Brisket

[thecanopyguy]

Ok I hope some good old Texas boys and Texan want to bees’ are out there. I want smoke what I remember as a kid. A big greasy, juicy, smoked, fall apart brisket. I am not talking a competition brisket. I am talking fall apart. I have a modified Brinkmann smoke’n pit professional, plenty of oak wood, lump and regular charcoal to work with. Tell me how you would do it from start to putting it on the plate. I have smoked thirty to forty briskets in my time and some of them have been pretty good but I am still missing something.

[TB]

Hey canopyguy. If you've done 30 or 40 briskets, then I'm not the guy to advise you. I can point you to a thread on a cook where the briskets fell apart.

http://www.texasbbqrub.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3490&highlight=fall+apart+brisket

[TexLaw]

If you really want that sucker to fall apart, cook it until the flat is somewhere around 160-170 internal, then wrap it in foil with a few tablespoons of liquid (beef broth, fruit juice, beer, whatever) and take it up to about 205-210. Then, let it rest for a good couple hours, and go to town on it.

On the foiling temperature, some folks prefer it lower, and others higher. I prefer to foil around 170. Bill likes it closer to 160, though, and no one can say there's anything wrong with his brisket! Just find what you like.


TL

[thecanopyguy]

Thank guys for the information. That’s pretty much the way I have been doing it. Maybe it’s just the difference in meat we get down here, maybe my memory is just going or maybe I just had sharper teeth back then but mine just don’t seem as tender as I remember as a kid.

My better half got home about 12:00 yesterday with four unexpected twelve pound butts and wanted them ready for an office party this morning. I had been mowing grass all morning and was already a little tired and hot. She said she had forgotten all about them until she went past the meat market on her way home. By the time I got the smoker going and the temp under control it was 2:30PM. At 7:30 this morning I was still up and pulling pork and packing it up for her 8:00AM departure. My usual smoke starts at a respectable 3:00AM and goes all day with a few beers to keep me company. Next time that kind of service is going to cost her extra!!!

[TB]

canopy
I haven't cooked a real tender brisket yet. I've cooked good ones, but not super tender. Never thought about the meat quality, but we aren't that far apart.

[vinman]

Next time that kind of service is going to cost her extra!!!


That's funny stuff there canopy!
At least she didn't make you go pick out the butts first.
Welcome to the forum by the way :D

[Buster]

Don't think you'd want to cook the brisket tooooo much, especially after it's been foiled. Seems like the flavor would be steamed out of it.

[jshively]

If you really want that sucker to fall apart, cook it until the flat is somewhere around 160-170 internal, then wrap it in foil with a few tablespoons of liquid (beef broth, fruit juice, beer, whatever) and take it up to about 205-210. Then, let it rest for a good couple hours, and go to town on it.

On the foiling temperature, some folks prefer it lower, and others higher. I prefer to foil around 170. Bill likes it closer to 160, though, and no one can say there's anything wrong with his brisket! Just find what you like.


TL

I start thinking about foiling at 160. By the time I get moving it is usually around 165. Have not noticed one bit of difference at 160 vs. 170.