First Time Brisket

[comyers331]

So I decided to check my local Costco meat prices and found that they had USDA Prime brisket for $3.99 per pound. While the person working the meat counter assured me that this was the standard cost and supply I couldn’t help but be skeptical (ground beef is more expensive per pound where I am!) so I got myself an 11 pound whole packer brisket out of sheer disbelief that this is wasn’t a once in a lifetime opportunity.

I have never smoked a brisket (plan on doing it on an offset with Hickory) but here I have this beautiful piece of meat looking at me like I know why I bought it. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciate and I plan to follow up with my results for those interested.

Plan on attempting to pretty closely follow Aaron franklins process in his manifesto but open to any novice hacks to make it a memorable first!

Picture below:

[Donw]

Here you go: https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...brisket-method

[ecowper]

comyers331 best of luck ….. how much monitoring and tending do you have to do with your offset?

[comyers331]

ecowper Thank you! I monitor/tend probably more than i should.. i only walk away for a little while after i add new logs to the firebox.. but then again i have only cooked on it once before so i do not have a feel for how my wood burns down or how the heat transfers and reduces over time yet unfortunately

[ecowper]

comyers331 enjoy the process, don't worry too much, drink a beer, enjoy the process! :-)

[HawkerXP]

Have done a bunch of Costco prime briskets. They come out terrific!

So, first thing, 2 days before your cook unwrap and trim. There is a lot of hard white fat on them bad boys that need to come off. I'm talking a couple of pounds worth. Lots of good videos on how to do this. Arron Franklin, the king of Texas brisket has a good one. aaron franklin trim brisket - Bing video after trimming follow Meatheads brisket method as mentioned above. Its really not that hard to cook one of these. Just relax and enjoy. We here at the Pit will be standing by to see how you do. Pictures are a must!

[comyers331]

Thank you for the support - my pops mentioned that a lot of the competition guys around here get their brisket from Costco. Friday I plan on taking it out of the wrap as you suggest and trimming it up and then dry brining on Saturday for cook on Sunday.

Thank you for the video link - I will take a look

Pics or it didnt happen!!! I will show my results - good or bad..

[captainlee]

As above, just trim and go for it. I've never had a bad Costco prime brisket, that's all i purchase. Just don't freak out with the stall, whether you wrap or just cook it through. Don't get intimidated, the cook is fun. Brisket holds well if it gets done early. Check out the different ways to hold. Everything will work out. Let us know your good results.
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[comyers331]

Thats good to hear - i wasnt planning on texas crutch but was gonna try my hand at wrapping in butcher paper.. just read Aaron Franklin's manifesto and i feel like i owe it to him. Appreciate the support and i will definitely let you all know how it goes

[Sid P]

Hopefully it wasn’t a once on a lifetime opportunity for you, but $3.99/lb is a damn good price in 2021-22. Smoke that baby up and take plenty of pics. I’d also print out that thread and refer to it while cooking. It’s easy to think "I’ve got this", but forget something in the hear of the moment. Been there, done that 😫.

[comyers331]

Printing out the instructions is a damn good idea that i had not thought of to keep in line while i got a hundred other things going on. I really hope its not a once in a lifetime opportunity but I was not expecting that grade meat and cut for that price so why not?!

[Dadof3Illinois]

I picked up two (18&16lb) last Friday at our Costco for that price. I’ve cooked a few of their prime briskets and they have been pretty nice!! Good luck and make sure to get plenty of pictures for us.

[comyers331]

Yessir i will definitely upload pictures Sunday or Monday after the cook - appreciate the support!

[bbqLuv]

For me, I'm the cook, recipes are only a guide. I got tired of following recipes to the letter with less than good results.
Clean, trim, season, smoke to 165*f internal, wrap, cook to 203*f internal, open wrap to breath 10 minutes, close wrap, cover with towels, place on cooler for 1-to-2 hours rest. Keeping a time-stamped log is a big help. Use A Cooking Log Or Diary (amazingribs.com)

Sometimes I make burnt ends out of the point. Here is the first one I did for a get-together.


Disclaimer, I am only into smoking for about 4-5 years, I am a ranked amateur. Retirement hobby.

[comyers331]

Thats great advice and yeah.. i need to look into burnt ends but I am currently focused on the steps for the brisket. They cant be too hard, right??? haha I am with you on the log. I have one and before the cook i just list out as simply as possible the steps i need just as you did. Much appreciated!

[Draznnl]

Prime briskets were $3.99/lb at the Sarasota Costco last week. I've done several Costco briskets. Don't be surprised if you have 3 or 4 pounds of fat to trim following Aaron Franklin's method.

You've gotten a lot of good advice above. Follow it and you should be fine. Remember to relax and enjoy it. Don't freak out when your meat hits the stall or if your cooker temperature fluctuates a few degrees. It's only barbecue. You'll muddle through. If you have questions or concerns, the Pit is here to help you. Pictures will help everyone here provide answers to your questions.

Deep breath. You got this.

