How to do a brisket? HELP!

[Hill Kuntry Boy]

I have my father in law coming down next month and he wants me to Do a Texas brisket for him. I'm 22 and never done one before. I need to know every little detail. What/where to buy the brisket how to tell if it's good what to look for. How to season marinate what to use for that how long. Next is the fire, what would how hot how long I mean I need it all. He's coming down from Idaho and is expecting the best. Also good side dishes and what not. I know this is alot but please help!!! Thanks brothers!

[dangerous dan]

Brown sugar is your friend

[Free2Hunt]

Check the Recipies section for Final Table Brisket and follow it to the letter.

AS for side dishes, homemade tater salad and homemade baracho beans should suffice fora northerner, you are in the San Antonio area after all.

Good luck

[Hill Kuntry Boy]

Feel free to email me if it makes it easier augiegalm at gmail dot com

[Hill Kuntry Boy]

Also my pit doesn't have a side fire box so it will be directly over the fire!

[Gom]

x10000 on Final Table Brisket! Also as you see other recipes, you may be confused as to cooking it fat side UP or fat side DOWN? The key is in if the meat is indirect or direct over heat source. In your case, definatly cook fat side DOWN to protect meat from drying out.

[11cBowhunter]

brown sugar is your friend

great start and or maple syrup with crushed red pepper along with some liqiud smoke to marinade over night atleast 2 days would be great. Brisket should not be hard to the touch and not alot of fat around it either

i AGREE WITH HAVEAGOLDENDAY IF YOU ARE COOKING IT ON AN OPEN PIT THEN FAT SIDE DOWN DON'T PUT THE MEAT ON THE BBQ AFTER ALL THE LIGHTER FLUID HAS BURNED OFF AND AT FIRST I RECOMMEND WRAPPING IT IN FOIL TO KEEP IT JUICY FOR THE FIRST HOUR

[salth2o]

Not having an indirect smoker will definitely make it tougher to smoke a brisket. Not impossible, but definitely a higher degree of difficulty.

On my smoker, I cook at 225-250*F for about an hour per pound. I use pecan and oak for my heat source.

I prefer to buy a USDA Choice grade whole, untrimmed brisket still in the Cryovac packaging brisket, if available. I usually look for one that is 9-11 pounds. Plan for about a 50% yield on edible meat to the total weight of the uncooked brisket. I do not marinate my briskets, but rather use a dry rub that consists of paprika, cumin, brown sugar, mustard seed, pepper, salt, and oregano.

I would suggest that you make a few practice runs before your friend gets to town. Lots of pressure to perform for your first brisket if you wait until he gets to town. If it does not come out like you hope, then you both will be disappointed. If you ruin one (and trust me, it will happen) that you are cooking for yourself, then its not as big of a deal.

There are some really good bbq forums that may be beneficial to you. One that I frequent is bbq-brethren.com. Lots of guys on there who cook in a variety of ways.

Good luck and post some pics.

[str8shooter]

Not having an indirect smoker will definitely make it tougher to smoke a brisket. Not impossible, but definitely a higher degree of difficulty.

On my smoker, I cook at 225-250*F for about an hour per pound. I use pecan and oak for my heat source.

This times 10. Indirect heat - Low and Slow. It can be done with direct heat, cuz I've done it, on a gas grill no less, but you really have to watch your heat.

[keestan31]

http://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9201

[Dave]

Brisket recipe and smoking instructions

This will give you the basics and you can vary as you want for personal preferences but the basics of getting the meat to the proper state is pretty spot on.

[dangerous dan]

I do the following a little different than most but it is really good:

Make Liquid:
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup worstershizer
1 shinerbach
3-4 tsp liquid smoke

use this liquid as maranade 12-24 hours

Remove from maranade but save liquid then Rub brisket down with:
Mrs Dash spicy
tony satchers
lawreys

Get 1-2 bags of brown sugar


Make a huge tin foil pouch that will cover and seal the the whole brisket
put down a layer of brown sugar 1/2" thick on the bottom
placed(pre rubbed, pre soaked) brisket fat side up on bed of brown sugar
cover top with 1/2" of brown sugar
pour 2-3 cups of maranade over top of sugar
seal vapor tight in tin foil

Place in over at around 225deg for 4-5 hours
just before your buddy arives open the top of the foil so the smoke can get in and place it on the smoker for the last hour. the brown sugar will turn to molasis like substance

[gig one]

mmmmmmmm

[Rakkasan2187]

If I was closer I would let you use my smoker.

[txfireguy2003]

Dry rub of choice, I like "REO brand Fnacy BBQ Rub", and a few others. Rub your brisket down liberally with the seasoning, then wrap tightly in foil and toss in the fridge overnight. Next, find a buddy that will let you borrow a pit that has a side firebox. Yes, it can be done on a grill without a firebox, but it's probably one of the hardest things to do in BBQ (my oppinion) without getting too hot. Indirect heat is the way to go. Now that you've borrowed a proper smoker, build you a small fire int he firebox. You can use charcoal and lighter fluid for this, you're just trying to get something to create heat, you want a bed of coals. Make sure the fire is fairly small, I have trouble bringing temps back down once I run too hot. You can always add a log or two to bring the temp up, but it's hard to pull them out once they are burning. Get the main cooking chamber up to about 225 degrees, 200 is okay, but nothing less and nothing over 250 ever. Once you get the pit running the way you want, add a small, seasoned log of pecan, oak, hickory or mesquite (that's my order of preference for cooking woods). You want just the thinnest, faintest hint of smoke coming from the stack, not some thick grey cloud, it should have a very faint hint of blue color to it. You will want to maintain this 225 degree setting with light smoke for the remainder of the cook.

Once the fire is right, you can get your meat out and put it on the pit. Fat up, fat down, doesn't really matter to me. Next, take off your watch, throw away your wall clock and get you a good meat thermometer, preferably a digital one with a probe that you can leave in the meat and the readout is outside the pit. Put the meat on, with thermometer in the thickest part of the brisket, close the lid, and don't open it until the meat is 165 degrees internal temp. Once it reaches 165, pull it off and wrap it tightly in foil and place it back on the pit (vary carefully not to tear the foil). Insert the thermometer probe back into the thick part of the meat and close the lid. Don't open it again until the thermometer reads between 200 and 210. If you want your brisket to be slightly chewy, pull it at 200 degrees. If you want it to hold together, but be extremely tender, pull it off at about 205, and if you want it to truly fall apart, like chopped beef, leave it on and pull at 210 degrees. The final step, and I think most important, place the finished brisket, still in foil, into a cooler (no ice, just empty cooler) and close the lid for about the next hour. Then pull it out, slice and enjoy. The foil (and probably the cooler, since the foil will leak some) will be full of juices, save them and use them as dipping sauce.

Personally, I think brisket is the easiest of all the meats to BBQ, as long as you have the right equipment. But if you try to do it on a direct heat BBQ pit, it's one of the hardest IMO. The reason most back yard gourmets are intimidated by brisket is that they never do it. It makes too much for the average family, so they stick with burgers, steaks, chicken etc. When you make briskets as often as I do, and in the quantities I do, you get to where it's second nature. Point being, PRACTICE ahead of time! Good luck, and BTW, the man you're cooking for is from Idaho, if it's not world class brisket, he'll never know the difference. NO PRESSURE BRO!