Waygu Brisket for Christmas . . . . looking for tips.

[Satchelpig]

Feeding my extended family for Christmas, and have ordered a Snake River Farms Waygu brisket, currently thawing in my refrigerator. I welcome any suggestions/comments on my general plan of attack:

• Trim and rub brisket with a salt/pepper/paprika-centric rub about 12-24 hours before it goes on.
• Put the brisket on low and slow at 225, planning on a range of 12-18 hours to reach "done."
• Wrap in butcher paper @165-170.
• At somewhere between the 200-207 range, depending upon feel/jiggle, take the brisket off and let it rest for about 30-45 minutes at room temp.
• Wrap tightly with saran wrap and towel, put into cooler to hold temp until ready to serve.
• Serve with a couple of optional sauces -- I'm thinking a traditional BBQ and a chimichurri.

Thoughts? Don't let me screw this up!!

[STEbbq]

I think you can do 250 or 275 and save the time and fuel costs with zero difference in flavor.

I guarantee you though that brisket will likely be overcooked if you are pulling at 200+. I would start checking for probe tender and jiggles at around 185 assuming it will probably be done in the low 190s but possibly earlier.

I also assume 2 hours rest at minimum.

[Mosca]

I’ve done a few SRF Wagyu briskets. You should be “light on your feet”; the meat might have other plans. The stall might start earlier than 165°. Or, it might not stall at all. Start checking for the jiggle early, like around 190°. It might still go to 200°+, but it might not, too.

The best thing about SRF Wagyu briskets is that the worst you will get is varying grades of really good to excellent. Enjoy!

[GolfGeezer]

Only 2 things I would suggest is that you start probing for tender when the brisket hits 185*-190*F for Wagyu (well, any kind of brisket really). The 2nd is I would skip the hold at room temp and go straight to wrapped and into the cooler for 2-4 hours (making sure it doesn't go below 140*F). Otherwise, what sides do you want me to bring?

[Troutman]

There's actually been a lot of experimentation with that. I still allow it to rest to slow down the cooking process. I've found that it avoids "pot roasting" or over cooking the meat. Straight from the cooker to the Cambro continues the cooking process. That's been my experience anyway.

[GolfGeezer]

Troutman Okay, I defer to your knowledge on cooking stuff as your experience and research certainly is far in advance of mine. :-)

[Satchelpig]

I guarantee you though that brisket will likely be overcooked if you are pulling at 200+. I would start checking for probe tender and jiggles at around 185 assuming it will probably be done in the low 190s but possibly earlier.

Thanks. There seems to be a consensus on this point, so it may be a game saver. Will be tenderness-checking around 185 on . . .

[RonB]

I would wrap with foil - not plastic wrap. I say this for two reasons. 1 - everyone here uses foil or paper and 2 - I'm not sure what will happen to plastic wrap if you do a proper hold Starting at the temp that you pulled the meat. Will it melt? Will it add unwanted flavor to the meat? I don't know, but I wouldn't want to take a chance.

Of course, if you have already done this successfully, ignore this post.

[Panhead John]

We ignore most of your posts anyway.

😂😂🤭🤭

[RonB]

Panhead John - so you got all the glue off yur keyboard from cutting and pasting and can use it again.

[ecowper]

Lots of good advice you've got so far. A couple thoughts

Only wrap after the stall if you need to, in my opinion
Definitely start checking that brisket at 185F. Prime brisket is usually done in the 195-200 range in my experience and Wagyu gets done even sooner.
Wrap in butcher paper for the hold. Hold for at least 2 hours
I wouldn't put the rub on until you go on the smoker.
Dry brine 24 hours ahead with kosher salt - 1/2 tsp per trimmed pound
My fave rub for brisket is coarse ground black pepper, granulated garlic, and paprika IF you want it, but it is optional in my opinion.

Here's my write up on cooking Brisket, if that is helpful

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/the-pit-mastery-program/beef-steak-brisket-roasts-prime-rib-etc/546242-eric%E2%80%99s-brisket-method

[Santamarina]

Prime brisket is all I’ve ever cooked, and your wagyu should be even more marbled than that. Where I’m going is that it will likely be probe tender (when you want to pull it) under 200°F. Don’t go past where the brisket tells you it’s done or you’ll have a pile of the most delicious chopped beef you’ve ever had!

Higher temp will also speed up the process. I typically do brisket at 250°F and I’ve never had a packer take more than 9 hours…seems the higher the grade the faster it goes, so even at 225° your wagyu should be done sooner than you expect.

I wrap brisket in butcher paper when the bark is set and the color I want - never by temp.

Brisket is also the only cut I don’t dry brine. Taking a cue from Aaron Franklin I hit it with 50/50 kosher salt/coarse ground black pepper and toss it immediately into the pit! I trim the brisket while the pit is coming up to temp.

Finally, the hold. Definitely go at least two hours, but more is better. I’ve held brisket for 12 hours in a warming oven with great success.

Good luck. No doubt it will be a delicious meal…even if it doesn’t go exactly as you plan.

[Spinaker]

Other than cooking at 225 F, I think you are good to go. I cook everything at 275 F.

I would wrap in foil so you can save all those drippings to pour over those slices. Especially with wagyu......that stuff is LIQUID GOLD. Do not give it all to the butcher paper that you are gonna throw away. *Not speaking for all, but........The only real reason pitmaster use butcher paper is cause they see comercial operations using it. And the commercial places use it cause it is cheaper than foil. AF was talking about this on Texas PBS a while back.

I would take it to Any Colour You Like. (Great Pink Floyd song) It will be done at about 190 or so. At least in my experience. I always make sure it is good and barked up before I wrap that baby up for the hold.

[Troutman]

Yea foil boat seems to be all the rage here in Texas these days. I'm just old fashioned and set in my ways, paper helps keep the bark in tact and also avoids over cooking. I've found a tight wrap in foil accelerates the cook unless you are watching closely. I hate pot roasted brisket. But hey, everyone does it different, as long as its good and you like it !!

[Panhead John]

Intact is one word…….🤓

[Spinaker]

Agreed on all points. I’m not a fan of the boat either. I wrap pretty late, at about 185-190. Then when I unwrap from the foil, I let it steam off for 5 mins or so to firm the bark back up. Troutman ecowper

[Troutman]

I got nothing more to add except skip the paprika. Wagyu brisket is about all I cook these day since I can get them relatively cheap here and I don't cook a lot of brisket so why not cook the best? Good luck with yours, it finishes quickly and is really easy to cook due to all the intermuscular fat.

[ecowper]

I don't think paprika does anything at all for brisket. I did say optional, but I never do it.

[Satchelpig]

Well, folks. Thank you for your counsel. It’s been a big hit.