Smoked Brisket is my favorite piece of meat to cook in my smoker and for some reason; I do not do it enough. However, I did take an opportunity to smoke a brisket for the 4th of July, which was an ideal American Meal on America's Birthday. I once again did the Brisket recipe for which I had posted in the past which was a winning recipe a few years ago for the person that came up with it.
The first part of smoking a brisket is buying the brisket itself. First you are going to want to make sure it is a choice grade brisket, as select grade is very poor and generally would end of with a disappointing piece of beef. If it doesn't have the grade on the package, do not buy it, generally it will be select. Next you will want to make sure you will get a full packer, untrimmed brisket. The untrimmed fat is going to help the brisket cook and as the fat melts during the smoking process, it is going to keep the brisket very moist. Without the fat, you are going to end up with a very tough piece of leather that will not be edible. Generally a packer cut, untrimmed brisket is going to come in the range of 8.5 lbs to 15 lbs. Go with the size that is ideal for your smoker. I generally get a 10 - 11 lb brisket and tuck under one of the ends to fit into my smoker. Briskets all come as a flat cut and the point cut. The flat is meatier and less fat than the point, also known as the Deckle. You may also find one either of these cuts brined and sold as a corned brisket, which makes corned beef, or if smoked, the best pastrami you will ever have. The flat is the thinner portion of the brisket that I end up tucking under to get it to fit perfectly in the smoker.
Once you have the brisket, it is time to prepare it. Remove the brisket from packaging and lay flat on a cutting board surface. Pay close attention to the grain of the meat and try to remember the direction of the grain as once it is done you are going to want to cut it against the grain. Some people actually take a close up picture at this point that they can reference when it comes to slicing it. Make sure you check out the direction of the grain at the point and the flat as sometimes it will be different.
Now you are ready to season the brisket. Some people use a dry rub only; some will marinade it, and then season it with a dry rub. I like to marinade mine, and then apply a dry rub. If you are just applying a rub, apply it the night before and place back in the refrigerator. If you are marinating the brisket, do that the night before, and apply the rub about 2 to 4 hours before smoking.
Now that you have it prepared it is time to smoke up the brisket. For wood, I like to use cherry wood; a lot of people like to use a wood like oak or pecan. For the amount of wood it will depend on the type of smoker you have. Next place the brisket in the smoker fat side up. As when the fat melts, it will keep the meat very moist is it works its way through the meat. Set the smoker at 225 degrees and plan on cooking for 1.5 hours per pound on average. But remember it may take longer than planned, so generally I plan on it getting done about 3-4 hours before I plan on serving it. I generally believe a brisket is at its ideal temperature between the 188 and 192 degree range. If you wish to cook so that you can chop the brisket, cook till about 200 degrees.
Should you mop or not during the smoking process? I don't, but that is due to my smoker does a great job of keeping the moisture inside, for someone with a more traditional smoker; you may want to consider moping every few hours.
What about wrapping it in foil? Some people like to wrap the brisket in foil in the 165 to 175 range as they find the brisket tends to dry out after that point. Again that is due to the type of smoker, and yes you can wrap at this time if desired. Generally by now, the brisket is going to get all the smoke it is going to take in by now so it will not hurt the flavor of the brisket at all. You may want to wrap with some beef broth to make the brisket moister.
While cooking the brisket you should have a meat probe thermometer, not an instant read thermometer, inside the brisket and run it to the outside of your smoker. This will allow you to watch the temperature as it cooks without opening the lid or door of the smoker, which will help keep the heat and moisture inside the smoker. Once you get the brisket to a temperature of 185 to 188 you should test the brisket by removing the thermometer probe and reinserting it. It should just slide right back in without any force and the brisket should be like a big piece of Jello. If not, close the lid/door and let it get up to 190 and check again.
Now you have a finished brisket, but you didn't plan on serving it for a couple hours. What do you do know with it, how do you keep it warm? Simple, double wrap the brisket in aluminum foil, then wrap with a large beach towel, and place in a ice cooler (without the ice of course) until ready to serve. This will keep your brisket warm for about 6 or more hours.
How do you serve the brisket? Let the brisket rest on a cutting about for about 20 to 30 minutes to let the juices settle, then slice it across the grain about 1/2 inch wide. Make sure to slice just enough for that meal if you are planning to have leftovers. When slicing the brisket, it should slice like a butter knife going through a softened stick of butter. If you end up with a tough brisket, general rule of thumb is you took it out too soon. If you are finding it falling apart as you cut it, cut thicker slices to get it to hold better, and this is a sign that you over cooked the brisket.
That is all there is too cooking a brisket, not bad overall and is actually very simple. This weekend I did the same recipe as I generally do: 2000-2001 Grand Prize Winning Brisket by Aaron Brooks. I never need BBQ sauce for this brisket, as it comes out perfectly moist, with the best flavor. If you plan on foiling during the smoking process, place the finishing sauce inside the foil to let the sauce take to the brisket. If you do not plan on foiling during the cooking process, plan on double wrapping it in aluminum foil and placing in a cooler once done for at least an hour or 2.
There you have it, the perfect brisket. I will post about the other food in another post, as all the food came out great.