Been smoking meat for about 15 months now and never done a briket. It is my 47th birthday tommorrow and I am celebrating with my first brisket attempt. I got a 10 and a half pound Angus brisket that the fella said was 25 days aged:
There is about 1/3rd of an inch of fat on the top. I am thinking of not trimming the top at all. The bottom looks like this:
That fat chunk on the leading edge is pretty hard and I am wondering if I should trim it or not? The butcher said to leave it but alot of the youtube walkthroughs trim this down significantly.
I am planning to begin cooking in the morning first thing. I was going to make a rub with 1/3 fine salt, 1/3 fine pepper, 1/6 oinion powder and 1/6 garlic powder and apply to the brisket tonight before going to bed. I am thinking of adding a few tbsp of worshtershire sauce to the brisket before rubbing. The rub will be on lighter side I was thinking.
I am planning on removing the meat from the fridge an hour before cooking. Gonna use the Kettle and start off with water in the smokenator pan and a temp of about 220f for 2-3 hours then ramp it up to 275f with the water removed after an hour or so to promote bark formation. Not sure how long the cook will last but I want to feed guests at about 6.30pm. Thinking of having the food on the grill by 8am. Should I be starting earlier? I was going to foil it near the end of the cook....when I do this I am not sure yet. I have read often about the feel of the meat when it is done and to look for carmelization of tat on the exterior of the brisket rather than at internal temperature being reached so I will be keeping that in mind. When it is done I will foil and let rest for about an hour.
Gonna use some white oak to smoke with.....I have mesquite, cherry and hickory on hand as well.
Should anyone have some words of wisdom for me I'd sure appreciate it.
