had, with the PBC between 250-275 degrees the entire cook. The stall hit at about 150 degrees internal and I just settled in, ready to wrap as soon as I saw the temp go up a notch. After almost seven hours on the cooker I was home free. I pulled it off, wrapped it in foil (no butcher paper around) and put it back on the cooker (using the grate off hook). My first check was at 8.5 hours in and I was at 188. 30 min later (9 hrs total) I was at 203. Perfect!
I let it rest just over an hour before my guests couldn't take it any longer. I had to slice and serve, the smell was intoxicating. It tasted as good as it looks. The bark was good, the slices were tender and juicy with a small smoke ring, could be easily pulled apart, and had great flavor. The brisket was a hit! I know there are some things I can do better next time, but all in all, I couldn't be any more excited about my first brisket. A big shout out to Aaron Franklin for giving me the knowledge and confidence to make it happen.
I studied the book, videos, anything I could get my hands on to prepare for the cook. I trimmed up the meat, applied the rub (just salt and pepper), and fired up the PBC. I dropped in some oak chunks and I was ready to roll. It was about as effortless a cook as I've had, with the PBC between 250-275 degrees the entire cook. The stall hit at about 150 degrees internal and I just settled in, ready to wrap as soon as I saw the temp go up a notch. After almost seven hours on the cooker I was home free. I pulled it off, wrapped it in foil (no butcher paper around) and put it back on the cooker (using the grate off hook). My first check was at 8.5 hours in and I was at 188. 30 min later (9 hrs total) I was at 203. Perfect!
I let it rest just over an hour before my guests couldn't take it any longer. I had to slice and serve, the smell was intoxicating. It tasted as good as it looks. The bark was good, the slices were tender and juicy with a small smoke ring, could be easily pulled apart, and had great flavor. The brisket was a hit! I know there are some things I can do better next time, but all in all, I couldn't be any more excited about my first brisket. A big shout out to Aaron Franklin for giving me the knowledge and confidence to make it happen.
Comment