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My rant--Brisket is not a mystery meat!

The_Kapn

The_Kapn

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I have been here for a long time and have watched all the "cultural" changes--both good and bad. 8)
Brisket has become the most frequently discussed and fought about item I have ever seen--and for no reason I can figure out.

There are folks that consider it the "holy grail" and say ya gotta do "this, that, and the other" to make some sort of nirvana brisket.

Foil, Paper, nothing--225, 250, 275, 300, 325--just pick a Farking technique and a number and cook the Farking meat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think 90% of the more of the "help me" brisket threads are due to under cooking. SIMPLE

Back when I first starting competing in 2004, brisket was our best category and remained so to the end in 2010. Although we were not "nationally" ranked, we were always contenders.
We injected, cooked, foiled, and sliced the flat with cubed point around the sides--simple!

For folks that view Texas as the birthplace of BBQ Brisket (which I am not uncomfortable with)--do you really think the folks in the past made it so complicated???

For those of you who claim that ya gotta cook a hundred or a thousand briskets to get the "feel right"--how do you sleep with that kind of crap!
Brisket is one of the easier meats to cook IMHO~

But, what in the heck do I know?? 8)

TIM
 
So, you're saying I wasted my money buying that Signature Brisket Boiling Pan from BBQ Bubba?
 
The_Kapn said:
do you really think the folks in the past made it so complicated???
Click to expand...

I think this can be said for all BBQ, not just brisket. Rub recipes with 25+ ingredients, injections, no injections, foiling, no foil, fat side up or fat side down, mop or no mop, yada yada.

Why does it need to be so complicated? It shouldn't be. For fark's sake, we're just cooking a piece of meat that's already delicious in its own right and making it a little better.

1. Get a high quality product to start with.
2. Know how to manage your cooker and smoke.
3. Use a simple rub and/or sauce that simply compliments the meat and smoke flavors instead of trying to make it the star of the show.
4. Pull the meat when it's done.

There you have it. A recipe for good BBQ with a little bit of practice. Like you said, pick a method and stick with it. After some practice you will have it dialed in and make consistently good product. Any method can and does work, but if you're jumping to try some new trick every time a cook doesn't turn out perfectly instead of trying to improve on what may have gone wrong you aren't learning anything and are instead just trying to chase a secret formula that may or may not even work for your processes and setup.
 
Yeah, you're right, but there's no glory in that. Nobody is going to worship at your feet hoping you drop some sort of almighty brisket knowledge on them every once in a while if they know that all they need to do is cook it until it is done. Where is the fun in that?
 
So....if I'm reading you right, I should:

Lightly toast my ends, not burn them.

Soak my brisket in water for at least 24 hours, (changing the water every 4 hours), before cooking.

Cook brisket at 130 degrees until I reach an internal temp of 195 degrees.

Wrap brisket in saran wrap after it reaches an internal temp of 200 degrees.

Slice the brisket with the grain for maximum tenderness.

Serve to the in-laws on hot dog rolls.

Thanks Kapn!

Dave
 
For noobs like me who haven't gotten it perfect, yes, it haunts me and keeps me up at night:)
I see your view, but also understand why it is so heavily discussed.
 
I think the biggest reason folks are so paranoid is because brisket is unforgiving and expensive. If you overcook a rib roast, who cares, it's still flavorful and tender (to a point).

Before I bought my WSM I drooled over the lousy select cuts at Wally World. 17 lbs. @ 57 dollars.

Now that I have my WSM, I can't find one locally to save my life.

I will say that I agree with you in terms of all of the posts asking how to cook a brisket. When I do finally score one, I have all the confidence in the world that I'll nail it because I have done my homework here.

At this point, I'm certain I can do one in my sleep.

All of the info you need is here folks.

Dave
 
I will say that I have never made the perfect brisket but that is due to 2 things, My old offset and I think I always pulled to early.
Now that it is $5lb around here it's no longer on my summer to do list.
 
