Questions on a brisket

[Ruben]

I was doing some searching in the archives on smoking brisket and I see that everyone says cook it to 190-200 degrees, won't it fall apart like my butts do at 195? I am going to cook several over the next two months to try to get ready for my first bbq competition and I have only cooked two of them in my life. Also when cooking brisket and slicing it how do you figure the amounts to cook for each serving, or how many people will the average whole brisket feed? I saw somebody on tv who was finding a good brisket to buy by seeing if it would bend tip to tip, what's up with that? Also @ 225 degrees how long should I figure cook times per pound? Thanks for your help!

Ruben

[david brace]

I am not experienced in brisket AT ALL...but look at the bottom of this page, below my post, and you'll see SImilar Threads and look over those threads for some answers...

Or else just sit back and these good peoples will tell you the answers.

DB

[Txngent]

Well, you got yourself a couple of multiple choice questions with "both a & b" answers.

I like to refer noobies to Texas BBQ Rub Home Page (http://www.texasbbqrub.com/index.html) , and go to the tips and the secrets.

Then read up on Choosing Briskets (http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/brisketselect.html#choosing) , lots of good reading.

As far as the end to end test... some think it shows less of the hard white fat meaning more meat, some think it is to show tenderness. I say, that both may be true... but unless you are at a butcher shop or it has been a real busy week for briskets, most of the briskets are a tad still frozen and you are going to get a false reading.

[Dustaway]

I am not experienced in brisket AT ALL...
DB


NOW THATS JUST TO DAMN FUNNY
:D

[PhotoKirk]

http://www.peppersandsmoke.com/bbq/brisket/index.html

[Papa Tom]

Dam PK that link is so easy even DB could do it ......I think.....gosh it didn't show how to start a fire now did it?:idea:

[mrbrown]

My two cents is use the final temp as a guideline. I personally can't remember brisket achieving competition tenderness without cooking to at least 197. You said you are getting ready for comps so one thing to keep in mind is where you will be getting your slices from to turn in to the judges. The best slices will come from the part of the flat that is above the layer of fat that seperates the two muscles. So I would recommend you remove the brisket when that part of the flat is tender. Take your thermometer and slide it into the that part of the flat. Your looking for just slight resistance at that point. Then when you pull it out, the brisket should stay put and not move. There are other ways to check but that's just how I do it.

In my opinion that window of perfect tenderness can be very small especially when you use foil. I've over/under cooked many briskets. That's why I love cooking briskets! It is a challenge everytime. Here are some pics of my brisket from the weekend.

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/562584531mfoICg?vhost=good-times

I followed the recipe from texasbbqrub.com. I put more details in a thread below this one if you want to check that out. Another member of our team cooked one with a foil pan. We determined the foil method produced a better brisket and will always be done in comps this year because it seems to be the most consistent.

Good luck dude! :D

[PitBull]

Looks good mrbrown. Looking at that smoke ring, what did you use for wood?

[david brace]

NOW THATS JUST TO DAMN FUNNY
:D

...wiseguy...

DB

[david brace]

Dam PK that link is so easy even DB could do it ......I think.....gosh it didn't show how to start a fire now did it?:idea:

HEY now...remember I was a fire FIGHTER...so starting a fire...welllllll... you may have something there.

DB

[PitBull]

Well, you got yourself a couple of multiple choice questions with "both a & b" answers.

I like to refer noobies to Texas BBQ Rub Home Page (http://www.texasbbqrub.com/index.html) , and go to the tips and the secrets.

Then read up on Choosing Briskets (http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/brisketselect.html#choosing) , lots of good reading.

As far as the end to end test... some think it shows less of the hard white fat meaning more meat, some think it is to show tenderness. I say, that both may be true... but unless you are at a butcher shop or it has been a real busy week for briskets, most of the briskets are a tad still frozen and you are going to get a false reading.

Txngent, that second website is some good reading. Thanks.

[TexLaw]

Then read up on Choosing Briskets (http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/brisketselect.html#choosing) , lots of good reading.

Wow! I agree with just about everything there. That will save me a lot of typing in the future!

I don't turn my brisket and recommend cooking with the fat cap toward the heat. In my pit, that means I cook fat side down on the bottom shelf and fat side up on the top.


TL

[mrbrown]

Looks good mrbrown. Looking at that smoke ring, what did you use for wood?

Kingsford with Hickory and Cherry chunks.

[Ruben]

Reading in the "choosing brisket" link from Txngent they say a 12lb brisket will only yield about 40% when cooked, meaning it will only yield 19 4oz sandwiches. Do you all agree with that? They pretty much say the same thing for butts in that site and I'm not sure I will agree with the butt quote at all. I ain't cooked much brisket but I've put my fair share of butts through a smoker. Also it says 1.5-2 hours per pound, will a 12lb brisket take 21 hour? The only whole brisket I ever cooked was 212 degrees after 9 hours and it was 11 lbs.

[Txngent]

You are looking at whole packer weight before trimming vrs final product. I usually get 50-60% yield... same with butts. You will find that site is great for general "butcher" information, but it is a Weber site. As you browse the site, you will see a different cooking style than you may be used to cooking. Mainly, the cooker. As far as cooking time, I cook by temp, not time and you will find that cooking by time will never be as accurate or the same for each brisket.

[TexLaw]

I typically get about 50% or so yield from a packer, with a much higher yield for the flat. I also cook by temperature, but it usually takes me 45-90 minutes per pound for a packer.


TL

[Ruben]

Yes I cook by temperature also, I guess what I am trying to figure out is if a turn in time at the competition is 12 noon and I want the brisket to be able to rest in a cooler for 1-2 hours before slicing, at what time would I want to put it on the smoker at 225 degrees to be in the right ball park. Example with my butts, i get them right at 9 lbs and they take right at 12 hour 90% of the time to reach 195 degrees. So I would put them on between 10-11pm and pull them off the pit 10-11am to turn in at 12 noon. How would brisket be compared to that?

[ezgoin]

Yes I cook by temperature also, I guess what I am trying to figure out is if a turn in time at the competition is 12 noon and I want the brisket to be able to rest in a cooler for 1-2 hours before slicing, at what time would I want to put it on the smoker at 225 degrees to be in the right ball park. Example with my butts, i get them right at 9 lbs and they take right at 12 hour 90% of the time to reach 195 degrees. So I would put them on between 10-11pm and pull them off the pit 10-11am to turn in at 12 noon. How would brisket be compared to that?

Before my first comp, I bought a case of packers from Sams. I picked three out of the case that ran 14-14½ lbs. I cooked one as practice, and it took right at 14 hrs. I cook on an FE100 pellet smoker. I had it on 180° for two hrs and then kicked it up to 225°. At the comp I put two briskets on at 9:00 and used the same method. At 11:00 I kicked the temp up and went to bed. I got up at 6:00 and both briskets were at 195°. It all depends on the piece of meat, and everyone of them is different.

I have a couple of Caterades and have held briskets for ten hours with the internal temp still well above the 140° danger range. A good small cooler that limits the air space and a couple of towels should save the same purpose.