Cooking order for brisket

[Dlabrie]

I have a 12lb packer waiting to be smoked on my UDS. I have been reading dozens of posts on brisket and I am a bit confused. Is this the correct order for cooking?
1, Put prepared brisket on smoker @ 225º

2, When brisket reaches 160, wrap in foil and continue to cook until done, around 190-200º (When probe goes in like butter).

3, Take brisket off, separate flat from point and wrap flat it foil and place in cooler.

4, Chop up point, put in pan with some rub or sauce and cook for 1-2 hours.

I get confused about the foiling time and the burnt ends time. Can they be ready at the same time?
Thanks for the help.

 

[aawa]

1. You don't need to smoke at 225 degrees. A lot of people do brisket anywhere between 250-325 degrees. You will still end up with a quality product, and take less time getting there.

2. You wrap the brisket in foil or butchers paper whenever the bark gets to the color that you want. Don't wrap based on time or temperature. Brisket will be done when it probes like warm butter. It can range anywhere between 190-215 degrees. Every piece of meat is different.

3. If you want burnt ends, then yes separate the flat and point. Allow the flat to vent for 15 mins then wrap in foil and place in a cooler.

4. Take the point and cut into approximately 1x1 inch cubes. Place in a pan and mix in some sauce and rub onto them. It is up to you if you want to foil over the pan or not, and cook for anywhere between 1-2 hours. If you want the point cubes to fall apart for burnt end sammiches then let them go till you can pull it apart easily. If You want just a cube, smoke it till the sauce becomes nice and tacky on the burnt ends.

You can serve both at the same time. You will want to rest the flat for a short bit. 1-2 hours is a nice rest for the flat for the juices to redistribute into the meat. By that time the burnt ends should be done.

 

[El Ropo]

What he said. Please don't listen to the folks who say you can't bbq at higher temps than 225. Their technique at higher cooking temps has never been honed, so they have bad results. They probably pull their bbq off when it hits a certain temp too.

275 (to as high as 350) is a great temp for anything beef or pork. Poultry, 325-375.

 

[Bludawg]

:tsk:what did the point of that brisket do to you that makes you want to defile it in such a manor as to destroy the best part of the Cow that should be enjoyed like a fine ribeye

 

[oldbill]

I have a 12lb packer waiting to be smoked on my UDS. I have been reading dozens of posts on brisket and I am a bit confused. Is this the correct order for cooking?
1, Put prepared brisket on smoker @ 225º

2, When brisket reaches 160, wrap in foil and continue to cook until done, around 190-200º (When probe goes in like butter).

3, Take brisket off, separate flat from point and wrap flat it foil and place in cooler.

4, Chop up point, put in pan with some rub or sauce and cook for 1-2 hours.

I get confused about the foiling time and the burnt ends time. Can they be ready at the same time?
Thanks for the help.

This method would be fine if it's what you're comfortable with. There are a lot of guys who cook everything high and fast and a there are a lot that cook low and slow, it's really about preference. I personally start my brisket at 250 and allow plenty of smoke to penetrate and when the color is good on the bark I go ahead and wrap in paper. I then crank the heat up to 275-300 and finish the cook. When the internal temp is about 195 I begin probing for tenderness. It usually, (not always) probes like butter at about the 200 deg. mark and that is when I'll pull the brisket and stow it into a cooler with some newspaper and some towels to rest. I let it rest for a minimum of two hours and usually closer to three. The wrapping by the way is really done for two reasons, to maintain moisture content and to power through the stall, which answers your question about people who wrap when the internal temp hits 160. That is the temp where the stall will begin and will last for hours if you're cooking low and slow. During the stall the meat actually sweats moisture from fat that is rendering out and evaporating, and in turn is cooling the meat. Wrapping stops the evaporation process on the exterior of the meat and forces the stall to end more quickly by allowing the meat's core temp to continue rising. So in essence my method is a mixture of low and slow and high and fast, using the best of both worlds to get smoke, color, retain moisture and cutting the cook time considerably. The high and fast guys don't usually wrap and instead use high temps to power through the stall but if you haven't cooked brisket before you may want to try my method first. The wrapping gives you a little bit of a safety net and helps to retain more moisture and tenderness.:thumb:

 

[Dlabrie]

:tsk:what did the point of that brisket do to you that makes you want to defile it in such a manor as to destroy the best part of the Cow that should be enjoyed like a fine ribeye

I don't understand what you are getting at.

 

[Dlabrie]

1. You don't need to smoke at 225 degrees. A lot of people do brisket anywhere between 250-325 degrees. You will still end up with a quality product, and take less time getting there.

2. You wrap the brisket in foil or butchers paper whenever the bark gets to the color that you want.
I have never cooked a brisket, so I don't know what color is good

Don't wrap based on time or temperature. Brisket will be done when it probes like warm butter. It can range anywhere between 190-215 degrees. Every piece of meat is different.

3. If you want burnt ends, then yes separate the flat and point. Allow the flat to vent for 15 mins then wrap in foil and place in a cooler.

4. Take the point and cut into approximately 1x1 inch cubes. Place in a pan and mix in some sauce and rub onto them. It is up to you if you want to foil over the pan or not, and cook for anywhere between 1-2 hours. If you want the point cubes to fall apart for burnt end sammiches then let them go till you can pull it apart easily. If You want just a cube, smoke it till the sauce becomes nice and tacky on the burnt ends.

