Smoking Brisket
Without a doubt, smoking a brisket is a patience-testing task. More than that, the entire process of smoking a brisket requires a great deal of cooking precision and knowledge.
Servings: 4
Calories: 200kcal
Equipment
- Powered thermostat
- Kettle grill or meat smoker
Ingredients
- 12
Pound
Brisket - 1/2
Cup
Apple juice or apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Before going any further, it's important to make sure that the brisket you are about to buy is good enough for smoking.
- Hands down, the best cut for brisket smoking is the "packer cut" brisket.
- Essentially, this is a large two-muscle cut with all its fat cap.
- This cut should be at least 11 pounds before trimming the fat.
- Keep in mind that every person you are serving should get about 1/2 pound (or more) of brisket.
- The next thing you need to take into account is the quality of the whole brisket.
- Keep in mind that briskets of higher quality are more marbled than those of lower quality.
- More marbling also means that the end result will be juicer and flavorful. If at all possible, pick a brisket of the Wagyu or Prime varieties as they are the fattiest and most marbled of all.
- Finally, it's important to know the difference between a pasture fed and a grain fed brisket.
- There will be a difference in flavor, but that is subjective.
- Cooking-wise, the most important difference is that a pasture fed brisket will cook faster than a grain fed one.
- The first thing you should do is to trim off the excess top fat, also known as "fat cap".
- Use a sharp knife, and leave a 0.25-inch layer of fat on the meat.
- This fat will keep the meat nice and moist during the extensive cooking process, so be sure not to leave any less.
- To do this, you must first prepare a mixture of herbs and spices otherwise known as a rub.
- The basic rub consists of a mixture of coarse salt and black pepper.
- However, you can add to it anything you'd like.
- For example, a few tablespoons of garlic powder can give your brisket a delightful little kick.
- Sprinkle a few generous tablespoons of rub on the meat, rubbing it in vigorously so that it is evenly spread on both sides.
- After this process, you can go immediately on to the next step.
- However, it is recommended to let everything sit for anything between 20 minutes and 2 hours.
- If you decide to do this, make sure to put the meat in the refrigerator during the process.
- During this entire process, you should keep an eye on your powered thermostat in order to make sure that the temperature is optimal.
- In addition, you should have a good understanding of your type of smoker or cooker
- In particular, it's important to know where its hot spots are, how long it takes to reach a stable temperature and how well it is able to maintain said temperature.
- Light up the wood so the device begins gaining temperature.
- The best wood for fuel is a combination of charcoal and wood.
- Hickory, pecan and oak are good options, but you can use whatever you want for the smoke flavor you want to get.
- Get your smoker or grill to be running at 250 to 275 degrees.
- Once it gets there, keep the temperature stable for a few minutes.
- The goal is to keep it slightly higher than it should be until the meat goes in.
- At this point, you are ready to put the brisket in the cooker or smoker.
- Place it carefully on the top rack with the fat side up.
- Make sure the entirety of the meat's bottom is making contact with the grill.
- Once the brisket is placed, close the lid and bring the temperature down to 225 degrees.
- You can use the grill's vents to help regulate the temperature. Leave the meat to cook.
- Make sure to check the temperature of the grill at least once every hour, making sure it is as close to 225 degrees Fahrenheit as possible.
- If you have done everything correctly up to this point, it should take about six hours for the brisket to be fully cooked.
- When six hours of cook time have almost passed, the brisket should reach its plateau.
- This is a term that is used to describe the moment when the brisket's internal temperature reaches around 150 degrees Fahrenheit and stalls.
- If you are happy with the brisket's bark, it is now time to wrap it.
- Add the half a cup of apple juice and wrap the brisket tightly using two large sheets of aluminum foil.
- Once it has been wrapped, the brisket's internal temperature should start to slowly rise.
- The goal is for it to rise to around 202 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Typically, brisket cooks for anything between five and eight hours.
- Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature.
- Once another six hours have passed, it's time to take the brisket out of the smoker or grill and leave it to rest.
- Even though it may not seem important, letting the meat rest is a crucial step.
- This process allows the hot and bubbly juices to settle down and redistribute, ensuring that the meat will be evenly juicy and flavorful.
- Before slicing and serving the brisket, it is important to test it in order to find out if it's properly cooked.
- Ideally, the temperature of a smoked brisket is about 195 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Its internal temperature, however, should increase by 10 degrees if the piece of meat is thoroughly cooked, so take that into account.
- At any rate, you can find out whether the brisket is well done without having to slice it by using the "feel" method: Simply stick a small fork in the brisket.
- Finally, the time has come to slice the tender brisket for serving.
- Slicing a brisket correctly requires a certain amount of knowledge and practice in order to be done correctly.
Nutrition
Serving: 85g | Calories: 200kcal