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gaspipe1
03-15-2012, 09:41 PM
What happens when you get brisket fever?

Allow me to explain, I never placed brisket in the same category as pulled pork. I even told my friend who doesn’t eat pork that he just has to accept the fact that brisket will never, ever taste as good as pulled pork. And he will always have to take a back seat to the almighty pulled pork on a potato bun with slaw and Carolina vinegar sauce. (I’m getting hungry now)

And then I had the brisket at Fette Sau. I know I have been bragging about this place and wrote a thread about it, but it was an eye opener. From that day on, I now place brisket tied with the swine! (I had a revelation, but I didn’t lose my mind)

So here I am reading threads upon threads on brisket and how to make an unforgettable meal. I decided I was going to start from the beginning and not cut any corners. I am treating this meal as a skill and not a recipe. So I start with the Master of Funk and his suggestion to oven cook and foil a flat. And I said ok that will be my next brisket. Just as he suggested so I can learn this art.

And then my friend buys me a whole packer from CreekstoneFarms.com BTW it happens to be the same place Fette Sau gets their beef. So now what do I do, I have no choice but to smoke this bad boy.

Now that you know the story here are the facts. I believe I read that Creekstone ships the same day the animal is butchered. I received the packer Thursday the 15th and the invoice date was 3/14/2012. The packer is shrink-wrapped (the plastic does NOT feel like the strong crypto wrap but seems air tight) the beef itself feels frozen, but it could be from the dry ice that it ships with. Currently I have it stored in my garage fridge.

I know I read a thread in regards to wet aging brisket for something like 20 days or so. Should I do this? If yes I have plenty of time to get a game plan with the help of the brethren.

But if the answer is no I’m going to fire up the UDS this weekend. Regarding the cook since I am using an UDS I will be cooking fat cap down. Should I use some sort of pan under the brisket with liquid or sand? Or should I smoke it in a pan? I have never used anything in my UDS in the past.

Rub? I have some Bovine Bold that is waiting to be used on something like this or do I go and use just Salt and Pepper like the Master of Funk suggested. I have no problem with using just S&P especially after reading that the best places in Texas use only S&P.

What about injections? Cooking time and grate Temp? Do I foil or perhaps use red butchers paper? I really do not want to fark this $80 packer up. Any help to the answers on this post is greatly appreciated also if anyone wants to point out a thread that perhaps I missed I would love that as well. As always thank you in advance.

If any chance Matt Lang you are out there… please shed some light

MilitantSquatter
03-15-2012, 10:17 PM
Here's a few of my thoughts to some of your questions

- you've just spent $80 on a brisket... don't start changing too many variables by wet aging, injecting, foiling etc.... especially if you've never done it before. At $80 that brisket better not need aging to taste good !! Pretty sure Fette Sau is not doing any of that stuff and you thought it was incredible.. so why would you need to do it ??

- Rub - I think you're on a good path to start simple w/ S&P as Donnie suggested.. ...get a feel for what salt does to the flavor by itself (w/black pepper) ..maybe add some cayenne or garlic powder too...

Time/Temp - you'll see answers ranging from 185-385 degrees. That's going to be up to you and your approach.. If it's your first cook, likely want to stay away from extremes

- Foil - you'll get answers of yes & no - not necessary if you cook it right..

- butcher paper - I've liked the results over the last year or two using it

There are so many things one can/do or not do when cooking BBQ.. trying to do everything may make things worse... start minimally so you can figure out what changes you'd want to do next time out (if any). Taking everyones suggestions are nice, but better to learn on your own so you can figure out what you think is best not just what others think.

Good Luck !!!!

JS-TX
03-15-2012, 11:14 PM
+1 ^^

I would also add you should use a diffuser of some sort. No water. I've been cooking brisket on top of a cooling rack that sits on top of a alum. pan. The drippings are just too good too allow them to burn.

ROF, Texas
03-16-2012, 10:40 AM
Good to see another Brethren with the fever. Being a native texan, brisket is king! All the above advise will get you on the right path. I would suggest a simple S & P rub, or for an easy coarse grind solution use a Montreal Steak Seasonong (black pepper, salt & garlic). We also place our briskets on a cooling rack in a foil pan through portions of this cook. This allows you to capture the drippings for future use.
A good raw product should yield a great finished product.

Good Luck

BeaglesBBQ
03-16-2012, 10:55 AM
if you want to emulate fette's brisket, you should use a coffee rub. thats what they use. i actually think they sell it in the restaurant now.

gaspipe1
03-19-2012, 11:54 AM
Well made the brisket on Sunday. Was ok, had a nice buttery taste and lots of fat. I think I need better carving skills. To be honest it was a long day and at the end I was kinda rushed.

Here is what I did, Sat afternoon I took the packer out of the plastic. And to my surprise it was still hard as in very stiff. There was nothing to trim, I mean I took off a little and I mean a little of what I thought was hard fat just to say I did something. Also no blood, I mean nothing.

Lawrey's Salt, Onion Powder and Garlic Powder. Wraped in plastic wrap and foil back in the fridge till Sunday. Sunday made a 50-50 ration Kosher Salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Spread it on the lightly patted it down.

