# Tips on cooking Brisket



## sidefx (Jan 29, 2010)

I just attempted cooking my first brisket on a Webber bbq, the round one where I can lift up part of the grill to put more coals in.

It tasted pretty good, but it was a lot less tender than I had hoped.  Does anyone have any experience with this?  I cooked it about 5 hours, I originally planned on cooking about 8 but apparently the heat was too high.


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## Selkie (Jan 29, 2010)

I've always like the grill idea, but like you, mine was tough also (due to undercooking before burning the outside). Then I began using an oven bag and roasting pan. I put in the brisket, pour in a bottle or two of BBQ sauce, shake to coat, seal the bag and bake at 225 for 12-14 hours. It never fails to produce brisket that simply falls apart tender!


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## Robo410 (Jan 29, 2010)

brisket in the oven being braised is faster than open on a grill in a smoke pit.  low and slow is the game plan, and most smokers for brisket I've seen have a good deal of space so the meat is not too close to the heat.

In your webber did you bank your coals on one side or both sides(with meat in middle)??


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## sidefx (Jan 29, 2010)

Robo410 said:


> brisket in the oven being braised is faster than open on a grill in a smoke pit.  low and slow is the game plan, and most smokers for brisket I've seen have a good deal of space so the meat is not too close to the heat.
> 
> In your webber did you bank your coals on one side or both sides(with meat in middle)??




I just did coals on one side, and then the brisket around the middle.  Maybe I need to move it all the way to the far side of the coals...


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## Andy M. (Jan 29, 2010)

In BBQ competitions I've seen on TV, they wrap the brisket in foil for part of the cooking time.  Also, they cook for about 12 hours.  The temp. in the smoker/grill should be around 225 F. 

Also, if you don't slice it properly, perfect cooking techniques will be wasted.  You have to slice brisket across the grain.


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## sidefx (Jan 30, 2010)

Andy M. said:


> In BBQ competitions I've seen on TV, they wrap the brisket in foil for part of the cooking time.  Also, they cook for about 12 hours.  The temp. in the smoker/grill should be around 225 F.
> 
> Also, if you don't slice it properly, perfect cooking techniques will be wasted.  You have to slice brisket across the grain.



Do you know if they wrap it in foil for the first half or second?


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## Andy M. (Jan 30, 2010)

sidefx said:


> Do you know if they wrap it in foil for the first half or second?



From what I recall, they smoke it first, uncovered for some period of time then wrap it in foil and finish the cooking.


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## FrankZ (Jan 30, 2010)

sidefx said:


> Do you know if they wrap it in foil for the first half or second?



I haven't done a brisket yet, though I think there will be one this summer.  I can't imagine wrapping it too soon and not allowing the smoke to get to it right nice first. 

I have seen some tips that suggest placing it in a foil pan so it smokes in its own juice.

I am not a huge fan of brisket, though it is nice to have on occasion.


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## DaveSoMD (Jan 31, 2010)

Brisket has a lot of connective tissue in it an needs to be cooked/smoked low and slow (@ 225 as Andy suggested) or braised the same way.


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## Paymaster (Feb 10, 2010)

I love Brisket. It is my favorite meat for smoking but it is not a speedy cook. I cook Brisket in the smoker at 225-250 until the internal temp is 180-190. Use the tooth pick test at the end. The tooth pick should slide into the meat as it would butter. I let cool for an hour and slice cross grain. Last one I did took 12 hours.


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## sidefx (Feb 11, 2010)

Paymaster said:


> I love Brisket. It is my favorite meat for smoking but it is not a speedy cook. I cook Brisket in the smoker at 225-250 until the internal temp is 180-190. Use the tooth pick test at the end. The tooth pick should slide into the meat as it would butter. I let cool for an hour and slice cross grain. Last one I did took 12 hours.



How do you know what the temperature is outside the meat, is there a thermometer on the smoker?  My BBQ is just a basic Webber so I've been just trying to estimate the temp..


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## FrankZ (Feb 11, 2010)

I use a Maverick Redicheck dual probe thermometer.  One probe for the meat, one for the box and a display next to the couch.


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## wanna be (Feb 11, 2010)

*I need that.*



FrankZ said:


> I use a Maverick Redicheck dual probe thermometer. One probe for the meat, one for the box and a display next to the couch.


 what a great idea.Is it pretty expensive?


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## FrankZ (Feb 11, 2010)

Running about $35 at Amazon.


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## CharlieD (Feb 11, 2010)

brisket on the grill is great, but because of the type the meat it is and need for a long slow cooking I like to marinade brisket ahead of time.


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## runwestierun (Feb 12, 2010)

Wow, Paymaster, NICE smoke ring!  

I think it is hard to maintain a good low temperature in a Weber for the amount of time that it takes to cook a brisket, so this is what I do:  
Start the brisket over a low indirect fire on the Weber, with a pan in the middle underneath with some liquid in it, water or beer or apple juice.  I soak some hickory or applewood chips in water for an hour or so and then place them in punctured aluminum foil on the coals for smoke.  (If they don't smoke, take the chips out of the foil.)  I spray the meat with applejuice.  Try to keep the temp around 225F by adjusting vents.  

After 3-4 hours (when the fire's pretty much out), rather than wrapping it in foil and fighting with the grill for the next 9 hours to keep the temp around 225, I wrap the brisket in foil and cook it in the oven at 235F, or I drop it (without foil) in a Crockpot on low for about 8 hours.  In the oven, I'll unwrap it once the internal temp is about 185 and I'll crank the heat up and baste it with BBq sauce and leave it in another 15 minutes.  If I'm using the crockpot I'll add half a cup or so of apple juice to the pot when I add the brisket.


