Smoked Brisket
When it comes to smoking beef brisket, patience is a Must. It is a process for melt in your mouth tasty brisket. My recipe delivers the perfect beef brisket that is bursting with flavors, juicy, and deliciously crunchy and tender every time. I promise it will make your local pit master very jealous!
What is Brisket?
Prime is the ideal choice to get. Fat means flavor, so when it comes to picking meat I want one that is packed with fat, and prime carries more fat than the others, and it is perfect for smoking and grilling. There are other choices include choice and select.
How to smoke Beef Brisket
Brisket traditionally, a cheap cut because of its toughness. So for a brisket to become tender requires a very long cooking process mostly at low temperature, the meat fat will render and the connective tissue will break down. So that makes smoking brisket the perfect choice. Now days, brisket has grown in popularity and commands top dollars at grocery stores, meat market, and BBQ restaurants.
Because of the blend of meat and fat, brisket is a melt in your mouth flavor at its best. smoked brisket is a great choice the perfect choice for family gathering, but smoking it can be intimidating. That is why I called the “Intimidator cut”. But smoked right, brisket is crowd pleaser, and guaranteed to be the highlight of many meals.
Brisket intimidates many home cooks like me for many years. First, the shape there are two different muscles one stakes atop of the other: the point and the flat. Both are loaded with tough connective tissue, that requires low temperature cooking process for most of the day, to achieve a proper tenderness. Second, Its size: a whole brisket called packer, because that is how it chipped from the meat packing warehouse. In general, brisket weighs about 12 to 18 pounds, some times more, so making it the largest cut of meat people like me will never attempt to cook at home. The cooking time is equally imposing, requiring a commitment of at least 12 hours enough to make most people pick up the phone and order their brisket from their favorite local BBQ restaurant.
Well, take comfort because smoking brisket in your backyard is way daunting than you think. You need only few elements: brisket, salt, pepper, wood smoke, and a smoker. It takes time and practice, you find yourself tending the fire, but your efforts will be rewarded.
Selecting A brisket
Brisket is one of the eight primal cuts beef. Brisket has two main parts: the point cut and the flat one. The point cut is smaller, thicker, and marbled with a lot of fat, so the fat makes the point very flavorful, and delicious with less meat. In comparison, the flat cut which is the larger portion oh the brisket, has a long and thin shape. This part of the brisket is lean and perfect for slicing, It is widely available at most grocery stores. When buying beef brisket, look for a cut with a good amount of fat marbling. Prime grades has the most marbling then the Choice and Select, the brisket should be firm, but not completely firm. If there is a lot blood in the packaging, it is a good indication that the brisket was previously frozen. Freezing is detrimental to the brisket, because ice crystal can tear apart the meat fibers. In most butcher shops the flat is often sold by itself. I recommend to buy a Packer cut, because it includes both: the point and the flat.
Trimming The Brisket
Trimming brisket is getting the fat side reduced and chapped to cook well. Some parts will not need trimmed at all. It start with the fat cap right after pulling it off the fridge, because it easier to work with cold meat.
With a sharp knife trim down to 1/4 of inch of fat remaining all around and square off the end. Take off the thin layer of fat on the flat side. This layer will not render during the smoking process. Now let’s season our brisket.
How to Season beef Brisket
Keep the seasoning very simple when it comes to smoking beef brisket. let the beef flavor to shine. Every bite should taste taste the smoke and the natural flavor of the beef. For the rub seasoning use equal parts salt and coarsely ground black pepper and a quarter part of garlic, you will need about 1/2 cup of seasoning for a 12 pounds beef brisket.
Seasoning: 1/2 salt, 1/2 black pepper and 1/4 garlic powder.
Let’s Smoked our Brisket
Get your smoker temperature between 225 to 250 degrees F. Once the smoker reach the right temperature, place the the brisket on and let the smoking process begin. This should take about 4 to 6 hours, or until the internal temperature read 165 degrees F.
Wrapping Time
After the the internal tempt of the brisket hit 165 degrees F, it is wrapping time. Wrapping helps retains moister and cooks faster. So once the brisket is sealed and wrapped, place back on the smoker until the tempt reads 203 to 205 degrees F, the process should last about 4 to 6 hours. Now you should let brisket rest before serving.
Resting Time
When the brisket reach the right tempt and perfectly tender, pull it off and let it rest at room temperature for up to an hour. Alternatively, you can place it into a cooler. The cooler will help keep it warm and rest. You can keep it in the cooler for 2 to 6 hours depending on when are you going to serve it.
Slicing and Serving
After all these hours your delicious brisket has rested, now it is time for slicing and digging in. The key to slicing a brisket is making sure you cut against the grains. This will make a big difference in the tenderness of the meat.
