Hot & Fast Brisket Experiment

[Boshizzle]

The recent thread about Myron Mixon's hot & fast brisket was intriguing enough to motivate me to give it a go. I found a full brisket packer at Walmart since that was the ONLY place in town that I could find one. It was about 11 pounds.

I injected it with a mixture of beef stock, portobello mushroom glace, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and Plowboy's Bovine Gold. I mixed up about 32 ounces of the injection and used half of it to inject the brisket and the rest was used as a marinade over night.

I didn't use MM's injection or the great comp injection by Butchers.

I fired up my UDS with my weed burner using some regular K and hickory (I'm a VA boy. What can I say?).

I put the brisket on, fat side down, at 9:00 AM. I used my Maverick to monitor the smoker temp and the meat temp. I kept the UDS as close to 300 degrees throughout the cook as possible. I didn't trim any fat from the brisket. I just injected it, marinaded it, rubbed it down with rub, and put it in the smoker. The rub consisted of Bovine gold, black pepper, and a little cumin. Isn't that how God intended it?

The brisket reached 160 degrees at 11:49 AM. I then placed it in a foil pan and wrapped it in foil.

At 1:40PM, the brisket reached 200 degrees. I took it out of the smoker, wrapped the foil wrapped pan holding the brisket in a blanket and put it in a warm cooler for 2 hours.

So, after about 4 hours and 40 minutes, the brisket was ready to be removed from the smoker. A little more than 4 hours for an 11 pound brisket isn't bad.

I put the drippings in a fat separator and let it cool. I then poured the au jus into a separate container and discarded the fat.

I sliced the brisket and dipped it in the au jus.

It was awesome. I mean, awesome. It was juicy, flavorful, with just the right tenderness. It has a great smoke ring and a nice, tasty bark.

I made some sandwiches using Head Country for sauce and they were some of the best BBQ beef sandwiches I have had in a long time.

Tomorrow, I'm serving some VA brisket Texas style with no sauce, sliced avocado, and smoked jalapeno pepper.

I had some camera trouble, so Pron will be coming as soon as I get the problem with my Nikon D50 worked out.

 

[landarc]

It sure sounds great to me. Hot-n-fast is amazing considering what I had always been told.

 

[ganso]

Now I have to try this sooner than later. Your talking about the post wheelterrapen started right? The guys who didnt think it was possible when he did it are not going to believe you either. I am going to try it this week. Thanks for the post. Later

 

[Boshizzle]

It's all good. I love this board and there are guys here who have so much BBQ knowledge that they have forgotten more than I know. I have a lot of respect for those guys.

I just hope to absorb enough knowledge to improve my BBQ that I cook for my family and friends. I have NO secrets. I don't compete. I haven't taken any classes from the greats though I hope to do so. I share what I know and what I've learned in the hopes that it will help someone else who has struggled as I have in the past.

 

[SmokeJumper]

Thanks for writing this up. From all the posts, it looks like hot and fast may become the new norm for many. With a newborn in the house it is harder for me to regularly do long cooks so I will definitely do this with my next briskie.

 

[Boshizzle]

Go for it. One of the reasons I haven't cooked brisket as much as I would like in the past was due to the long cooks required. The hot and fast method makes brisket as easy and as fast as baby backs.

 

[barbefunkoramaque]

Hmmm LOL after all the ridicule, all the energy some of have endured promoting Hot and Fast... Myron gets the credit? LOL. This is Laughable... pure laughable. That's like me taking credit for the Weeping Method, or the Hot and fast method.

The Meccas have been doing it for maybe 60 plus years if you count JUST the actual BBQ Retailers. At most its a rediscovery.

Good job Boshizzle though... I totally agree with you... nursing a brisket 12 hours is too troublesome and frankly TOO many precautions have to be made to nurse the meat through its ordeal through low and slow.

Two years ago when I told a certain other forum this is how I do it - this is what I got:

"Sure if ya wanna make shoe leather"
"Oh I don't wanna waste a packer burning it, I will stay with the only way... low and slow."

My fav from a member in this forum who now likes the HF method:

"in order for brisket to be tender the fat has to melt slow enough to chemically bond with the collagen that makes it tough and carry it way slowly. Too fast and the fat melts away and leaves the collagen behind.. it will never get tender. Cooking a brisket at temps over 230 245 guarantees sub par meat. Your method is not backed by the science, the same science all of us have used to modify our little pits and ensure there are no flareups."

 

[MadKirk]

Thanks for sharing! A question: did you decide to pull based on temperature alone (200deg) or by how the meat probed?