[comyers331]

Thanks! I will definitely post pics after the cook for all

[Huskee]

I love it when Prime or Choice packer briskets are cheaper than ground beef! I cook more briskets than I do burgers. Heck you could even use a brisket to grind up your own burger meat (but who would do that?!)

My advice, don't be in a hurry to cook it. You can age that baby in your fridge for up to 2 months. Yep. 30-60 days sitting in that cryovac in your cold fridge (under 39). That's called wet aging. That will help tenderize it. Not required, but very popular. I typically do mine 60-70 days.

Trim it and salt it (1/2 tsp Kosher salt or 1/4 tsp table salt per lb pf meat) the day before. Or if you're using a salted rub, use it as the salt.

Next, and maybe this isn't in your wheelhouse yet, maybe it is, is to trim it internally really well. What I mean by that is personally I like to trim out the fat between the flat & point quite heavily, stopping just short of separating the two completely. Removing that wad of fat, which acts as an insulating layer, can speed up your overall cook a bit, plus it makes it quite a bit less fatty upon slicing and eating. Below is a pic of what I mean. Begin slicing on the back side (non fat cap side) where the white line of fat is, and peel up the meat as you slice the fat out. Stop before you separate them as shown. I bet a lot of folks don't do this, Aaron Franklin doesn't, at least not in his instructional videos. Nothing bad will happen if you don't of course. I think it is beneficial for cooking and eating.



I would caution though that you leave a little extra fat cap on the flat though. To me, that soft strip of salty delicious fat on the outside of each slice is wonderful, so don't go too crazy trimming the cap or you risk removing too much of it. Better it be a little thicker than too thin IMO. If you take the brisket to the upper 190s to mid 200s, and hold it there and hour or two with the cooker temp slowly waning (called holding), then that fat will be soft and buttery and delicious.

Have a great cook!

[Huskee]

You're dry brining after you trim, right? comyers331

[comyers331]

Huskee Yes sir.. 1/2 tsp per pound of meat Mortons Kosher salt dry brine after the trim

[Huskee]

Roger that. Have a great cook! comyers331

[Redwng]

We all have a first time...well for everything. I think the biggest part is the meat itself but I will say that once you hit brisket nirvana (took me three times) you have officially raised the bar and going to a BBQ restaurant will never be the same. Don't overthink it and enjoy the journey with an adult beverage of choice and send pics of course.

[comyers331]

If you don’t mind me asking what mistakes (or changes) were needed between the first two and the third cook for you?

Beverages and pics are definitely on the list

[Huskee]

Same here. My first two were edible and ok/good, but my third was awesome.

[fzxdoc]

comyers331 What Huskee and Redwng said. The third one is the charm, and it's pretty much solid good cooks from then on, once you get your technique down. Write down what you did so you know what you want to change the next time. And only change one thing at a time for each cook. That way you know whether it worked.

Once you've got your game plan solid, then the only monkeywrench in the works will be whether or not you get a well-behaved or ornery brisket from the market.

Kathryn

[comyers331]

Here we go everyone.. overall I’d say it was a success for a first time and I want to thank everyone for their advice and suggestions. I ended up doing a dry brine 24 hours before and then using equal part granulated garlic and course pepper rub.

The guinea pigs I coerced into trying it said it was good and I would agree but I thought the flat was a little too dry. Also, I always get nervous during the stall (I felt like I had two during this cook - one at 160-165F and another after I wrapped in butcher paper at 170-180F). My temps from the fire box could have been a little more consistent from the wrap until finish. I’m happy with how the fire went and burned from start until the wrap though.

Overall the cook was 815am - 715pm. It was a long day but very well worth it. I need to work on maintaining my temperatures as well as figuring out the whole "it’s done when it feels right" thing. I pulled off at 203F and wrapped at 170F assuming that was after the stall but I think the wrap and braise like effect caused me to stall again.

But again, it was successful first brisket in my opinion and I couldn’t have done it without the pit! THANK YOU!

[captainlee]

It all worked out and you survived the stall. Great job and you learned a lot for your next smoke.

[ecowper]

My first brisket was dry like sawdust .... you nailed it for the first time out!

[fzxdoc]

Beautiful! You should be rightfully pleased with your cook. A bit of a dry flat is easily fixed with some mop sauce poured on when serving. Recipe is on the free side here: https://amazingribs.com/tested-recip...arbecue-juice/

If you cube up that (slightly dry) flat and make a chili with it, you'll think you've died and gone to Brisket Heaven.

Also I'm sure someone mentioned to only slice what you are eating. Slicing the whole flat makes it dry out.

Kathryn

[Coconut Monkey]

I would eat that!

I've found wrapping slightly before you think its going to stall, say around 160 works well too.

[comyers331]

texastweeter that was one of my takeaways from the first cook. Learning when its ready for wrap and when its done by look and feel (knowing when its done when its wrapped in butcher paper seems tough

[texastweeter]

Done = probe tender i start checking with my temp pen or a skewer at 190°.

[fzxdoc]

comyers331 , FWIW I like to wrap after the stall at 170 to 180° so the bark is nice and set. Nothing worse than a mushy bark on an otherwise well-cooked brisket. You can always power through the stall by kicking the smoker temp up 10 or 15 degrees.