9:45 Got my temp up to 275* brisket went on fat cap down. Had hickery chips and cherry chunks. Had the UDS creep up to 325 and then lowered it. I would say the avg temp was 310*.

Once the IT reached 185* I started to probe. Felt resistance so I kept it on till it had none. IT was 195 and the probe had no resistance (at least I think it didn't). Let it sit in the cooler wrapped up for an hour.

Like I said it had nice flavor, very very moist and juicy. But I think that was b/c it was an expensive piece of meat. Along with it having a lot of fat speckled throughout.

What bothered me was the flat seemed tough and not tender. I was under the impression that smoking at these temps should take about 6 hours. I pulled it at 5:30PM that was almost 8 hours. To be honest I still don't know if I under cooked it or over cooked it.

Everyone said it was very good, but deep down inside I know better. I will post some pics and will post how it comes out as a leftover.

TY again for the help.

Panthers65
03-19-2012, 12:01 PM
Gotta stop testing with those high dollar meats, I've gotten several briskets from Sams that were very good for a fraction of that cost.

That being said, Brisket is probably my favorite meat to BBQ, but is also a lot harder than pulled pork. I've found the more simple I make it, the better it is. I also like to take the brisket a little higher than my PP, around the 200-205 range, especially if doing it hot(er) like you did.

Ron_L
03-19-2012, 12:24 PM
Did you take any pics? Sometimes you can tell by the grain of the meat if it was undercooked or not. Honestly, it sounds like it was since you said that it was moist, but tough. Overcooked would have been dry and crumbly. With higher temp cooks the finish temp is typically higher in order to get the fat rendered and the meat tender.

gaspipe1
03-19-2012, 12:50 PM
Gotta stop testing with those high dollar meats, I've gotten several briskets from Sams that were very good for a fraction of that cost.

To be honest this Q was inspired by most recent outing to Fette Sau. My friend bought and sent me the packer as a surprise b/c it is where they order from.

What I wanted to do was buy a flat and foil it in the oven like Dr Funk suggested. I think that will be my next lesson.

gaspipe1
03-19-2012, 12:52 PM
Did you take any pics? Sometimes you can tell by the grain of the meat if it was undercooked or not. Honestly, it sounds like it was since you said that it was moist, but tough. Overcooked would have been dry and crumbly. With higher temp cooks the finish temp is typically higher in order to get the fat rendered and the meat tender.

I did take some pics and will post them soon. How would you recommend I heat the flats? They're in plastic wrap and foil in the fridge.

JS-TX
03-19-2012, 01:08 PM
You mean re-heat the flat? I'd take it out of the plastic and pour a little beef broth on it and tent w/foil. Put it in a 300* oven till warm.

sandiegobbq
03-19-2012, 01:26 PM
My guess is that it was undercooked.

Next time try out a less expensive cut and see how it goes.

Vision
03-19-2012, 03:55 PM
A few thoughts.

Bovine Bold, is bold. If you use it, only use a little. Personally I don't like it.

You want to foil around 150 - 165 with a little bit of liquid.

Almost all my briskets are done high heat (325). The only way I wouldn't foil is by using a high heat cook.

Yes, inject. I like to inject/rub overnight. There are simple beef broth recipes.

Cook the flat to 203. Then give it a good rest.

If you really want to get up to speed listen to greg rempe's brisket roundtable.

Even with all this I still haven't gotten it to taste like my favorite, Q on the Riverwalk in San Antonio.

njshift
03-20-2012, 02:34 PM
Any luck with those pics?

gaspipe1
03-20-2012, 10:26 PM
I am trying to upload these pictures... but had no luck so please just goto my Flicker account here: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjyE9y9G

Even after I tried reheating the flat was just blah but to be honest I didn't let it cook that long. The burnt ends where pretty good but had a little fatty/butter taste. To be honest you knew it was heavy going down. Not sure if that makes sense but you definitely did not want to eat too many of these.

BTW I have been listening to that brisket round table and TY for the suggestion. Perhaps like one of the guests recommended that they smoke their wagyu at 190* perhaps this too should be done on really low and slow.

Perhaps Mister would do a side buy side doing wagyu at 190 and another on 325. Just kidding, anyway thanks for looking and the feedback/suggestions!

here is where you can find info on the packer: http://store.creekstonefarms.com/product-p/csf-bri01.htm

frohe
03-21-2012, 02:38 PM
Well made the brisket on Sunday.

As you saw, you got many a suggestion on what to do but the best advice was to start simple and master how to cook your brisket on your cooker. Remember, it's the cook, not the cooker, who makes great BBQ.

Pitmaster T
03-21-2012, 07:23 PM
Who is Dr Funk... Is he a passenger?

Happy Hapgood
03-21-2012, 08:49 PM
For what it's worth, I've learned 2 things about brisket for Family and Friend cooks.

1. Go with a Choice or above grade packer brisket or don't bother.

2. It's done when it's done. Temp is and indicator but not a gauge.

ROF, Texas
03-21-2012, 09:03 PM
Agreed! Good raw product and cook till done.

1st Place brisket last weekend!!