My results from "cooking a brisket till it jiggles using parchment/butcher paper instead of foil" and what I learned...

[landarc]

Now that is a good write up and glad that you have a great brisket.

[slow-smoker]

Nice looking brisky !

[Butt Rubb'n BBQ]

I have to agree. We wrap them in parchment all the time and put foil around that. Works great.

[CarolinaQue]

Originally Posted by Butt Rubb'n BBQ

I have to agree. We wrap them in parchment all the time and put foil around that. Works great.

Do you find that the foil creates to tight of a seal that causes the brisket to build up juice and braise as wrapping in straight foil would? Or does it still breath enough that it isn't swimming whe you're done?

[CarolinaQue]

Now that I remmebered, I did spray the brisket with a worcestershire/water mixture once at the 4 hour mark, and the other when I wrapped it in the paper. I believe it was about 1/4 cup of worcestershire to 1 cup of water.

[kurtsara]

Originally Posted by CarolinaQue

For those interested, here are the results. It was 210* in the point and 203* in the flat when I took it off. It did jiggle like jello when it was done, but I had to hold it for a few hours until it was time to eat, so it firmed back up during the rest. Because of this, I believe that Aaron doesn't rest his more than an hour or so, or he leaves it in a warm hold (maybe in the 200* range)until it's time to be served. Either way, this brisket is in my top 5, maybe even top 3 of all time. Definately the best one I've done in a very long time, possibly years.



To start, it was a 13/lb CAB Choice that I hardly trimmed. Mainly, just the hard fat between the point and the flat, you'll see how uniform it's shape is in the pics. It was seasoned with a simple 50/50 of kosher salt and an even amount of white and black pepper, and a 1/4 of the total amount of granulated garlic. So, I think that it broke down to 1/2 cup kosher salt, 1/4 cup black pepper, 1/4 cup white pepper, and 1/4 cup granulated garlic. As you can see, the bark was great and I am a believer now that you don't need a bunch of stuff in your rub to make a good bark.



I got the smoker up to temp. I put the meat on when it was at 250* and stable, but once the meat went on, the temp climbed to between 275* - 300* and I didn't touch a thing, I just let it ride where it wanted to settle. It was done in about 7 1/2 to 8 hours. I wrapped it in parchment paper in the 165* - 170* range in the flat and took it to 203* in the flat and 210* in the point.



I put it in a 170* degree oven for about 3 hours to rest. I think that I read that Aaaron recommends a 200* degree temp for holding, I may be mistaking though.



Either way, the brisket came out amazing. It was tender all the way through the flat. I left the flat and point connected to slice for serving, and it was incredibly juicy and tender in that section. But there wasn't a dry part to it except the very end of the flat, and that was still pretty moist. But that was the test piece any way.



One thing I did notice was that there was hardly any extra liquid in the paper after resting. And I put the brisket on a sheet pan just in case the paper leaked, so I wouldn't lose any au jus, but there wasn't any. So I knew that it hadn't leaked through and steamed off in the cooking chamber. My belief now is that the paper really does allow the meat to breath better and gives a better result in the end. I don't think that I'll ever be able to go back to foil now.



So really, it comes down to relearning that all you really need is meat, simple seasoning, fire and simple techniques to put out great brisket. For quite some time, I've been trying to make it "better" for a comp, catering event or what ever, doing all kinds of things that really weren't necessary and only got in the way of what I was really after. And along the way, I forgot that less really is more and simple is better.



Here it is:

It looks great but, who is Aaron?

[Brian in Maine]

Looks great! Thanks for sharing Tim.

[CarolinaQue]

Originally Posted by kurtsara

It looks great but, who is Aaron?

Aaron Franklin of Franklin's BBQ in Austin, TX. He's been a celebrity judge on BBQ Pitmasters, featured in T.V. shows such as No Reservations, and his brisket has been deemed the best in the country by Bon Appetit.

[NS Mike D]

Originally Posted by CarolinaQue

Aaron Franklin of Franklin's BBQ in Austin, TX. He's been a celebrity judge on BBQ Pitmasters, featured in T.V. shows such as No Reservations, and his brisket has been deemed the best in the country by Bon Appetit.

I highly recommend that episode. Brisket is my worst category in my short comp career and the simplicity in which he cooks great brisket was inspiring. Bourdain's crew got some great video to illustrate what the "jiggle" looks like, and the brisket looked drenched in it's own juices when he sliced it. Loved when the guest showed the snap when he did the pull test as well.

[neuyawk]

It kinda seems like the pastrami styles in NYC. Over at Katz's Deli, a major institution, they cook the pastrami til it's so tender you need to hand cut it as the slicing machines will simply cause it to just flake apart.

At 2nd Ave Deli, the pastrami holds on more densely and it can be sliced on a machine.

Both styles are delicious. Perhaps what the KCBS guys are looking for is not what Texans are looking for? What's overcooked for one is an example of perfect brisket for the other?

[GaSouthernSmoker]

Looks Awesome ... Proves sometimes less is better

[BabyHuey]

Looks awesome! nice smoke ring, just right color, and wow i wish i could smell it! We need scratch and sniff screens....

[CarolinaQue]

[QUOTE=neuyawk;2207009]It kinda seems like the pastrami styles in NYC. Over at Katz's Deli, a major institution, they cook the pastrami til it's so tender you need to hand cut it as the slicing machines will simply cause it to just flake apart.

At 2nd Ave Deli, the pastrami holds on more densely and it can be sliced on a machine.

Both styles are delicious. Perhaps what the KCBS guys are looking for is not what Texans are looking for? What's overcooked for one is an example of perfect brisket for the other?[/QUOTE]

Exactly!!! And that's why I've decided that my short competition career is likely no more. I just can't wrap my head around the idea of cooking some thing to standards that I myself don't necessarily enjoy or like. Nothing against it, I've just decided that it's not my thing. And it's not like I was a failure at it and gave up. I have a few trophies and top finishes, so it wasn't like I sucked at it. It just came down to the fact that I'd rather cook to the standards of what I, my family and friends enjoy instead of what people have been "told" what BBQ should look, taste, and feel like. Now, I'll likely shift my interest and energy back the catering side of the house.

[CarolinaQue]

Originally Posted by NS Mike D

I highly recommend that episode. Brisket is my worst category in my short comp career and the simplicity in which he cooks great brisket was inspiring. Bourdain's crew got some great video to illustrate what the "jiggle" looks like, and the brisket looked drenched in it's own juices when he sliced it. Loved when the guest showed the snap when he did the pull test as well.

I agree!!! Every one that's trying to attain brisket nirvana should watch it. It is a very usefull tool to actually see and not just read what it should look like, and to be shown how simple it really is.

[JS-TX]

Originally Posted by CarolinaQue

I agree!!! Every one that's trying to attain brisket nirvana should watch it. It is a very usefull tool to actually see and not just read what it should look like, and to be shown how simple it really is.

I'm going to make sure my DVR never deletes that episode. The brisket video pr0n is off the charts.

You should compete in TX, in my short 1 yr old comp "career" I've learned that it's a good thing to turn in Q that is a little extra tender, cause the judges can't pick it up with their hands. Plastic knifes and forks only. This past weekend I used the butcher paper technique at a small comp. and got 1st place! Juicy, tender brisket that we sliced about 1/4 to 3/8 thick. Happy to say the tenderness was spot on, it didn't crumble at all. I had used a prime angus brisket that I picked up at the local butcher counter. I regret not taking pics but between the both of us we had our hands pretty full. Sadly there were no leftovers to take to work today.