Cowgirl nailed it!! good meat, S&P, and wood for cooking! Simple just cook till probe tender, the best briskets I have ever cooked were the simpler variety.... Period!!!! I did succomb the searching for the magic elixir?!?!?! :doh::doh:There really is no such thing and I have come full circle back to the simple way of cooking and everyone that eats it says its the best they have ever had.... go figure!!!:confused:
 
marubozo said:
I think this can be said for all BBQ, not just brisket. Rub recipes with 25+ ingredients, injections, no injections, foiling, no foil, fat side up or fat side down, mop or no mop, yada yada.

Why does it need to be so complicated? It shouldn't be. For fark's sake, we're just cooking a piece of meat that's already delicious in its own right and making it a little better.

1. Get a high quality product to start with.
2. Know how to manage your cooker and smoke.
3. Use a simple rub and/or sauce that simply compliments the meat and smoke flavors instead of trying to make it the star of the show.
4. Pull the meat when it's done.

There you have it. A recipe for good BBQ with a little bit of practice. Like you said, pick a method and stick with it. After some practice you will have it dialed in and make consistently good product. Any method can and does work, but if you're jumping to try some new trick every time a cook doesn't turn out perfectly instead of trying to improve on what may have gone wrong you aren't learning anything and are instead just trying to chase a secret formula that may or may not even work for your processes and setup.
Click to expand...

Well said.

I'll add that a lot of backyard folks are trying to attain comp BBQ.

In comp, you are constantly re-inventing your process to gain an edge.

Most of the people I see here are backyard folks.

Cook what tastes good to you unless you're competing.

Dave
 
Hmmm, brisket costs $5 a pound, burger meat costs $4 a pound, steak costs $9 a pound, seems like brisket is still a great deal. Plus, you can always make it into chili.

Brisket is actually quite forgiving if all you want is to make a tasty meal. And there are ways to save it if you miss a little. For instance, over-cook it, just slice it a little thick, it will hold together just fine. Undercook? Then slice it 'wafer' thin, it will be fine. Too dry, add some jus and sauce, too moist, tell me what you did, I would like to know.
 
My humble apologies. Some of us are still learning.
Thought I could come to a place called the "Brethren" for a little mentoring.
Please have patience.
 
angryfish01 said:
My humble apologies. Some of us are still learning.
Thought I could come to a place called the "Brethren" for a little mentoring.
Please have patience.
Click to expand...
You can, and it will all be fine. Sometimes the old timers get cranky because the same questions end up being asked, and then, sometimes folks don't listen so well, it does get a little frustrating.
 
landarc said:
Hmmm, brisket costs $5 a pound, burger meat costs $4 a pound, steak costs $9 a pound, seems like brisket is still a great deal. Plus, you can always make it into chili.

Brisket is actually quite forgiving if all you want is to make a tasty meal. And there are ways to save it if you miss a little. For instance, over-cook it, just slice it a little thick, it will hold together just fine. Undercook? Then slice it 'wafer' thin, it will be fine. Too dry, add some jus and sauce, too moist, tell me what you did, I would like to know.
Click to expand...

Bob,

I'm assuming this question was for me. Please forgive my communication skills as I'm an engineer and usually, very socially awkward.

What I should have said was the perception of cooking brisket, to noobs like myself, is that there is a window that it must be pulled at or it is garbage.

I emphasize the word perception.

If you look back at my posts, you'll see that I have not yet done a brisket as I have yet to find a local supplier, but when they were carried at my local Wally World, (before I purchased my WSM), they were an expensive cut of meat if I were to screw it up.

I can spend 8 dollars for 2 pounds of ground beef for chili, I don't want to spend $57 for brisket chili.

The point I was trying to make is that I understand where the newbies are coming from, but I also see where the vets like yourself get frustrated with the posts. I have never personally asked for brisket help, nor will I in the future, because all of the info I need is right here at my fingertips.

Personally, I just don't click on posts that don't interest me, but I can see where maybe there is a data storage issue for redundant posts.

Dave
 
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