Brisket quandry

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Idahorn2

250+ Posts
We rubbed, then smoked a 15 lb brisket yestidy and got it up to 145 degrees. Mopping the beast with some regularity. This was like 8 hours. Then wrapped it in tinfoil and put it in a 210 degree oven for another couple hours. At this point, I could not stay awake any longer, so I took it out. The internal temp was 155 in the thick end. Pretty sure on that reading although the Black Bush was beginning to cloud my vision.

What is my best alternative? Smoke it some more or put it back in the 210 degree oven until it gets to 185 degrees? My Big Egg can also hold it at 210, with or without smoke.

Or have I screwed the pooch?

Headed out to Cabela's this morning to get one of those vacuum suckers and some appropriate plastic bags.
 
Thermodynamics dictates that you increase the oven temperature to speed up the process. Plus, that's a big brisket. I tend to keep them under 12 pounds so it doesn't take so long. A brisket that large could take 18 hours or more. Keep it wrapped in foil and increase the oven temperature to 240-250 F and you'll get it there in a reasonable time and with the foil it won't get dried out.
 
Thanks a lot for the rapid response. Long story, but the brisket wasn't my choice; it was a pretty tight squeeze in the Big Egg.
 
Heat transfer dictates that the rate of temperature rise will also slow as the brisket's temperature approaches the oven temperature. So, instead of pulling it out of the oven, you could have left it in the oven overnight at 195 F or so and been sure that it wouldn't have overcooked while you slept.
 
Like I mentioned above, the brisket was not of my choosing; my kid arrived with it unannounced and unanticipated. I've read the brisket posts on here avidly and know the right sizes. Walsh's BBQ book is on my shelf and many others. None would recommend a water buffalo of this size.

A sincere thanks to jimmyjazz for what I should have done. Having, to some degree, messed it up this once, next time I am more likely to remember how to do it right. Well, maybe.....

Two things I want to add:
1. The response time on this board was astonishing; brntrorng had an informed and experienced solution in 12 minutes. This interweb thing has justified itself in my eyes.

2. The Big Green Egg is a mighty smoker. For those of us who do not have ready access to live oak logs, a smoker like this works very well with chips or small chunks of soaked wood. All one needs is the "plate setter" accessory that BGE sells for each size of smoker
 
I wont mention any names, but I have been in the kitchen of a couple of the BBQ joints in Lockhart TX. One cooks their briskets up in large quanities to about 160 degrees, then pull them off and put them in the frigde until needed. They finish 'em off cooking for a couple of hours as needed.

They have some of the finest brisket around, IMO. I never would have guessed that they cooked 'em half way then finished 'em off later...
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Dan
 
and sleeping is the best way to cook one of these, I usually set my pit up and put the brisket on about midnight or a little earlier if it's bigger and go to bed, it's ready to be messed with or et when I get up. I've learned that all of this muss and fuss about "oh! oh! I've got to regulate the temprature between 200 and 225 constantly or the brisket will turn out awful!!
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" is an old wives tale. My pit temps on the pit thermometer usually starts a little hotter 325-350 and finishes a little cooler 175-180 and the brisket turns out just fine. Ribs are a different matter, they cook in a shorter time so you have to be fussier about pit temps, brisket is different because it takes so long to do one.
 
Idahorn, Where can you get a platesetter? I've checked several times at BBQ Galores in Austin, and they never seem to have one or know where one can be obtained. I've also tried to order an accessories catalogue on the BGE website, but they never sent me anything.
 
Glad to see someone had a link to a Egg source for plate setters; all I had was a contact with the guy at the store where I got the Egg. The main site doesn't mention them.

The "mop" of which I wrote is a mixture of beef broth, cider vinegar, dry mustard, chili powder, black pepper. The spices complement the rub and the vinegar helps to break down the fat. I apply it with a silicon brush.

Having seen Walter Jetton (LBJ's cowboy-style BBQ caterer) do it in the late 50's, I think mopping is a legitimate practice, although someone raised on another method might not. Don't care, really; I do like the effect it has on the meat.
 
The problem with mopping is that you keep opening the lid and letting the heat out. It makes it take longer. If you get the internal temperature high enough the fat will break down on its own. I think if you're cooking a brisket that big in that short amount of time, JJ's idea is the only way to go. Blast it with smoke for a few hours, then throw it in a 195 degree oven and go to sleep.
 
Next time I do a brisket, I'll leave off the mop-even though I do like the result. I'll get a ten pounder, which I would have gotten if I'd had a choice. See how open minded I am? I won't give up the sauce entirely (BBQ sauce, that is.) Naturally it would be easy to skip sauce on a few bites--we'll see.

The Egg loses very little heat when it is opened, either to mop or to toss in a few small chunks of soaked hardwood. Once the ceramic gets hot, it stays hot. It returns to its initial heat within less than a minute when opened.

My sauce is roughly based on a recipe found in "The Only Texas Cookbook" by Linda W. Eckhardt. I reduced the salt and the butter by quite a bit and sauted the onions. It is a table sauce and not to be used on the meat until it is cooked. Butter, onion, cider vinegar, black pepper, dry mustard (a lot), crushed bay leaf, some salt, chili powder, Heinz (unfortunately) chili sauce, ketchup, molasses, brown sugar. The dominant tastes are mustard and vinegar, and just a little sweetness.

The first time I made it, it took me back to the 1950's and catered BBQ events we used to go to. It has a lot of whang, and I use very little, like less than a quarter teaspoon for a big bite.
 
The amount of additional cooking time caused by opening the pit varies based on a few factors. The main two factors are the design/size of the pit and how long the door is open. Most of the times that people say are too much.
 
For you guys looking for Egg accessories or info in Austin, go to BBQ Outfitters out on 620. They're pretty up to speed. BBQ Galore is useless when it comes to the Egg.
 
Jetton wasn't cooking briskets back in the '50s. He was probably cooking shoulder which is not near as fatty and needed basting.
 
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