Post by TasunkaWitko on May 22, 2014 21:59:26 GMT -5
I'm posting some fundamentals on cooking barbecued brisket here. A recipe is a recipe, and there are thousands of them out there, but my intent is to focus on sharing universal truths that apply across the board.
To begin, it is absolutely fundamental to understand that meat being "done" is different than meat being "barbecue;" fasten your seatbelt:
Technically, whole cuts of beef - including brisket - are "done" when they hit an internal temperature of 145 degrees, but brisket is one of those quintessential "barbecue meats" that benefits from longer cooking. This is because brisket, which is a very flavourful cut, is also a very hard-working cut while the animal is alive, and the cut becomes riddled with fat and connective tissues which contain a lot of collagen. The whole point of barbecue is to take these big, tough, fatty-and-gristly hunks of meat and cook them long, low and slow, so that the fat and connective tissues break down over the longer cooking time and the delicious slices of beef simply melt in your mouth. The breaking down is a long process that begins at about 165 degrees internal temperature, and can continue for quite a while. Some folks foil the meat at this time, and some folks don't. My advice is to try it both ways and decide which version you and your family like, as there are plusses and minuses to either method.
These types of barbecued meats are generally considered to be "finished barbecue" at the 185-190-degree range (for slicing), or the 195-200-degree range (for shredding/pulling). Some folks take their meats up to 205, but in my opinion anything higher than 200 might be too high for brisket, which can run the risk of of going quite dry in the flat. If you have a smaller cut of brisket, and it is from the point, you might be able to get away with it, but the flat is a leaner side of the brisket and it can be tricky.
Once the brisket reaches the internal temperature that you are looking for, it should rest in order to pull its juices back in and finish cooking. The usual process is to foil it, wrap it in a couple of towels and put it into a cooler for at least an hour; it can rest longer than that as long as the internal temperature remains above 140 degrees.
Here is some great information and elaboration on cooking barbecued brisket from Danny Gaulden - a man who knows his brisket:
Finished "barbecued" brisket should slice almost like butter and be melty-tender and juicy when you're eating it. if it's chewy, it wasn't quite done - and if it's dry, it's over-done. The art of barbecue is finding the sweet spot in-between.....
These principles apply to barbecued pork shoulder as well, with a few very minor tweaks.
To begin, it is absolutely fundamental to understand that meat being "done" is different than meat being "barbecue;" fasten your seatbelt:
Technically, whole cuts of beef - including brisket - are "done" when they hit an internal temperature of 145 degrees, but brisket is one of those quintessential "barbecue meats" that benefits from longer cooking. This is because brisket, which is a very flavourful cut, is also a very hard-working cut while the animal is alive, and the cut becomes riddled with fat and connective tissues which contain a lot of collagen. The whole point of barbecue is to take these big, tough, fatty-and-gristly hunks of meat and cook them long, low and slow, so that the fat and connective tissues break down over the longer cooking time and the delicious slices of beef simply melt in your mouth. The breaking down is a long process that begins at about 165 degrees internal temperature, and can continue for quite a while. Some folks foil the meat at this time, and some folks don't. My advice is to try it both ways and decide which version you and your family like, as there are plusses and minuses to either method.
These types of barbecued meats are generally considered to be "finished barbecue" at the 185-190-degree range (for slicing), or the 195-200-degree range (for shredding/pulling). Some folks take their meats up to 205, but in my opinion anything higher than 200 might be too high for brisket, which can run the risk of of going quite dry in the flat. If you have a smaller cut of brisket, and it is from the point, you might be able to get away with it, but the flat is a leaner side of the brisket and it can be tricky.
Once the brisket reaches the internal temperature that you are looking for, it should rest in order to pull its juices back in and finish cooking. The usual process is to foil it, wrap it in a couple of towels and put it into a cooler for at least an hour; it can rest longer than that as long as the internal temperature remains above 140 degrees.
Here is some great information and elaboration on cooking barbecued brisket from Danny Gaulden - a man who knows his brisket:
After your fire has settled down to around 240-250F, put the brisket in the pit, fat side up and leave it like that the entire time if you're using a pit like my Big Bertha with a Ferris wheel rack system or a water smoker. Now if you're using an off-set firebox type pit, like a NBBD or a Klose, put the brisket on the rack fat side up and then turn it over and mop it every two hours so the bottom side doesn't get too much heat and dry out. While it's with the fat side up, the fat renders and penetrate in, over, and around the cooking meat. When brisket becomes fork tender in the flat, take it off the pit, let it cool for about 30 minutes, then slice and serve. Always check brisket for doneness in the FLAT, not the point. The point will generally become tender before the flat, and can deceive you..... a lot of folks on the BBQ List asked me what the internal temperature is when I take the brisket out of the pit after I figure they're done. So I measured a bunch of them with a meat thermometer and almost all of them were right at 188F.
If you're not ready to eat it as soon as it done, double wrap in foil, and set it in a non-drafty place or a small ice chest (no ice) until you are ready to serve it....
How many hours does one smoke a brisket? This argument will go on till the end of time, and is hard to answer, for there are so many variables. Two people that think they smoked their briskets exactly the same will most likely come out with two totally different finishing times.... I peg 240-250F as constantly as possible. Sure, one will have some temperature ups and downs, but I keep it at that temperature fairly well. I don't go off and forget about the fire and I don't open my pit every 10 minutes to "take a peek". I choose a good piece of meat. All these things make a difference in how long the process will actually take. Another thing to take into consideration is the quality of the meat. All briskets are tough, but some are tougher than others. This will have an effect on the overall smoking time also. I have made a few boo-boos in my many years of smoking briskets, but not many. Ninety nine times out of a hundred, they are tender, juicy, smoky, and a piece of meat I am proud to serve to friends and customers.
If you're not ready to eat it as soon as it done, double wrap in foil, and set it in a non-drafty place or a small ice chest (no ice) until you are ready to serve it....
How many hours does one smoke a brisket? This argument will go on till the end of time, and is hard to answer, for there are so many variables. Two people that think they smoked their briskets exactly the same will most likely come out with two totally different finishing times.... I peg 240-250F as constantly as possible. Sure, one will have some temperature ups and downs, but I keep it at that temperature fairly well. I don't go off and forget about the fire and I don't open my pit every 10 minutes to "take a peek". I choose a good piece of meat. All these things make a difference in how long the process will actually take. Another thing to take into consideration is the quality of the meat. All briskets are tough, but some are tougher than others. This will have an effect on the overall smoking time also. I have made a few boo-boos in my many years of smoking briskets, but not many. Ninety nine times out of a hundred, they are tender, juicy, smoky, and a piece of meat I am proud to serve to friends and customers.
Finished "barbecued" brisket should slice almost like butter and be melty-tender and juicy when you're eating it. if it's chewy, it wasn't quite done - and if it's dry, it's over-done. The art of barbecue is finding the sweet spot in-between.....
These principles apply to barbecued pork shoulder as well, with a few very minor tweaks.
