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My dry brine mix is crushed juniper berries, black peppercorns, lots of salt, dill. I put it in a big plastic bag and keep it in the fridge flipping every day.
add saltpeter if you like a "pink" color.
Let is soak in it's own juices.
before i put it on the smoker, rinse it off with water and pat dry with a paper towel.
then put the dry rub that i'm going to use for the crust. Brown sugar, paprika, garlic, onion.
if i forgo the dry brine, it's the same dry rub but with salt added in the day of
I use the 1 hour of smoke, 2-4 hours of covered and last hour of uncovered on my weber.
i like #1 because it has that great jewish pastrami taste. but i go with #2 if i want more of a cleaner beef taste.

quote:Originally posted by Rothko:
Must... resist... temptation... to... make... snarky... comment...
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yea gotta wait till the long weekend ;-)
quote:Originally posted by wineismylife:
I can't figure out why you'd rub it any earlier than the night before. I typically rub it first thing in the morning while it is coming up to temp.
What Rothko said!
quote:Originally posted by BRR:
Picking a biggie up today... When would you rub it?
Is one limited to only one rubbing per day?

PH
I smoke at a temp of 225° to 240° until it reaches an internal temperature of 195°. Or, try the toothpick test: when done, a toothpick should be able to slide into it like warm butter. Every chunk of meat is different, but a good rule of thumb is 1-1/2 hours per pound. You can't rush it. I've had a 15 lb brisket take over 25 hours. Good woods to use with beef are oak, cherry, pecan, or hickory if you use it judiciously.
Pull it off when ready, double or triple wrap it in foil (if you haven't done so already), wrap again in towels, and place the whole thing in an empty ice chest, to rest for a few hours. Slice immediately before serving.
Good luck!


I picked up the meat yesterday and the butcher handed over a beautiful, but HUGE 15 pounder. It's the flat and the point, all in one cut.
Would you brisket masters advice separating the flat and point, or just keeping them as one and smoking it that way?
quote:Originally posted by BRR:
Some of you jokers have done a real nice job at demonstrating some real restraint! We're talking about rubbing your meat here, and you've all been well behaved! Bravo!
I picked up the meat yesterday and the butcher handed over a beautiful, but HUGE 15 pounder. It's the flat and the point, all in one cut.
Would you brisket masters advice separating the flat and point, or just keeping them as one and smoking it that way?
Recommend separating for 2 reasons:
1) Flat cut is generally going to be not as thick as the point cut so it would be hard to get even cooking across both parts. By the time the point cut is cooked, the flat cut will be overcooked
2) Point cut should have much more marbling so is going to really benefit from low and slow cooking. Flat cut also works well low and slow, but I've just not be able to get the tenderness that I've gotten from a point cut b/c it's generally a leaner part of the cut

quote:Originally posted by Parcival:quote:Originally posted by BRR:
Some of you jokers have done a real nice job at demonstrating some real restraint! We're talking about rubbing your meat here, and you've all been well behaved! Bravo!
I picked up the meat yesterday and the butcher handed over a beautiful, but HUGE 15 pounder. It's the flat and the point, all in one cut.
Would you brisket masters advice separating the flat and point, or just keeping them as one and smoking it that way?
Recommend separating for 2 reasons:
1) Flat cut is generally going to be not as thick as the point cut so it would be hard to get even cooking across both parts. By the time the point cut is cooked, the flat cut will be overcooked
2) Point cut should have much more marbling so is going to really benefit from low and slow cooking. Flat cut also works well low and slow, but I've just not be able to get the tenderness that I've gotten from a point cut b/c it's generally a leaner part of the cut![]()
i suck at cooking the flat
I've had slightly better luck with roasting it
but not muc
quote:Originally posted by g-man:quote:Originally posted by Parcival:quote:Originally posted by BRR:
Some of you jokers have done a real nice job at demonstrating some real restraint! We're talking about rubbing your meat here, and you've all been well behaved! Bravo!
I picked up the meat yesterday and the butcher handed over a beautiful, but HUGE 15 pounder. It's the flat and the point, all in one cut.
Would you brisket masters advice separating the flat and point, or just keeping them as one and smoking it that way?
Recommend separating for 2 reasons:
1) Flat cut is generally going to be not as thick as the point cut so it would be hard to get even cooking across both parts. By the time the point cut is cooked, the flat cut will be overcooked
2) Point cut should have much more marbling so is going to really benefit from low and slow cooking. Flat cut also works well low and slow, but I've just not be able to get the tenderness that I've gotten from a point cut b/c it's generally a leaner part of the cut![]()
i suck at cooking the flat
I've had slightly better luck with roasting it
but not muc
Try steaming it like a pastrami. Then you can add the char on the grill after if you so like.
quote:Originally posted by Danyull:quote:Originally posted by g-man:quote:Originally posted by Parcival:quote:Originally posted by BRR:
Some of you jokers have done a real nice job at demonstrating some real restraint! We're talking about rubbing your meat here, and you've all been well behaved! Bravo!
I picked up the meat yesterday and the butcher handed over a beautiful, but HUGE 15 pounder. It's the flat and the point, all in one cut.
Would you brisket masters advice separating the flat and point, or just keeping them as one and smoking it that way?
Recommend separating for 2 reasons:
1) Flat cut is generally going to be not as thick as the point cut so it would be hard to get even cooking across both parts. By the time the point cut is cooked, the flat cut will be overcooked
2) Point cut should have much more marbling so is going to really benefit from low and slow cooking. Flat cut also works well low and slow, but I've just not be able to get the tenderness that I've gotten from a point cut b/c it's generally a leaner part of the cut![]()
i suck at cooking the flat
I've had slightly better luck with roasting it
but not muc
Try steaming it like a pastrami. Then you can add the char on the grill after if you so like.
you end up with a chunk of meat that tastesl ike a rock
the only luck i have wtiht eh flat is to cut it up for stir fry and adding corn starch to it
Note that the bbq pros trim the deckle fat in between, but do not separate.
quote:Originally posted by Rothko:
Must... resist... temptation... to... make... snarky... comment...
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Before I take the Viagra.
I kept the brisket whole and trimmed a ton of fat off. I did indeed find that hard part of fat that mneeley490 called the "deckle fat" and cut a lot of that out, too. Rubbed it at about 8:00 p.m. on Thursday night. We also had a flat cut only donated the day before, so we decided to cook that too.
The big guy went on at 4:00 a.m., cold, straight from the fridge. I read in several spots that a cold piece of meat takes on more smoke. Plus, I wasn't getting up at 2:00 and 4:00 a.m. Went on at 225 degrees with mesquite. We threw the additional flat cut on at about 9:00 a.m. We were trucking along well, but hit a bit of a stall at around 155-160 degrees, but it was only about 11:00 a.m. I took them both out, wrapped them tightly in foil, and back in they went. We timed the cooking well, as both the whole brisket and the flat were at 195-200 right around the same time. We took them out at 3:00 and put them, still wrapped, into an ice chest lined with towels and wrapped them tightly. Amazingly, at 7:00, we removed them and they were still almost too hot to handle with bare hands. I wish I would've done pics. The smoke ring was a thing of beauty, and it was so tender and juicy. The flat cut of the whole brisket had a more classic brisket texture, while the point was more tender and clearly more fatty. It's amazing that two adjacent cuts of meat have perpendicular grains, so we sparated the two cuts before slicing.
This was the rub I sued (thanks to Oklahoma Joe), and it was killer:
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons Spanish paprika
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon celery salt
1 tablespoon lemon pepper
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Thanks again for all the advice! We have leftovers (after two meals) and are making chili with it next week.