And a double stall is not all that uncommon, whether you wrap or don't, at least in my experience.

Kathryn

[Santamarina]

Looks like you did a great job!

Costco Prime packers are the only brisket I cook. Prices in my area are currently over $4/lb, but it’s still the cheapest beef available. Over the years they’ve had them as low as $2.99/lb…for Prime grade!

You can’t go wrong following Franklins manifesto. His method plus using Prime beef make it so easy. Don’t need to do ANYTHING until it’s time to cook. While your pit is heating up trim, hit it with 50/50 mix of Morton’s coarse Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper, throw it in the pit. Dry brining is totally unnecessary.

Hopefully now you’ll have more confidence for your next cook.

[jfmorris]

Don't get hung up on 203F as a magic temperature either. Go until your probe feels like it is going into warm butter, and the brisket should also be "jiggly" by then as well - you can shake it and it wobbles like a bunch of jello. For me, that number can often be more like 205 to 208.

All in all looks like your first brisket cook went VERY well. It's really no harder than doing a butt, but for some reason I too was intimidated by brisket, despite having smoked several hundred butts before doing my first brisket.

[comyers331]

Thank you! I am going to try and start honing in on that skill. I think i could have taken it closer to 200F given how the flat came out. With that said - can you see the jiggle and everything when its wrapped in butcher paper?

I was the same way with pork butts - I can smoke one and tell when its done (based on the jiggle, bark formation, etc.) but i dont wrap my pork butts so i am not sure how to get the x ray vision down

[jfmorris]

comyers331 I wrap my brisket tightly in foil, not paper, around 170F or so, if I wrap at all. I can pick that up with gloves and feel the jiggle.

[Mosca]

I didn’t see this but I don’t think I could have said anything to affect your result. I do have some general advice for brisket, though.

Having read Franklin’s manifesto, and purchased his video through MasterClass, the one thing that he says that you can take to the bank is that every brisket is different, and the way to get good at cooking brisket is to cook a lot of it!

Now the Mosca part: Lots of cooks fret about brisket like they fret about prime rib. Typically you’re going to have a lot of time and money invested in a cook that’s most likely a special occasion, or for a large group of guests. Well, don’t. Don’t fret. Don’t overthink it. Brisket doesn’t have a brain, and you aren’t trying to wrangle it. It’s a big hunk of beef. Cook it. When you do that, it becomes less of a chore, and more of an experience. Because even though every brisket is different, the same things still happen with every cook. Briskets cook, stall, restart, and finish. That’s it.

Now here are some mistakes I’ve made that you can avoid.

First one is, trim that thing. Not just the fat, but all those thin pieces at the edges. If most of your brisket is going to be great, those pieces are most likely going to be inedible. Or, conversely, if those pieces are great, then the rest of your brisket is going to be inedible. One is going to be overdone, or the other underdone. Just trim them and use them for something else.

Second, don’t bother separating point from flat. I did that for a while, and I wound up with wildly varying results. Things got done at different times, different cooks took different amounts of time, sometimes one was great and the other dry, etc. Screw that. Leave it whole.

Third, when checking for doneness shoot for the thickest part of the flat. Ignore the point, it will take care of itself. If the flat didn’t dry out, then the point didn’t, either. 203 is a guide. Start checking at 190. And here’s why: it probably isn’t done at 190. But you’ll be able to feel what it’s like to probe it when it’s not done. Then when you probe it and it’s done, and the probe goes in like butter, you can think, "Oh. Now I understand. It went in like butter!" And if you’re thinking,”Is that like butter?” It’s not. It isn’t a little bit like butter. It’s like, the meat is barely there.

Fourth, everyone says to use just salt and pepper. And that’s great, that works. But in reality most places use more than that. I use Meathead’s brisket rub, and it is fantastic. I tend to mix the rub over-peppered a bit, but that’s me, it is still great.

https://amazingribs.com/tested-recip...ef-rub-recipe/

Fourth, have fun. It’s just a big hunk of beef. Cook it. The worst that can happen is everyone will be polite and tell you it’s great.

[comyers331]

Thank you - i really appreciate the thoughtful advice. One thing you pointed out that never dawned on me was to probe check the FLAT. I was probe checking the middle of the whole brisket thinking that was the way to go. It makes perfect sense.. if the flat is perfect the point will take care of itself. I like the idea of starting to check at 190F to feel the difference of when its finished

Thank you also for saving me the trouble of not separating the point and the flat!

[Jfrosty27]

Great advice all around. Thx.

[Mosca]

comyers331 Yeah, separatin them sounds like it would make sense, right? But the results are just inconsistent. One cook will take 8 hours, the next will take 11, the next time the point is done in 6 and the flat in 9, and sometimes one is dry, or tough. No consistency.

You don’t want to put the probe where that thick layer of fat is. Stick it right in the flat. As it gets closer to done, it will get easier, and then, all of a sudden, it’s like you’re sticking it in a stick of butter!