# Brisket help!



## Bam! (Sep 3, 2005)

Hi all,

I managed to get a hold of a beautiful brisket (8lbs)here in Montreal. It`s quite the task  

Anyways, I want to smoke this beauty with indirect heat ofcourse and so,

what rub should I use ?
what type of wood ? (I am using charcoal so I was thinking of adding maple wood chips for smoke)

How long should I smoke it ?

Should I wrap in aluminum foil for the last 2 hours or steam it ?

Thanks!


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## AllenOK (Sep 3, 2005)

Do you have any rub recipes?  Use one that tastes good to you.  There are many rub recipes on the Seasonings>Rubs board.

I have some maple that I've acquired here and use sometimes with my oak/hickory blend.  I find that it tends to turn the outside of the meat black, especially when it's smoked for a long time.

I acquired some local red oak after a storm came through.  I buy hickory chunks and use one or two chunks with a couple pieces of oak about every 45 minutes.  I only use charcoal to start the fire with.

From what I remember, I think 18 hours is about the usual time for brisket.  Some folks do wrap theirs in foil.  When I do a pork butt, I always finish mine by wrapping in plastic wrap, then in foil, and into a 250°F oven for 4 hours.  I know this is cheating, but with the time I spend at work, my time at home is limited, and I don't really have time to spend tending a small fire all day and half the night.  I start my pork butt early in the day, do some chores, check the fire, do more chores, check the fire, etc., until it's been smoking for about 4 - 5 hours, then into the oven it goes.  I'll probably do the same with a brisket, except I'll have to incease the cooking time.


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## Bam!! (Sep 3, 2005)

Thanks AllenMI,

I was thinking of starting it in the oven in aluminum foil. Also, I was thinking of trying to steam it at the end. What do you think ?


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## AllenOK (Sep 4, 2005)

If you wrap the meat in foil (or the plastic/foil combo I use), and cook that in the oven, technically, you are steaming it, as the steam can't escape readily.  This is why I double-wrap my pork butt when I finish it in the oven, to get that slow, moist, cooking time to finish breaking down the connective tissues.

I've also thought about starting a brisket, wrapped, in a slow oven, then finishing in my smoker.  Doing this, I could start the brisket in the wee hours of the morning, like 1 or 2 am, then, after I wake up, get the smoker fired up, and finish it in the smoker.


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## Michael in FtW (Sep 4, 2005)

Bam!! said:
			
		

> I was thinking of starting it in the oven in aluminum foil. Also, I was thinking of trying to steam it at the end. What do you think ?


 
NO .. no .. no ...

Smoke the meat *FIRST!! For about an hour or two.* Then, wrap it in plastic-wrap and foil and either continue on the grill or in a slow (about 250-F) oven. 

Once you wrap the meat in plastic and foil it will steam. But, it needs to be smoked first to get the flavor. If you cook it in the oven first it's not going to have as much flavor.

As for a rub .... I use salt, black pepper and dark brown sugar, some dry mustard, garlic and onion powder, and a touch of chili powder. Some people like it with just salt & pepper.


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## Bam! (Sep 4, 2005)

Michael in FtW said:
			
		

> NO .. no .. no ...
> 
> Smoke the meat *FIRST!! For about an hour or two.* Then, wrap it in plastic-wrap and foil and either continue on the grill or in a slow (about 250-F) oven.
> 
> ...


 
well thanks for the replies!

However I am reading this post AFTER I put my brisket in the oven, hope I still save the day  


Thanks guys


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## Bam! (Sep 4, 2005)

Hi again

Right now, I am not the happiest of campers,

I trimmed most of the fat off the brisket last night, yes you read right. What was I thinking, I dunno...

I started it off in the oven in aluminum foil.....oh yeah you read that right too...

As of this point I think I messed it up about as good as I can, I will try ti inject it with water and sugar so that it doesn`t end up dehydrated...

Signed
The loser!


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## AllenOK (Sep 4, 2005)

Maybe you can save it.  When you go to smoke it, place it in your smoker, then lay some bacon over the top.  That will provide some fat to baste the meat with.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Sep 4, 2005)

Bam! said:
			
		

> Hi again
> 
> 
> Signed
> The loser!



What!  The looser!  Go into your least favorite corner and slap yourself twice for that.  You are the winner!  Did you learn from what happened?  Yes you did.  Will you make that mistake a second time?  No you won't.  Your knowledge base has grown.  An not only will you make better brisketts in the future, but what you have learned will affect all of your meat preperations.

You are supposed to make mistakes while living in mortality.  There is no better teacher.  But you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start over.  You are only a loser if you continuously repeat the same mistakes, and learn nothing in the process.

Now, go experiment on something else, like smoking a turkey.  Follow advise from other posts on the subject, so you don't have to re-invent the wheel.  Then, when the results amaze even you, pat yourself on the back.  Again, you will have learned something.  You are not alone.  We are all here and willing to help.

Seeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## Bam! (Sep 5, 2005)

Thanks for the replies,

Goodweed of the north... 

...well what saved the brisket was a steam bath on the gas grill, it became really tender!

Anyways, I know now the basics of a brisket and between a buddy (slam) and I, i think we will be making killer briskets.

 
signed
The steamer!


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## Phil (Feb 11, 2006)

*I agree on experimenting..*



			
				Bam! said:
			
		

> Thanks for the replies,
> 
> Goodweed of the north...
> 
> ...


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