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## Paymaster (Feb 16, 2010)

sidefx said:


> How do you know what the temperature is outside the meat, is there a thermometer on the smoker? My BBQ is just a basic Webber so I've been just trying to estimate the temp..


 yes my smoker has a thermometer in the lid.


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## FrankZ (Feb 16, 2010)

My smoker has a thermometer in the lid as well.  The difference from grate to the thermometer is about 50 degrees.  I like to run my smoker around 225.  If the hood thermometer is reading that I am too hot.


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## ChefJune (Feb 16, 2010)

sidefx said:


> I just attempted cooking my first brisket on a Webber bbq, the round one where I can lift up part of the grill to put more coals in.
> 
> It tasted pretty good, but it was a lot less tender than I had hoped. Does anyone have any experience with this? I cooked it about 5 hours, I originally planned on cooking about 8 but apparently the heat was too high.


 
Wherever you cook brisket -- oven or smoker -- you have to cook it low and slow. Any other method will give unsatisfactory results, like tough meat, or undercooked meat, or both.

We like to cook it a day ahead of when we plan to serve it, chill it well and remove all the fat before slicing it and putting back in the sauce for reheating.


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## Constance (Feb 16, 2010)

I have a 9 lb. brisket in my refrigerator, waiting to be cooked. Actually, it's been waiting in the freezer for about a year and a half, but it's time has finally come. DH loves to buy big pieces of meat, but he got carried away with this one. He says we'll lose about 1/3 when he trims it up, though. 
I'm going to do it in the oven, low and slow, for at least 8 hours; will probably put it on at 225 before I go to bed tonight. 
What about seasonings? I plan to make several different meals out of it, so I thought probably just salt, pepper and garlic, plus some kind of liquid. I've looked at several recipes, and some use vinegar, wine, beef broth, beer, or tomatoes. What  do you all use?


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## danpeikes (Feb 17, 2010)

Constance said:


> I have a 9 lb. brisket in my refrigerator, waiting to be cooked. Actually, it's been waiting in the freezer for about a year and a half, but it's time has finally come. DH loves to buy big pieces of meat, but he got carried away with this one. He says we'll lose about 1/3 when he trims it up, though.
> I'm going to do it in the oven, low and slow, for at least 8 hours; will probably put it on at 225 before I go to bed tonight.
> What about seasonings? I plan to make several different meals out of it, so I thought probably just salt, pepper and garlic, plus some kind of liquid. I've looked at several recipes, and some use vinegar, wine, beef broth, beer, or tomatoes. What do you all use?


I often use apple juice, guiness, or beef broth


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## ChefJune (Feb 18, 2010)

This is the way I've been making it for years and years and ....  
*Jacobs’ Family Brisket*
 
This is the recipe—first devised by my Aunt Ruth, then improvised on by any number of family cooks—that is forever etched in stone as our family’s traditional Rosh Hashanah Dinner. The major caveat: it’s much better made a day ahead and reheated ­ that also gives you the chance to chill the gravy so you can degrease it completely.
6 to 8 generous servings
5 pounds boneless brisket of beef
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 red onions, sliced
4 whole stalks celery (including leaves) coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 cup bottled chili sauce
1 can beer
 
1.    Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Place the brisket fat side up in an oiled roaster large enough to hold it comfortably.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place the onions and celery over the beef.  Mix the brown sugar with the chili sauce and spread on top the vegetables.  Add ½ cup of water to the bottom of the pan.
2.         Put the pan in the preheated oven.  Allow 1 hour per pound of meat for roasting.  Roast uncovered for about the first 30 minutes, basting frequently with the pan drippings, until the meat is well browned.


3.         Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees F. and cover the pan.  After 3 ½ hours total cooking time, pour the beer over the meat and re-cover the pan.  Cook 1 ½ hours longer, or until very tender.


4.         Remove the meat from the pan and let cool.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Strain the gravy into a bowl and refrigerate overnight to solidify the fat that will rise to the top.


5.         The next day, slice the meat and reheat it in the de-fatted gravy.
Add ½ cup more beer if gravy is too thick.
_Teacher’s Tip:_    If, like me, you are allergic to beer, an equal amount of red wine, such as a Côte du Rhône, can be successfully substituted.  If you¹d like to avoid the alcohol altogether, try a red grape juice or 100% cranberry juice.


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## BigAL (Apr 11, 2010)

I've been smoke'n briskets for quite awhile now.  The best way, imho, is to buy a whole packer brisket, about 12#'s.  Don't trim the fat, put on alot of kosher salt and a ton of black pepper.  On the smoker fat down to protect the meat, smoker temp 225-300, indirect heat.  once the internal temp of the flat hits about 160-165ish it will "stall".  I put it in an alum foil pan and cover w/foil(fat down).  When the temp gets up to 195ish I'll poke it w/a meat therm to check for tenderness.  When it slides in like going into butter, it's done.  Pull off smoker, loosen the foil to "tent" and wait at least 30min.  I usually wait 30-60min.  Separate the point from the flat, slice the flat cross grain and chop the point.  Then the point goes back in the smoker to render more fat out and to make burnt ends.  

Just how I do it anyway.  I've tried many different ways, on a smoker, and this is the best.

The smoker temp can be 300*(I've done a few hot & fast briskets).  Same rules apply, just goes quicker and you'll have less smoke flavor.  Also remember no two cuts will cook the same, never have for me anyway.


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## Paymaster (Apr 16, 2010)

Oh yeah! Love those burnt ends!


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## Poppinfresh (Jun 17, 2010)

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f36/i-give-unto-you-the-ultimate-brisket-20090.html

Follow it to the letter and you can't go wrong.  Best brisket I've ever had - and I'd even say that if I didn't have a personal bias due to creating it.


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