Brisket (updated)

Hour and a half per pound at 180. Add thirty minutes for every time you lift the lid to peek. Fat side up.
 
But half of them are wrong.
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And, as an amendment to my "cobbler should always be served with ice cream" law (already amended to include a "red beans and rice must be served with sausage" amendment), I would add a requirement that brisket be smoked fat side up. The penalty for violation, of course, would be exile to Norman, OK. I'm not sure if it would pass "cruel and unusual punishment" scrutiny, but I think we should run it up the flagpole just the same.
 
If you tell me you like Chili with beans, I'm coming through the screen
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Oh, and you don't have to consider yourself and half the brisket cooking population 'wrong' just because you do it fat side up.
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Opinions I respect when it comes to brisket. That does not take away from the fact that there are absolutes to smoking a brisket:

-Fat side up. The fact that there is even debate on this issue is hurting my soul.
-Don't sear it. For the love of God....
-160-180 degrees, 1.5 hours per pound. Anyone who smokes their brisket at 200 or can't wait 15 hours for a properly smoked brisket is likely one of the many California ******** that moved to Austin last month, causes my morning traffic jams and honks the horn the instant the light turns green. Chill out and be patient.

Rubs, choice of wood chips, foil/paper bags, etc. are subjective.
 
hahahahahaha. the last two posts are extremely funny given the fact that the very absence of the man they are lamenting is greatly exaggerated. in fact, his presence looms over this entire thread. and oh yeah, anyone smoking a brisket fat side down hurts my heart.
 
He didn't cook it and slice it himself, but I have it on good authority that o-bld spent $31 on meat alone the last time he went to Cooper's (add $1.50 for a big-assed) ice tea.

And he is TOTALLY in agreement with me on the fat-side-up rule. Trust me on that.
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This thread is excellent.

I believe Hayden and I will be firing up the smoker for a big-*** brisket next Sunday, for to eat in memory of our troops on Monday.
 
So I put the 9 lbs brisket on at around 8:30 pm on Saturday. Salt and pepper only, fat side up and no, no searing. The sucker smoked (are you ready for this?) 22 HOURS!!!

The fire died quite a bit more than I had intended overnight because my tired *** didn't get up when I was supposed to to check it. During the afternoon, the fire was burning beautifully but the internal temp just wouldn't rise. Finally, it was time to eat and I had to get it off. Temp. was roughly 170 degrees. Nevertheless, it turned out really good. The meat in the flat was still pretty tough, but after 22 hours it was very, very tasty.

Thanks for all the pointers, tips, advice and stories. Feel free to keep the thread going and I'll add to it with further experiences.
 
My personal belief is that you don't SEAR at first, but you DO need to get the heat up to start rendering the fat and to get the moisture to do some of the cooking.

I like to have mine at 200-225 temp in the smoker for the first hour or so, then let it get down to the 180-200 range. Although low and slow is the rule, you MUST have enough heat to render the fat to some degree.

And frankly, the brisket has absorbed about all the smoke it will absorb, and all you need, after 8-12 hours. After that, it's not an issue of flavor -- it's an issue of tenderness. And that's why I am a believer in foil wrapping and even (horrors!) finishing it in the oven.

Finishing in the oven is NOT a sacrilege because (a) the flavoring process is already completed -- more smoke time after 8-12 hours adds ZERO flavor -- indeed, it can even overdo the smoke flavor, and (b) you have perfect temp control. I usually smoke for 8-12 hours, then finish in the oven for 2-4 hours at a temp around 200.

Perfect flavor. Totally tender. Plus, you get lots of GREAT drippings saved in the foil to use either as a base for sauce or just to pour over the meat.

Usually, someone puts briskets on sale for memorial day weekend. I will be at home with the kids all weekend. I am going to smoke probably 6 briskets over the weekend (2 at a time) for me and the neighbors.
 
I need some help.

I want to cook a brisket,
some ribs, a few chickens, and a bunch of sausage

Can I do this all at one time on my neighbor's New Braunfels smoker?

I plan to start a brisket or 2 late at night, maybe with the ribs on top of the brisket(s). Then toward morning add three or four chickens.

Then maybe take out the briskets around noon and throw in a ton of sausage.

Will this work???
 
All I can add is that you should NEVER add cumin to your rub. I made that mistake once.

I do have an interesting story about some of the best brisket I've ever eaten. My buddy's dad starts all of his briskets on the smoker frozen solid. He cooks at a higher temperature and the outside gets a nice crust while the inside stays juicy because it takes awhile to thaw out. He applies a very nice marinade (made with spices and orange slices boiled together) while it is cooking. I don't think I'm brave enough to try his method, but it slices up great (no falling apart), it is very juicy, and the flavor kicks ***.

Rub and cumin in the same sentance and it's not 3:16. Who would have thunk it?
 
K-Man:

The ribs are very thin and should only take a 1.5 to 3 hours, so don't put them in at the same time as the brisket.
 
K-man,

I'm going to assume baby back ribs. Make sure to peel the membrane off the inside of the ribs. I like my ribs very tender and juicy and the way I do it is to give them some smoke (usually mesquite, although I have become quite fond of persimmon) for about an hour to an hour and a half. While I never cook nekkid with sauce, I usually take at least one rack of 3 and cook it with sauce. After cooking nekkid, I wrap the ribs for the last half hour in heavy duty foil and with one of the racks I slather it in sauce before it goes into the foil. My sauce recipe is as follows:

1 small can tomato sauce
1/2 can water
1/3 can sugar
1/4 can vinegar
1-2T bacon grease (or just throw one or two strips of bacon in and take it out later)
salt pepper
dashes of Tabasco
dash of worcestershire
pinch of cayenne
bring to boil and then simmer a while (remove bacon at end)

The recipe can be doubled or tripled
 
damn this thread makes me want to get a good bbq pit as opposed to this ****** weber grill i have right now

you guys would probably disown me as a Texan if you knew how I have been cooking brisket for the past couple of years
 
****** weber grill
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So how ARE you cooking them briskets?

On your webber grill?

With indirect heat?

if so, it's ok, we won't hold it against you for using inferior equipment to BBQ your briskets, now if you are boiling them in "BBQ" sauce, like I saw Tyler Florence doing on some ********* show on Food Network ('cept he called it bbq braising) then you should be horsewhipped.
 
I cook it using a combination of oven and grill, direct heat while on the grill, but the temperature and the time I cook it is what will get me in trouble with you guys
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Can't wait for Sunday to get here. Memorial Day weekend means it time for the annual Serbin Homecoming Picnic (small community just south of Giddings). Fire up the pits about 6pm Saturday evening, cook about 2,000 lbs. of brisket overnight, eat all day Sunday, drink a lot of beer, and listen to some good 'ol polka music : )
 
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