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Brisket Competition Question

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    Brisket Competition Question

    Hey all, I'm new to the Pit so I thought I'd start off with a question.
    A buddy and I that really like eating Que and smoking got the wild hair to start a team and enter a cookoff local to him. We are really just recreational cookers and it's fun. However, the rules of the competitions, tend to limit the time you have to dry or wet brine your meats, particularly the brisket. I usually wet marinade my brisket (really a brine with other flavors) for 24hrs before smoking and it's always juicy. For this upcoming competition, we can't season or do anything but trim the meats before 6pm. Turn times are chicken at 11am, ribs at 1pm and brisket at 3pm. That essentially leaves me 21hrs from first salt to walking it to the judges table. For competitions, I usually use a 14lb+ birsket to get good even slices.

    So my question is, can you guys provide tips/experience on the best way to brine/salt the brisket quickly? Just throwing a salty rub on the top and smoking it for 18hrs tends to produce dryer meat. Follow-up question, I've used foil to wrap my brisket in the past but during competition, it tends to blow up a bit and not slice well. Any tips on wrapping pre and post to help me out?

    FYI, i've read Meatheads Brisket process and use it just too long for this cook with resting.

    #2
    That's why most competitors inject brisket! I've been known to rub as soon as possible, like at 6 pm straight up and let the slurry sink into the meat as long as possible. I'd apply the rub and let the brisket sit in a cold cambro as long as I could. That or injection are your options. I hate injecting a Snake River Farms brisket!

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      #3
      I'm using two solid prime grade briskets bought locally 14 and 16 lbs. Our initial plan is to do an injection (beef stock, worchestershire, salt(depending on the salt in the stock) and butter) then salt it and rub it. I'd like to let is sit for at least an hour but depending on the brisket weight we'll just have to see. And yes, seasoning and injecting starts at 6 sharp. Do you think an hour 'on ice' is enough to really help the final juicyness?

      Also, do you crutch? Any competition tips for this time scale? I Like to have it off the smoker by 1 and in the cooler (I don't have a Cambo yet).

      Also the SNF Kobe brisket look awesome but a little out of our price range at this point.

      Comment


        #4
        I've done a number of KCBS comps that allow you to brine/inject/rub meats anytime after they are inspected, usually around 3 - 4 PM. Brisket turn in is at 1 PM. Given your 6 PM start time, you should have no trouble prepping your brisket, including injecting, and getting it on the smoker with lots of time to spare even if you don't use a crutch. Remember two things: 1) the meat the judges like bears no resemblance to what most cookers produce in their backyards and 2) use the best quality meat you can afford (prime if you can find it). Practice makes perfect so I recommend you do some test runs using the time constraints of the competition and vary injecting, rubs, wrapping in foil, pit temp, etc, and document the results. One thing that I find mandatory is a two or three hour hold time after you take it off the smoker. I hope this helps.

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        • SoonerBQuer
          SoonerBQuer commented
          Editing a comment
          I'm doing mostly what you are talking about but I am concerned about having good hold time after the smoker. Thanks for the advice.

        #5
        If I could only get prime! I do crutch. Is this contest IBCA? I know Gulf Coast just merged into IBCA (thanks to Craig Sherry!). Texas rules means cook it until it's plastic fork and knife tender and pencil-thick slabs of brisket (9 slices now, I think). You should have plenty of time. Work your schedule backwards from your completion time (and add an hour) and that's when it's got to go on the cooker. Plan your seasoning time from that. And - Good Luck!

        Comment


        • SoonerBQuer
          SoonerBQuer commented
          Editing a comment
          yeah it's IBCA ince the gulf coast disbanded/merged. I'm thinking i'll smoke hotter 240, and leave myself more brining/injection time on the front end. It would be neat to see you at a comp sometime if you head towards Houston ever. Smokin' Hot Grill on Grill Action

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