Making me hungry. I use a dry rub, 48 hours before, wrap in butcher paper, and then place in fridge. Open it 2 hours before smoking to get near room temp
No rub. Just Salt and Pepper, then get Egg to temperature, insert brisket. No more than 45 minutes with the seasoning before it goes into the Egg.
I never make plans to rub my brisket; I just get an urge and do it. Oh...you're talking about cooking? Nevermind.
Still... resisting...
@Rothko posted:Still... resisting...
Good thing no one mentioned pork butt...
@mneeley490 posted:Good thing no one mentioned pork butt...
I thought I was the only one with a mind in the gutter when I read the title. I'm glad to see I'm in good company.
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Hi, I would love to get a brisket out of my offset that rivals the better Texas-style bbq restaurants Smoking Brisket. We have two of them that do a fantastic job on their brisket.
What they have that I do not get is moisture even on their flat meat. I know there is a secret there that no one will discuss.
I have seen beef tallow used to keep the meat moist. Also, long 10-hour plus rests at 155 degrees. I just can’t my brisket come even close to theirs.
My smoker is a small horizon that I purchased from the bass pro shop. I use standard salt pepper as my seasoning and wrap using butcher paper.
Does anyone have a method they would be willing to share?
Trim fat side to 1/4", and remove most of the fatty deckle between the flat and point. Season, and then lie the fat side up or down on the grate, it's a personal preference. Down-siders say it protects the meat from the direct heat. Up-siders say the fat renders and keeps the meat moist. I generally go fat-side up with the point side facing the firebox side in a horizontal. Also, put a small loaf pan of water, apple juice, or beer in your smoker toward the firebox side to keep moisture in the interior. Refill as necessary. I assume you're not wrapping it in paper until it hits the stall, correct? That's usually somewhere between 145° and 165° internal temperature. Your brisket should be done when then the IT is somewhere between 195° and 205°. But to make absolutely certain, it will be done when you can insert a toothpick or wooden skewer into the side of the meat in several places with little resistance. It should feel like sliding into warm butter. At that point, take it out, double wrap in foil, and then insert into a cooler lined with towels. Lay more towels on top, replace lid, and let rest for 2-6 hours. (It will still be piping hot when you take it out.) That should give you a juicy brisket almost all of the time. The problem is every piece of meat is different, and not every one will cook exactly the same. I usually smoke 15 lb.+/- packers. I've had them go from 8 hours, up to 26, at 225°-250°, before they were done. And even I have had a few failures. I blame it on the cow.
i've had some of the injected meat. it's different. It also doesnt taste like beef. I'm still not a fan of what alot of folks in texas where they wrap then they dump some tallow in with.
i've got 10-12 hours usually on my WSM using the kingsford blues. usually a long night refilling the fuel at the halfway mark.
I try and salt the meat 24 hours before it hits the smoke. I then refrigerate it on a wire rack to make sure the salt does its thing over the entire surface area. In my experience, it tastes better and improves the smoke ring. The rest of the rub goes on a few hours before, or right before. Haven't noticed much of a difference in that.
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