Brisket Conundrum

[Oldsorb]

I've a brisket question.

I will be preparing Texas style brisket for my son's wedding reception on an upcoming Saturday afternoon. I smoke/grill on a Memphis Pro pellet grill; her name is Gabby. Gabby says hello, but I digress.

My problem is that I live 230 miles away from where the reception will be taking place. The plan is to serve food at 1300, that's 1:00 PM for non-military types (retired USCG). My conundrum is how do I knock the socks off of our guests with my brisket without Gabby? I thought about taking my beloved with us, but that is impractical - I was told.

So, here is my thought, please comment upon or suggest options:

- Prep my briskets up here (Bemidji, MN) as per usual; salt the day before and inject with beef broth just before hitting the smoker.

- Smoke them as usual at 225 degrees until approximately 75% done and wrap in foil.

- Chill immediately to stop the cooking process and then refrigerate.

- Transport cold briskets to Minneapolis in cooler with a sad faced Gabby in the rearview mirror.

- Saturday morning, (day of reception) I finish them off in a heavy-duty charcoal grill that will be onsite.

- Wrap and rest them in a cooler until it's time to serve.

Any suggestions (even if it's, "you're nutz") will be greatly appreciated!

Sincerely,

Oldsorb of fthe frozen north, aka Craig

[DWCowles]

Welcome Oldsorb I see no problem with that

[EdF]

Should work. How long does it take to travel those miles?

[Oldsorb]

It's about a four-hour drive and we will be leaving here the day before the reception.

[EdF]

Four hours in a faux cambro would be ok, but leaving the day before favors your original plan.

[kmhfive]

First, welcome to the Pit! Glad to have you and thanks for your service!

Two questions: 1. Are you planning on driving the 230 miles the day of or the day before? If the day of, the brisket would be fine in a cooler wrapped tightly and blanketed.
2. Do you have a vacuum sealer and SV equipment you could use? If so, there is a great set of posts by FlaBouy where he smoked brisket to 145F IT then put in the HTTM for 2-days, then seated them just before serving. If no SV, but you can vacuum seal, you could do your usual brisket then vacuum seal just warming up in hot water prior to opening and serving.

Ultimately your plan will work out. Once you get past the stall and have a good bark, you can chill and then finish later. Don't forget to bring a good thermometer to check!

Good luck and keep us posted on the progress. Congratulations on the wedding!

[kmhfive]

Sous Vide and Hot Tub Time Machine. Here's hoping for the best!

[EdF]

He's already got it nailed!

[FlaBouy]

Yep.. I basically smoke to 145, SV @ 155, and then dump in a bath of ice... that period so far has just been defined as an hour or so to chill, just prior to my final reverse sear prior to serving. The hold period is still TBD, but I see no reason that it can't be held for 24 hours.

[Henrik]

What the others said :-)

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[tbob4]

If it were me, I would re-address the subject of taking Gabby along. Based upon your situation and description, I can deduce a few of things about you. First, you make a mean brisket. Otherwise, you wouldn't even think about serving it at this event. Second, others are familiar with your brisket and know what to expect from it. Third, you and Gabby are the ones who make the music out of the notes. If it was another type of gathering, with less significance, I would go with all of the above suggestions. They are all solid and will give you good results. However, you said you aren't taking Gabby only because you were told it was impractical not because you think it is. I hope I don't get in trouble with the person who told you it is impractical.

[smokinfatties]

Agree! If it's a wedding and that special I'd rent a Uhaul Trailer for $20/day and gabby would come with

[Steve R.]

Could not agree more! The backup plan could very well work out just fine, but who needs that pressure?

[RonB]

Haulin' Gabby alone would give you the best product, but if that's not possible, I'd go ahead and cook it and vacuum seal it. If you don't have a vacuum sealer, this is a good excuse to get one. You might want to cut the brisket into pieces that will fit in the largest pot available at the reception. Then reheat the brisket in the bags for several hours. A good simmer will do, but above 150* for safety. This will soften the bark. If that doesn't bother you, open the bags slice and serve. If you think it's necessary, throw the brisket on a hot grill to help the bark, then slice and serve. Don't forget to save the juices from the bags to pour over the sliced brisket, or dip the slices in the juice.

Almost forgot - welcome to The Pit.

[HorseDoctor]

Totally agree! Cook, chill, vac-pac & reheat with sous vide. Leftovers my a$$! It will be great!!!

[David C]

Lots of good advice here. If you are going to experiment with sous-vide, I'd practice first. I make a pretty good brisket, and cook a lot of sous-vide (have for 12 years), but my briskets done with a combo of sv & smoke haven't been as good as the ones I do traditionally (more or less ala Franklin). As to taking your Memphis, I had to chuckle. Our daughter is getting married next Spring, and I would be sorely tempted to bring my Memphis & cook, except that she is getting married in Austin, so there are much simpler ways to procure great brisket!

[texastweeter]

I would some it and try to tiem it so it goes into the cambrio just before I left. You can firm up thebark and heat it up a tad on the charcoal grill.