British BBQ Society Forums

Hi all,

Yesterday I had my first go at Brisket; as there were only 4 of us for dinner I only bought the flat from the butcher leaving the point behind - I figured the flat would cook more evenly. It weighed 3kg (6.6lb)







I rubbed it 24h before cooking with this rub



And left it wrapped overnight. In the morning I fired up the Excel (with 3/4 full water-bath) and then injected the joint with this marinade...



...before popping it on (about 9am) with 2 chunks of hickory. I kept the BBQ temp at about 230-240f until about 2pm when I started to struggle to keep it up and it fell to 190-210f. At about lunchtime I put some ribs on the level above and added a chunk of apple (figuring the brisket wouldn't absorb anymore).

At about 3pm the brisket was at about 165f and had been rising steadily. I then foiled it and poured in the (heated) remainder of the marinade (about 200ml) to keep it moist. Over the next hour (foiled and still on the BBQ) the temp quickly rose to about 177f so I removed it and put it in a cooler to rest before eating at 7pm.

The results (sorry was in too much of a hurry to eat so forgot pics!):

Smoke; good ring, not sure of the flavour though - is hickory a bit like marmite (love it/hate it)? Was 2 chunks too much? Was it the apple that made it too much?

Meat was quite tough (had to slice very thin to eat) and wasn't the moist and tender product I was hoping for - did it cook too fast? Was wrapping it a mistake (as cooking accelerated)? I noticed that the meat towards the (absent) point end was a lot more moist and tender where it was thicker - would I have been better taking the point rather than the flat?

Spicy heat of the brisket was VERY high (even for confirmed spice-aholics) think the rub needs tweaking!

I'm sure I will think of other questions but that's it for now - any thoughts/insights appreciated!

177f is very low for brisket. Mine tend to be done nearer 200f.

Here's a few thoughts to chew over that might or might not help.

When you foiled the brisket you said it was 165 and rising steadily. This suggests to me that you foiled it once it had come out of the stall.

The stall is caused by surface water evaporation, and as such can dry your meat out horrendously. Try foiling it between 150 and 160 - or whenever you notice the stall start.

As Conor says, you also pulled it off too early. I would say 195 for sliced brisket, 205 for pulled.

The flat is a leaner piece of meat than the flat, and therefore drier, though that is not to say that you can't produce a wonderfully moist brisket just from the flat.

WRT the rub, just dial down the chili powder next time. You might want to try rubbing just before it goes on the smoker, rather than 24 hours before. The salt in the rub draws moisture from the meat - essentially the brisket has been curing for 24 hours.

Hope this helps! Brisket is a tough nugget to crack. Once you nail it, you will feel like a GOD.

GuyB wrote:Spicy heat of the brisket was VERY high (even for confirmed spice-aholics) think the rub needs tweaking!

What chilli powder did you use? I'm guessing it was chilli pepper powder instead of chilli con carne powder.

GuyB wrote:Smoke; good ring, not sure of the flavour though - is hickory a bit like marmite (love it/hate it)? Was 2 chunks too much? Was it the apple that made it too much?

Adding extra smoke to the brisket at a late stage of the cook could well have made it bitter. When i'm cooking brisket & ribs, i time it so i'm foiling the brisket 10 minutes before i need to put the ribs on to avoid problems like this.

GuyB wrote:Meat was quite tough (had to slice very thin to eat) and wasn't the moist and tender product I was hoping for - did it cook too fast? Was wrapping it a mistake (as cooking accelerated)? I noticed that the meat towards the (absent) point end was a lot more moist and tender where it was thicker - would I have been better taking the point rather than the flat?

You didn't cook it long enough, 174f is raw in brisket terms.

Follow this guide when cooking your next one and i guarantee you'll have a much better result.

Cook brisket on the smoker for 6 hours @ 250f and then foil it with some beef stock/beer and then cook till tender, probably another 3-4 hours. When cooking brisket you don't want any resistance when probing, if you're unsure about this point, take it to 202f and it should be tender enough for home eating.

Hi

I followed Swindon_Ed's advice and my first brisket worked out fine. Especially as Ed said in the Uk we don't get the fat caps like in all the American youtube videos so the meat will dry out quicker. I foiled mine just after 6 hrs, only because I didn't wake up in time and then took it off at around 205f, got up to temp quicker than I was expecting.
I had the point and flat but was only 5.5lb. I diced up the point, dusted with more dry rub and brushed over some bbq sauce then back on the smoker for 2-3 hrs. I left the flat to rest for an hour then sliced for dinner the next day.

Maybe somebody will have some different/better advice but as I said mine worked out lovely following the advice I got.
I'd say that 1/3 of a cup of chilli powder is way to much, my dry rub mix makes up roughly 2 cups and I only have 5grms of chilli powder in it (the wife cant do heat) but I love it but I have to compromise

Hi,
As other chaps have already steered you, needed much longer cooking and brisket for me is all about the feel not the temp but 200 usually feels about right. Also I fear you have been the victim of the US version of chilli powder, what they usually mean in these sorts of recipies is an mix for chilli con carne which means your actual chilliness is much reduced, many have been caught out by this when whacking 2 or 3 tablespoons of Dr deaths ground naga napalm dust rather than the half teaspoon our senses tell us will be plenty.

Personally never rub up the brisket more than an hour before the off, partly to avoid the curing effect but also I really like the contrast of an spicy outside to an entirely beefy only inner.

Eds advice is spot on so reckon your next one will be the bomb,
Cheers
Tiny

slatts wrote:Especially as Ed said in the Uk we don't get the fat caps like in all the American youtube videos so the meat will dry out quicker.

I always order brisket in if I'm doing it. The butcher will get whole, untrimmed briskets, and I pick which one I want then how much of it (and which bit) I want.

This way I'm always guaranteed a good fat cap, in fact I usually have to trim it down because it has been over an inch thick before.

So - if you want a fat cap, ask for untrimmed brisket and get it cut to your spec. Makes a world of difference to the cook.

That, and all the sage advice people have given here, will give you a perfect brisket as long as you keep temps stable. So let me know when and where

Well what can I say - a wealth of good advice! Thanks all - I'll let you know how the next one goes!

I really need to go to my butchers and get a look at what briskets he can get.
I bet a good fat cap makes a lot of difference.

I thought I would do a Costco one first as I didn't want to ruin a really good bit of meat but I think ive got over my nerves of the brisket and would be happy to try a nice decent chunk of beef

The fat cap really does matter - and if you can get your butcher to show you a couple of full briskets before he cuts them, you can pick one with plenty of marbling, and one with a decent sized point on it. Because the point is tasty