I was wondering if a method like this would work on a brisket, since that was basically how I cooked a small chuck roast yesterday (first time to smoke beef for me). When done, I sliced it just like a brisket, and it was excellent. The kids kept saying it was the best brisket they ever had, even though I kept saying it wasn't a brisket. Anyway, I've been too scared to smoke a brisket (due to time and perceived difficulty), but your post gives me hope I can do a decent one.

 

[slowerlowerbbq]

Myron who? Mad props to the Popdaddy!

Popdaddy knows a thing or two about cooking brisket h&F. Check out the videos and his past posts about this and you will learn A LOT! I did. One of the things I am trying to master now with this method is knowing when it's done. And I can tell you the temp don't mean squat. You gotta learn the FEEL! You gotta feel the funk...and it can only get better from there.

 

[The drunken pig]

Yeah, my brisket was always so so when doing a low and slow, a 12 hour cook always was a pita.

Hot and fast rocks. 5 hours or so and you end up with a great piece of meat, pork butt is even better this way too. Actually I have made ribs at 300 degrees that have been damn good too. My last cook I used at 350 and it worked just as well.

And I personally go by both the prob test and temp.

 

[sitnfat]

This is how I do my comp brisket and the ones I cook with friends once you get the UDS dialed in its like clockwork I love the way they turn out and so does everyone that eats it. I see no reason to cook one for 12 hours.. just my .02 cents

 

[mtomto]

Curious, did you use your Chargriller or Kettle?

Thanks.

 

[JD McGee]

That's pretty much the only way I do briskies now...congrats on a successful smoke...:thumb: Did you mean Bovine BOLD...instead of gold?

 

[big matt]

So here's my take..I have been to Myron's class Feb 26-28 this year so i have recent info on how he does it..but I really think it has to do with a lot of factors..quality meat to start,moisture retention injections,and because his smoker has a big pan of water above the fire box..our hog cooker starts with 25 gallons and more water is added through the cook..Popdaddy your right on the button about Texas..all I can say is that every brisket we've done the next one seems even better..our temps run from 350 to 375 most of the cook.

 

[barbefunkoramaque]

So here's my take..I have been to Myron's class Feb 26-28 this year so i have recent info on how he does it..but I really think it has to do with a lot of factors..quality meat to start,moisture retention injections,and because his smoker has a big pan of water above the fire box..our hog cooker starts with 25 gallons and more water is added through the cook..Popdaddy your right on the button about Texas..all I can say is that every brisket we've done the next one seems even better..our temps run from 350 to 375 most of the cook.

Its funny you should mention this. I used to cook higher in my meat mama 3000 at 350 at least. But people kept saying it tasted more like really the greatest roast beef they ever had but not BBQ. I fact, a deli I used to sell my meats to during this period, well one day i walked in and they were using my brisket as a platform for a beef plate with green beans and brown gravy. I sat down and ate it and I agreed... it was more roast beef like.

As many know at this temp you get a VERY efficient and clean fire. Now this works for a 12 hour smoke but in a quick burn theres a ring but less smoke flavor. What I did was build the fire the same but added a HUGE Billet in the process to increase the smoke.

Myron uses green wood, some cut that day! So... the process breaks more than one rule, lol.

 

[Boshizzle]

Popdaddy, Thanks for your input on this. You are right. MM didn't invent it. Sorry, I wasn't real clear in my post. I should have wrote "the recent thread about the hot and fast method taught in Myron Mixon's class."

Madkirk - I went by temp alone. The probe was in the thickest part of the meat.

StallardMark - Yep, Popdaddy rocks!

Mtomto - I cooked it in a UDS.

JD - Sorry, that's correct. I meant Plowboy's Bovine Bold. It's some good stuff that everyone should have handy at all times.

Ok, here is the pron.

 

[barbefunkoramaque]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Popdaddy, Thanks for your input on this. You are right. MM didn't invent it. Sorry, I wasn't real clear in my post. I should have wrote "the recent thread about the hot and fast method taught in Myron Mixon's class."

Madkirk - I went by temp alone. The probe was in the thickest part of the meat.

StallardMark - Yep, Popdaddy rocks!

Mtomto - I cooked it in a UDS.

JD - Sorry, that's correct. I meant Plowboy's Bovine Bold. It's some good stuff that everyone should have handy at all times.

Ok, here is the pron.

 

[Boshizzle]

Thanks, bro. I'll tell you what, take a piece of the point with a lot of bark on it, place it on a piece of white bread with some avocado and you have some of the best eats you will ever enjoy.

 

[gtsum]

that plate looks real good...simple and straightforward...I like it!