Brisket Practice...in Search of the Perfect Bark, Tenderness, & Taste

[RAmorris]

I purchased a high choice 10.7 pound brisket point, which when trimmed was 9 pounds. I used only salt for seasoning. Salted all sides, put it in an aluminum pan, covered the pan with foil and put it in the refrigerator for 12 hours. The next day, prior to putting it on the smoker, I sprayed cooking oil on all sides of the brisket but the fat cap, and put it in the water smoker fat side down. I cooked it at 250 degrees, exposing it to heavy white / blue smoke for 1 ½ hours. Then I removed it from the smoker, wrapped it tightly in aluminum foil insuring a steam seal, and put it in a foil baking pan. I put it in the oven and cooked it at 275 degrees for another 5 hours and 45 minutes, until it reached an internal temperature of 200. I then turned the oven off, opened the door, let the oven cool to 140 degrees, and put the brisket, still wrapped in the foil, back in the oven, now set at 140 degrees. The brisket rested in the oven for an hour. This was incredibly good brisket, the best I have ever had or made, other than a Snake River Farms Wagyu. Juicy and fall apart tender. One of my neighbors is from Brazil – the state of Sao Paulo. I travel there from time to time on business. In Brazil, they take barbecued meats very seriously. It is an insult in Brazil to put BBQ sauce on smoked meats, because that says to them that the smoked meat is not good enough without sauce. I took some of this brisket to my Brazilian neighbor, and he raved about it. A Wagyu prepared this way would be astounding.

[_John_]

Was there a reason you didn't finish in the pit? I know once it is wrapped it doesn't matter, just curious.

[Jon Solberg]

Sounds delicious!

[Spinaker]

So just had an idea. It might seem crazy but I thought I would give it a try. i wanted to bounce it off of you guys first to see if anyone has done it yet.
I was thinking about injecting my brisket with rendered fat that I trim off the brisket. Am I just being crazy or does anyone think that this will boost moisture/flavor? Will it even work? I have never heard of anyone doing this, and there maybe a reason why. What do you guys think?

[Jerod Broussard]

someone was doing that on the main site I just don't see a whole lot of stuff staying inside during the cooking process

[DWCowles]

Spinaker that sounds like a question for the brisket King Jerod Broussard

[JeffJ]

Are you talking about the Jerod Broussard who is trying to figure a way to cram 6 briskets into his PBC?

[DWCowles]

Yes that's who I'm talkin about...he's the brisket King

[Jerod Broussard]

I think sometimes it is really hard to make something it is not. For example, look at the briskets that Aaron Franklin buys, and what he "does" (read "doesn't") do to them before he tosses them in the smoker.

I thought I was going to be an injecting fool with briskets. Until: 1. I injected one, what a freaking mess 2. I had to cook 12 briskets for a quiz tourney, no way I was poking that many 3. I wet-aged 2 Choice briskets, probably a little longer than what would be deemed legal, AWESOMELY moist, even after cooling and reheating and resting in the faux cambro another 3 hours.

I can look at a brisket flat and know what to expect. You mess with enough of 'em, you know when to grab, and when to keep walking. But you got to hit some really bad ones to really learn your lesson, and not all Selects are bad.

[JeffJ]

I think sometimes it is really hard to make something it is not. For example, look at the briskets that Aaron Franklin buys, and what he "does" (read "doesn't") do to them before he tosses them in the smoker.

I thought I was going to be an injecting fool with briskets. Until: 1. I injected one, what a freaking mess )

Although I am fairly new to BBQ injecting is something that I just don't find appealing. I've always understood the hallmark of great Que to be: Bark, smoke flavor, tender juiciness due to numerous hours of low and slow and the natural taste of the meat itself enhanced by all of the melted fat and broken down collagens. To me, injecting seems like introducing flavor that doesn't belong especially if the meat is going to be sauced at the end of the cook. Now, it's possible my opinion could change after trying some meat that has been injected, but I doubt it.

[Jerod Broussard]

TOP, TOP competition cooks have said they have done well injecting and not injecting.

Now turkey, and maybe chicken at times, I really love a deep butter flavored injection to the deep pectoral muscles.

[JeffJ]

I keep going back to that article that Meathead wrote regarding competition cooking: It's great for a single bite but is a chore to eat as a meal. Sometimes less is better. Then again, I REALLY liked the thought of chicken injected with some liquified butter. I guess it goes to show that in life there are very few absolutes.

[The Burn]

Until: 1. I injected one, what a freaking mess

No kidding. No matter what I've done - deeper container, sheet of plastic wrap, etc., I always end up squirting beef broth everywhere.

[PaulstheRibList]

I love the BBQ advice of so many, like Jerod Broussard - after a lot of cooking, you start to figure out what you are doing, such as which Select briskets are ok, and which ones will be tough and dry.

That's why I am committed to #BrisketPractice. Problem today is that I don't have a dedicated fridge to wet age briskets...there were 2 Choice Briskets for $2.98 at Wal Mart today, and I had to let them sit there because my meat tray in the house fridge already has a brisket in there for a week now, and 4 racks of ribs for Saturday's bbq contest... #BBQProblems

[Spinaker]

Sounds like it would just be more work than its worth, between rendering the fat down and then injecting it. I just bought a BBQ fridge to hold all my meat for wet aging. So I guess ill just give the briskets a good 20 day soak and go from there. To be honest, I always hated injecting briskets. Like others have said, it makes a huge mess. I usually buy Prime briskets because the Costco in our area always has them and they are always cheap. (relatively) Thanks for the advice guys. Now I may just lose the injector all together.

[Jerod Broussard]

I like to go at least 30-40 days on the wet-age. I prefer closer to 45. I figure most briskets make it to the store within a day or two of being packed.