Anyone ever mop brisket?

[jjdbike]

I know.... it sound sacrilegious. I feel a little dirty even typing it. Please don't judge me. I'm just asking.

I know a lot of us spritz. I'm wondering if anyone here has ever mopped instead of spritz. If so, what was their experience.

Anyone?
JD

 

[thirdeye]

Oh sure. My Grandfather was an old baster and mopping was very common in the Q-days of yesteryear. I used the bristle brush mostly, but we do buy the string style of brush when mopping whole goats and sheep roasted on a spit.

I don't see any difference in mopping verses spraying other than the fact if you are mopping you can have more coarse things in your liquid (like chunks of onion and garlic. The main reason I like to spray is the fact it takes less time in the pit, and the application is more even.

 

[oldgfbbq]

I mopped until a 5-6 years ago, loved the results, stopped to try something different, will probably go back to mopping.....for something different :-D


When I mop, it is usually after a couple of hours in smoker. It clearly drips off if meat is turned, moved etc., but some adheres to the surface and begins to dry, thus prompting the next mop. What adheres adds flavors to the surface, not sure how much actually makes it into meat, sort of like putting dry rub/seasoning on outside of chicken. Not much gets into the chicken, but it tastes great on the skin. My mop is roughly equal parts canola oil, butter, worcestershire, mustard, along with coarse ground pepper.



IT IS A HUGE MESS, don't do it if you are feeling a little lazy.



I grew up in southeast Texas watching my grandfather mop and just continued as I got older and began to smoke brisket. As my cooking skills improved, I found it was not necessary to keep brisket moist, but I enjoyed the additional flavor. I have his hand written recipes and the now ambiguous measurements. Stuff like.....a box of pepper, Oleo (not sure if he meant 1lb or less), bottle of mustard....

 

[jjdbike]

Thanks folks,
You put my mind at ease.
So if I wait till bark is well established& I don’t have sugar in the sauce, it won’t mess up the bark?
JD

 

[Fooball]

So if I wait till bark is well established& I don’t have sugar in the sauce, it won’t mess up the bark?
JD

If I did mop, it would be dabbing only. No side to side or up and down motions that could upset the bark.

Thirdeye makes a good point in that you can use a "chunky" baste if you mop.

I'd try throwing some garlic and onion and herbs in my baste and pulse it in the food processor.

 

[jjdbike]

If I did mop, it would be dabbing only. No side to side or up and down motions that could upset the bark.

Thirdeye makes a good point in that you can use a "chunky" baste if you mop.

I'd try throwing some garlic and onion and herbs in my baste and pulse it in the food processor.

Great advice!
Thanks Football and friends.
JD

 

[Fooball]

Great advice!
Thanks Football and friends.
JD

That's "foo" ball. They used to call me Foo for short on the NFL Buccaneers forums back in the day when I posted. Carried it over here as a little nostalgic thing for myself. :tongue:

 

[Swine Spectator]

I am glad you posted this. When I first go into Q in the early 90's mopping was more of a "thing". Like so many trends in Q, it has fallen out of favor in recent years, yielding to such newcomers as tallow baths.

Not long ago I watched the Netflix documentary on Rodney Scott. In it, he still mops his whole hogs. It got me thinking about mopping again. I have a small cotton mop and have been wanting to mop a brisket or butt. I think it is still a valid technique.

 

[oldgfbbq]

No experience with sugar in a mop or rub, probably missing something, but that is my experience.


I've both dabbled and slathered.

 

[Bill-Chicago]

I got tired of buying the mop heads, so I just spray now.


And G-Man above is spot on, mopping is a mess.

 

[jjdbike]

I got tired of buying the mop heads, so I just spray now.


And G-Man above is spot on, mopping is a mess.

You know what.., you guys talked me out of it.
I’ll make the sauce and serve it on the side.
I’ll spritz w/ a mix of beef stock & apple cider vinegar.
Thanks again folks.
JD

 

[SmokinEdge]

I sometimes spritz/mop. Spritz with cider vinegar or mop with my “bbq juice” which does have chunks of onion, garlic and bacon along with spices and a touch of vinegar. For me the process is about building another layer of flavor and keeping the surface of the meat cool for better smoke penetration. I wait about an hour to start and I stop about 3 hours into the cook, this because I want the meat to cook and not get cooled down anymore. The easiest is to spritz then use my mop to dunk the meat into before plating.

 

[oldgfbbq]

Don't let the mess deter you, unless you clean the bottom of your smoker after every cook. Those large diameter drains were put there for a reason. :-D Without consulting any science, I may or may not leave some drippings down there, but the cooking grates get cleaned

 

[Qkooker]

Nothing wrong with mopping. Sometimes I do when I cook a brisket over coals. I like the flavor of a vinegar based mop and this method still works for an awesome taste on a brisket. Try it and see if it works for you. You do not have to use a mop, a rag, stick and string works well, just throw it away once you're done. Tootsie Snow mops her meat and she's known as one of the best in the country.

 

[Bill-Chicago]

Don't let the mess deter you, unless you clean the bottom of your smoker after every cook. Those large diameter drains were put there for a reason. :-D Without consulting any science, I may or may not leave some drippings down there, but the cooking grates get cleaned

Agreed it depends on the cooker.


I was using a Bandera at the time with a separate vertical smoke chamber with no drain, so you had to clean up each and every time.


So JD, I didn't mean to talk you out of mopping, and like QKooker, I've also used a vinegar based mop with really good results, so I'll edit my response to say "depending on the cooker and the necessity to clean each time or not"





Edit #2,
You mention sauce on the side instead, I've never really mopped anything thick enough to be called sauce. It was always a vinegar/apple juice type based mop

 

[jjdbike]

Thanks everyone,
I have a KBQ. The vertical cook chamber is like a small stainless dishwasher.
I’ll have a full size hotel pan on bottom w/ water.
Also, the brisket will be a pan of beans.
JD