Need advice Bludawg Brisket on an Egg...

[Doug Crann]

....hoping to cook a 15.8 pound, un-trimmed, Choice Brisket tomorrow.....these chills best not turn into anything. Anyway, will be using a controller so maintaining a steady 325 won't be a problem. Going to to a bit of trimming...may leave the cap intact. Will be cooking indirectly but my knife skills...well...are a bit lacking. That and in previous attempts on the Egg with a trimmed cap didn't care much for the texture (perhaps not the correct word?) of the bottom of the Brisket.
Will be trimming any of the rock hard fat. Olive oil, salt and pepper. After 4 hours wrap it and back on, cap up. After an hour give it a wiggle/poke. Once probe tender pull it off, rest on the counter til IT drops to 150*. Miss anything?
In previous attempts we have wrapped in foil and put it in the cooler for at least 90minutes. Results have always been fair. Bit drier than I think it should be...and a bit on the chewy side....several folks have told me that by foiling and putting it in the cooler that while it may have been probe tender when I pulled it the carryover from the insulation of the towel filled cooler made it overcooked...

[frognot]

I know BluDawg uses butcher paper, not foil.

[JS-TX]

Highly recommend using a diffuser in your egg. Also you will be getting a lot of radiant heat from your dome onto the brisket. 275-300* may be better. Also recommend fat cap down the whole way. Be careful where you feel for tenderness the fat cap will always jiggle. Fat cap down is more convenient too for checking tenderness.

[KevinJ]

If it was dry and chewy it was under cooked, I like to leave the fat cap down the whole time.

[pjtexas1]

Its not an exact formula. Some think wrap at 4 hours, pull at 6, done. Depends a lot on your cooker and how you trim. I cooked them for years and they were always 7-8 hours at 300. Then I realized that trimming aggressively cut down the time by at least an hour. Get all the hard fat between the point and flat out and that helps.

[mchar69]

5-6 hours total might not do it on the brute you've got.
Everything else written is spot-on-
fat down, hard fat (deckle) between the point and flat has to go, leave 1/4 covering,
wrap in BP after you get color, leave on counter to rest for an hour at least....
275 - where's the Dawg in Chief when you need him?

[mchar69]

Here's a Dawggie brisky-
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y263/mchar/DSC_0031_zpsygbaar9d.jpg (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/mchar/media/DSC_0031_zpsygbaar9d.jpg.html)

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y263/mchar/DSC_0025_zpsepniekhz.jpg (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/mchar/media/DSC_0025_zpsepniekhz.jpg.html)

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y263/mchar/DSC_0033_zpsprmbruig.jpg (http://s7.photobucket.com/user/mchar/media/DSC_0033_zpsprmbruig.jpg.html)

[Single Malt Slacker]

I agree that you should use a diffuser (or plate setter on the BGE) and follow Blu's directions below.

BluDawgs Brisket

K.I S.S. some of the best brisket you will ever eat! Total cook time including the rest 8 hrs or less. I promise it will be as moist as mornin dew on the lilly, tender as a mothers love, pure beefy smoky goodness.

1 packer 12-15 lb
Trim off the hard fat on each side of the flat thin the fat cap to 1/4"

Mix your Rub
1 part kosher salt 4 parts Med grind Black peppa by volume( this is a true 50/50 BY weight)
apply a coat of rub you need to be able to see the meat through the rub clearly.

Pre heat the pit to 300 deg
place brisket on the pit Fat Cap Down and point to the firebox unless it is a RF cooker then point to away from FB

Maintain pit between 275-325 if cookin on a stick burner
cook Brisket 4 hrs
remove from pit wrap in a single layer of Butcher paper Return to pit Fat cap up.
after 1 hr probe the thicket part of the Flat only! If it isn't *probe tender it will be within 1 hr.
once it is probe tender remove from the pit keep it wrapped in the paper you cooked it in and allow it to rest on your counter until the Internal temp reaches 150 this will take about two hrs.
Don't ever slice more than you can eat big pieces retain moisture and won't dry up on you like slices will.


*PROBE TENDER>This is the feel that is mimicked by cutting room temperature butter with a hot knife, there should be no drag



Here's a Bludawg brisket I posted a few years ago on the Akorn.
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=208649

[Doug Crann]

I did mention cooking indirectly, so I will have the plate setter in it.
Not going to happen today. Chills have gotten worse....no point in spending a day cooking if I don't feel well enough to enjoy it. Just going to have home made, Egg cooked Pizza....
Really would like to do the brisket in the Reverse Flow....but being that some knucklehead didn't cover the wood pile before the show started this winter the wood is a bit wet....duh....
Thanks for the advice. Will post some pictures when I cook the brisket...

