I'm a heretic when it comes to brisket

[HawkerXP]

I do them when feeding a group.
Two young people from work managed to find each other recently and are getting hitched.
Brisket and wibs have been requested for the last work lunch as they are moving to the west coast.
This will be cooked on my PBC (surprise!)

[MsTwiggy]

“…, …, …!!!” 😉🔥🔥🐿️

[TripleB]

I don't think you're a heretic, just your tastes are different than others. I'm not a big brisket fan. I enjoy it when I have it, but rarely make it. I enjoy steaks and Tri-tip more. And besides, it's just two big a chore to man the smoker for 14-18 hours. Of course it's different if you're a pellet pooper pitmaster.

I probably smoke 1 brisket a year, 4-5 butts a year and a whole lot of chicken and ribs. Cook what you enjoy and enjoy what you cook.

Cheers

[synodog]

Haven’t done a brisket in a few years. I did them for family gatherings around Christmas or summer swim parties. Lately, I’ve been doing rib roasts for Christmas and doing pulled pork more often since I like sleep.
I also have been easing away from brisket and beef ribs since I’ve had some digestive issues in the last couple years and those cuts seem to be the trigger. Too bad too, I enjoy them.

[DaveD]

I've done exactly three, count 'em, three briskets in my 2.5 year meat smoking career. Each has been an aggressively trimmed full packer, and each came out amazingly well. I used Prime briskets for two of them, Choice for the other, and benefited greatly from tapping in to the experience and support of this forum to learn how to go about it. Absolutely no question that gave me a big head start.

The vacuum sealer is the key for us for any large cut - no way we could get through that much meat without secure leftover packaging. We get several great sit-down meals plus a big ol' batch of chili beans out of each one. Vac sealing is an absolute must.

All three have been overnight cooks. For my first one, I ran it in the pellet smoker, but for the second two, I started them in the SnS kettle late in the evening and transferred them to the pellet rig in the morning, they were done by midday to early afternoon, then rested until dinnertime. The SnS kettle will burn all night very reliably low and slow, and I slept as well as I ever do. So in the end it really hasn't been a ridiculous amount of effort to cook them. Yet. So I'll keep at it

[Huskee]

I suppose it's like turkey, if you nail it perfectly it's great but if grandma doesn't do it right and it's cardboard it's definitely not worth the effort. Sometimes you just don't like turkey no matter what and you question why you're supposed to.

Some tips I've learned over the years that work for me personally:

• don't buy a large one, larger briskets tend to have even more fat percentage. For me, I find 12-14lbs to be the best usable meat to fat ratio.
• don't trim too much fat cap, at least from the flat portion. The flat, even on a Prime or Wagyu brisket, is very lean so I like to leave 1/2" on the flat, no less, it gives each slice that soft, salty, buttery fat layer on one side which adds to the moisture and umami sensation.
• smoke flavor preference varies from person to person, and you may not like one that's smoked with charcoal and/or wood, you may prefer the gentler pellet smoke flavor, or electric. Try a different fuel source if possible.
• timing is very important- not cooked or "held" long enough and it may come across and dry and miserable; too long (cooked or held or both) and it can be crumbly.
• wrapping too early might negate some goodness. Why? Well, if you wrap at the start of the stall (160ish) you'll save some cook time but won't build up as much crusty delicious bark to line one side of each slice. If you delay wrapping until after the stall you might like it better. You might not.
• you might prefer the leaner, bacon-like slices of flat instead of the fattier point end. Try both from a cook that you feel went as good as it could, don't limit yourself to only one part.
• this might seem incredibly obvious or even silly, but make sides that you want to have with brisket.
  • I say this because to me personally, I don't prefer the standard stereotypical "BBQ sides" that so many places give you (cornbread, green beans, bbq beans, mac & cheese, etc). Give me mashed taters, heck even gravy too, with my brisket and I'm a happy boy. Garlic bread. Make the whole meal something you actually want, whatever that is for you. Ignore the stereotypes.

If you like the flavor but hate all the fuss with brisket and the fat trimming, I suggest trying two other things; pulled beef-- take a chuck roast and add brisket rub then treat it like a pork butt from there forward; or beef short ribs-- all the brisket taste and goodness but much simpler and a few hours quicker to cook.

Lastly, this might be shocking but not everyone likes brisket. That's ok, you won't lose a punch on your pitmaster card if you don't. At least you gave it a good whirl.

[MsTwiggy]

Great points you make!! I always get the biggest one I can find because I separate the flat from the point and if they are small they can dry out. Mashed potatoes sound pretty good to me!! 🔥🔥🐿️

[Stuey1515]

This is why you are Admin, oh wise one 😁

[realdocBBQ]

I've got 2 full packers aging in the fridge. They're at the point I need to do something with them pretty soon, probably around 60 days right now. I may do one this weekend while I'm working out in the shop. I'll see if my buddy wants to fire up the big smoker and throw some more stuff on there. I've got a couple of chikkins in the fridge I needa cook up as well, so that may all get done this weekend.