You can serve both at the same time. You will want to rest the flat for a short bit. 1-2 hours is a nice rest for the flat for the juices to redistribute into the meat. By that time the burnt ends should be done.

That clears it up for me. You put the wrapped flat in the cooler AFTER it is compleatly cooked and let it rest for 1-2 hours.

 

[oldbill]

I don't understand what you are getting at.

I don't think that Bluedog is a fan of the whole "burnt ends" thing and would prefer that succulent brisket points be kept in tact rather than cubed up. I will agree with him, the point of a brisket is the best part of the cow when cooked properly but it's your brisket and you should enjoy it as you wish!:grin:

 

[Dlabrie]

This method would be fine if it's what you're comfortable with.
I have only cooked a chicken and a rack of ribs, so I am not comfortable with anything

There are a lot of guys who cook everything high and fast and a there are a lot that cook low and slow, it's really about preference. I personally start my brisket at 250 and allow plenty of smoke to penetrate and when the color is good on the bark
Can you describe what good color is?

I go ahead and wrap in paper.
Did you mean to say foil?

I then crank the heat up to 275-300 and finish the cook. When the internal temp is about 195 I begin probing for tenderness.
Do you probe through the foil or unwrap it?

It usually, (not always) probes like butter at about the 200 deg. mark and that is when I'll pull the brisket and stow it into a cooler with some newspaper and some towels to rest. I let it rest for a minimum of two hours and usually closer to three.
Just what I needed to know!

The wrapping by the way is really done for two reasons, to maintain moisture content and to power through the stall, which answers your question about people who wrap when the internal temp hits 160. That is the temp where the stall will begin and will last for hours if you're cooking low and slow. During the stall the meat actually sweats moisture from fat that is rendering out and evaporating, and in turn is cooling the meat. Wrapping stops the evaporation process on the exterior of the meat and forces the stall to end more quickly by allowing the meat's core temp to continue rising.
Great explaination!

So in essence my method is a mixture of low and slow and high and fast, using the best of both worlds to get smoke, color, retain moisture and cutting the cook time considerably. The high and fast guys don't usually wrap and instead use high temps to power through the stall but if you haven't cooked brisket before you may want to try my method first.
I will give it a try. I know all briskets cook at different times, but could you give ne a ballpark on how long I should plan, using your method from start to after 2 hours in the cooler for a 12.5lb brisket?

The wrapping gives you a little bit of a safety net and helps to retain more moisture and tenderness.:thumb:

Thanks for your help.

 

[Dlabrie]

I don't think that Bluedog is a fan of the whole "burnt ends" thing and would prefer that succulent brisket points be kept in tact rather than cubed up. I will agree with him, the point of a brisket is the best part of the cow when cooked properly but it's your brisket and you should enjoy it as you wish!:grin:

Oh. Well I have never had either and I haven't read anything other than separating the point and flat and making burnt ends. If you don't make burnt ends, do you just slice the point as you would the flat?

 

[oldbill]

Thanks for your help.

I usually get mine done in about 7 to 8 hours in cooking time and then with the rest time you're looking at about 10 hours total. It is a bit of a crap shoot since briskets do vary in fat and connective tissue content but you can probably plan on 10 hours.

 

[oldbill]

Oh. Well I have never had either and I haven't read anything other than separating the point and flat and making burnt ends. If you don't make burnt ends, do you just slice the point as you would the flat?

Yep! just remember that the grain of the point runs in the opposite direction from the flat and it's always best to slice against the grain for optimum tenderness. The point turns out so tender though, you probably don't even need to worry about all that. Ya don't need no teef to eat that beef! LOL!:grin:

 

[aawa]

Check this video out.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMIlyzRFUjU&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLJXFUkVvL7g6tSTue1GN9UEbc1K-9u0rE"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMIlyzRFUjU&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLJXFUkVvL7g6tSTue1GN9UEbc1K-9u0rE[/ame]

This will let will teach you about how to slice a brisket as well as to know when it is done. He has a whole series of how to pick a brisket, how to trim and rub it, how to cook it, and how to slice/eat it.

 

[oldbill]

Thanks for your help.

Sorry, I didn't finish answering your questions! I wrap in butcher paper. It does what foil does but it doesn't steam and soften the bark that you worked so hard on and it's fine to probe through the wrap for tenderness or temp., no need to unwrap. As color goes, some guys want a mahogany color but I go a little darker. It's actually a chocolate brown, almost black.

 

[Dlabrie]

Check this video out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMIlyzRFUjU&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLJXFUkVvL7g6tSTue1GN9UEbc1K-9u0rE

This will let will teach you about how to slice a brisket as well as to know when it is done. He has a whole series of how to pick a brisket, how to trim and rub it, how to cook it, and how to slice/eat it.

WOW! GREAT VIDEO!!! :clap:I don't think I will be making burnt ends this first time. I will definitely look up his other videos, that was great!
Thanks.

 

[BigBellyBBQ]

start cooking, it will come to you.find the technique that works for you..keep notes on cook and results...Any type of wrap will soften the bark, paper less but still softer than cooking w/o wrap