[Clay-b-que]

What happened to bludawg???

[frognot]

What happened to bludawg???

Paul (pjtexas1) has talked with him and he's been really busy.

[smokeswirl]

Resting is very important. For you and the brisket. I usually cook mine at 375 for 2.5 in a pan uncovered fat side UP. Then wrap in pan in foil for 1.5 hours to 203 internal temp. Then wrap the entire thing in a heavy blanket for 3 hours. 4 hours of cook time and 3 hours just resting. If you like bark then the last 30 minutes you can throw it back on the kamado for the bark to set. N=Never had a tough or dry brisket

[aawa]

My method is very similar to Bludawgs, but I use foil.

Pit between 300-325

Put brisket on fat cap towards fire, I cook on a uds so I go fatcap down. In a BGE go fat cap down.

Check brisket at the 4-4.5 hour mark. The bark should be set and if it is the color you want, wrap it tightly in a double layer of foil. If the bark is light, let it go for a little while longer.

At the 5.5 - 6 hour mark, probe the thickest part of the flat for tenderness. If it is not probe tender, close the foil and let it ride for another 30 -45mins and check again. Repeat until brisket is probe tender.

Once you pull the brisket off the cooker, open up the foil for 15-20minutes to vent off the heat to prevent carry over cooking.

After 15-20 minutes of venting, get that foil wrapped tightly against the brisket again. You can store the brisket several ways. Leave it on the counter to rest 1-2 hours. Put it in an oven (that is off) and leave it in there for 1-3 hours. If you are holding for 4+ hours I recommend putting it in a cooler or a cambro.

Slice against the grain and serve.

If you do this method, the bark will soften up some initially. But during the venting process the bark will harden again. Then when holding it will soften a little bit, but when youhave it on the board and ready to slice, it will hard again.

Here are a link to some of my cooks that I use the method above.
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=217176
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=202609
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=187912
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=174497&page=2

[JS-TX]

Bludawg's method is pretty universal, I've always done it that way. Simple and easy with good results.

[legendaryhog]

I like to cook my brisket on a stick burner rather than an egg (I have both). But if you are going egg go fat side down with a plate setter (or whatever defuser you have) and cover the top of the plate setter in foil. Makes clean up way, way easier.

[offshore_SoLA]

I use prime briskets from costco or even wagyu from an unmentioned source ... meticulously hand trim them and use a flameboss @ 225 with a plate setter fat side up. Its nearly automatic. Typically they're stellar around 200-203.

After trimming i apply rub wrap in foil an stick it back in the fridge for at least 6 hours (12 seems to be optimum). Wagyu briskets will leave a bunch of gel (natural unsaturated fat) along the bottom of the foil and i typically pour it back over the top and add more rub before putting on the egg.

Oak Lump charcoal with pecan chunks = flawless every time.

Invest in a good filet/boning knife (when i say good .. SHARP and thin) and 10 minutes of your time trimming. Pick up some powderless gloves and go to town.

I favor a shun classic gokujo.

Its not difficult trimming a big piece of meat... with a tiny bit of practice.

in case you're wondering - i take whatever weight the packer is and multiply it by 10 - people line up to purchase them at that price. Wagyu is a multiple of 20 (sometimes 15 depending on who it is).

Lastly - what is this trend of increasing the temperature? What is the hurry? what else could you possibly be doing. Proper planning and time management fruits great results each and every time. Want it for lunch? Put it on at 9-10pm. Want it for supper? get up a tad bit earlier than normal and put it on at 5am and go cook breakfast.

[offshore_SoLA]

double post ... sorry

[doug93003]

Everytime I've tried bludawg method I would pull and rest when probe tender in the flat, only to have a dry overcooked brisket. I've found that when cooking above 300 the carry over is much greater than at lower temps and I need to pull them before they are probe tender. It's kind of by how the brisket feels in my hand and not much to do with how it probes.

[JS-TX]

Everytime I've tried bludawg method I would pull and rest when probe tender in the flat, only to have a dry overcooked brisket. I've found that when cooking above 300 the carry over is much greater than at lower temps and I need to pull them before they are probe tender. It's kind of by how the brisket feels in my hand and not much to do with how it probes.

Did you allow it to vent after pulling? How did you hold/rest it?

[doug93003]

Did you allow it to vent after pulling? How did you hold/rest it?



I always rest on counter room temp still wrapped in paper.