Thanks fer remindin' me I need ta get after it! lol

<edit> And I will say, I often have to 'fight' to do packers - my wife is not the biggest brisket fan, she loves pork ribs and pulled pork, so she's pretty 'boring' from the standpoint of challenging myself to cook different and better things all the time. I like variety and I want to stretch my wings, but she'd be happy if I did MMD+ with babybacks and pulled pork exclusively.

[Huskee]

Oh man! 60-day wet aged briskets are worth their weight in GOLD! Happy times ahead for you.

[jfmorris]

I only buy brisket anymore when I catch Kroger selling them about twice a year for $1.99. More frequently they go on sale there for $2.99 a pound. That is for USDA Choice, and I usually trim a couple pounds off the fat cap, *OR* trim none of the fat unless its that yellowish stuff, and chop the entire brisket into little chunks and grind it for hamburger. I feel the fat to meat ratio makes for a good burger grind and at $1.99 its half the cost of store bought ground chuck.

I find brisket is a great thing for making pastrami or corned beef, but mostly, I use full packers when feeding a big crew. Like a Christmas party - in fact, I did two briskets in December, one for a Christmas potluck - and my meat was the first thing gone - and one for a family get together.

For just the two of us, its a lot easier to cook something smaller and easier like a steak if I want some beef.

[Skip]

I know brisket is a lot of hype but people do like it so I still do one once in awhile for Family. They think it's good and appreciate having it occasionally. A place in our County that I volunteer at has a brisket dinner fundraiser twice a year and it goes over better than other meats they've tried. I have a Fellers Ranch Wagyu Brisket in the freezer to make in a couple months when our Family is all here. My plans are to do it in the LSG Adjustable with all wood for the first time ever. Wish me luck!

[Alan Brice]

Good Luck Skip. Sounds like the perfect recipe. Cannot wait to enjoy it thru your cook.
If you do not mind my asking, what did that bad boy set you back?

[Skip]

I honestly can't remember. $80-$100? I've had it in the freezer since before the Holidays.

[bbqLuv]

Brisket to enjoy—the whole process
i enjoy trimming, injecting, seasoning with rub, and smoking it. Making burnt ends.
of course I enjoy eating the fruit of my labor of love

[Santamarina]

Smoked brisket is one of my favorite things to eat. I don’t make it as often as I’d like - actually, I don’t make any barbecue nearly as often as I’d like because I don’t have the time.

Tossed a prime packer in the freezer last night after it wet aged for 60+ days. I hoped to smoke it a couple weeks ago, but…the business. With baseball tournaments this weekend it looks like it’s gonna be a little longer before I have time for a cook day, so into the freeze it went.

Brisket also tends to be my go-to for ground beef. Costco has choice packers for $3.99 and prime packers for $4.99, and I can’t touch any other cut of beef for less than $6.99 barring a sale, so choice packers come home often with ground beef being the goal.

Do I think less of you because you don’t like brisket? Of course not. Everyone has their own preferences. I have an Apple computer and drive a Ford truck…and if you use Windows and drive a Toyota it doesn’t bother me either!

Cheers to making the food YOU like!!!

[Duanessmokedmeats]

I make most of my briskets as chopped.
The fat I render and make suet for the woodpeckers. They prefer it of store bought.
The leftover kernels are given to my puppies.

[Smoker_Boy]

The dogs said they would gladly eat all of it.

[Duanessmokedmeats]

They stand by as I am chopping it. A few pieces fly onto the floor, no 3 second rule here. More like .00001 second rule. Reach down and lose a finger...🤣🤣🤣

[MsTwiggy]

If i was a woodpecker I wouldn’t forget about you! Ya never know when them peckin’ peckers friendship come in handy!! 🔥🔥🐿️

[realdocBBQ]

Did my 60-day aged brisket yesterday... what a long day of smoking. It was exhausting, but I did a lot more than brisket. Just tired last night, I crashed HARD.

Today, I will try the brisket - it's been holding at 150ºF since last night.

[Johnny Booth]

I do brisket on a stick-burner, I’m pretty good at it, and I friggin love it!!!!
I cook em whole, in parts, pastrami, burnt ends, chopped, pulled, sliced; don’t matter.
It is my all time favorite meat, smoked chuck is #2. Whoo Hooo!!! Go brisket!! 👍😎

[MsTwiggy]

Yay!!! Something about that giant cow pectoral, I love them too 🤩👏😍 🔥🔥🐿️