Just bought a 15.44 lb whole brisket at Walmart for 2.96 per lb.!
- Thread starter demlion
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
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Refreshing board re-set after recent Amy Schumer poll and CF Lion thread derailment. Well done (and enjoy!).
Ah, the demlion home for Christmas:
the fragrant smell of brisket roasting
cords of wood being split
machinery in various states of repair
the suspense -- what will the next mishap be?
bwifan
Well-Known Member
what I find funny is, I can find whole briskets at the Wal Mart, but I have a hard time finding them at Sam's, which usually just carries the flats! You can thank Aaron Franklin, Diners Dive ins and Dives etc for running up the price of brisket, imo. Just like Chicken wings, they use to be a throw away chicken part, now probably cost more than breast meat.
I don't buy the flats, because even at Sam's they are like 6 bucks a pound! That is ridiculous...more than lots of cuts of steak. Look, the reason you have to cook this thing for an hour per pound is because it is the toughest, most brutal cut of meat on the animal. The brisket is a poor man's piece of meat. Fatty, gristle-y, gross and wrong. But the smoker transmogrifies it!
Depends on how soon it comes up to the internal temp I need (150*). I think I did a 20 pounder and smoked it for 8 hours or so? I would have to check.
I am disappointed dem. I pictured you as a man who takes to the woods to secure his own Christmas dinner.
Do you understand brisket? The best is the older stuff. If not old then throw it into the refrigerator and let it sit for 7 to 10 days.
Otherwise I agree on the Wal-Mart meat.
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anon_1eeb2b426hv3y
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anon_1eeb2b426hv3y
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It really is comical how the cheap stuff that becomes delish when prepared the right way and eventually grows up to become expensive. Shortrib, Buffalo wings, grappa for God's sake.. All great. Heck, short rib is one of my faves, but...I don't buy the flats, because even at Sam's they are like 6 bucks a pound! That is ridiculous...more than lots of cuts of steak. Look, the reason you have to cook this thing for an hour per pound is because it is the toughest, most brutal cut of meat on the animal. The brisket is a poor man's piece of meat. Fatty, gristle-y, gross and wrong. But the smoker transmogrifies it!
150? I usually try to get mine somewhere around 195 to 200.
Did it. 6 point. Just not for Xmas dinner.I am disappointed dem. I pictured you as a man who takes to the woods to secure his own Christmas dinner.
How dare you sully the name of Aaron Franklin. His briskets are the nectar of the gods.
got it. The old Texas crutch.... fwiw, this is from Amazing ribs.com, my go to place for info on smoking....and I am sure you know, so I'll post for others....
6) Texas Crutch. The meat temp will move steadily upward to the stall, somewhere around 150 to 170°F. Once in the stall, it will seem to take forever to rise. The stall can last 5 hours and the temp may not rise more than 5°F! When the meat hits the stall and temp stops rising, take it off and wrap it tightly in a double layer of heavy-duty foil. We have learned that the more airspace around the meat the more juice leaks out of the meat. Crimp it tight and put the wrapped meat back on the smoker or move it to an indoor oven at 225°F. This step, called the Texas Crutch, slightly braises and steams the meat, but most importantly, it prevents surface evaporation which cools the meat and causes the stall. If you wrap the meat at 150°F it will power right through the stall and cut your cooking time significantly.
7) Hold. When the temp hits 195°F, start poking it. Poke it with a thermometer probe. It should slide in and out with little resistance if it is done. Pick it up and jiggle it. Poke it with a finger. If it goes wubba wubba, if it wiggles a bit like jelly, it is done. This usually happens somewhere between 195 and 205°F, usually at around 203°F. Now get your plastic beer cooler, line it with a towel, blanket, or crumpled newspaper, and put the meat, still in foil, into the cooler on top of the lining. Leave the thermometer probe in. If the foil is leaking fluids put the meat in a large pan first. Close the lid and let the hot meat sit in the cooler for 1 to 4 hours until you are ready to eat. If you can, wait til it drops to 150°F to slice. If you have a tight cooler it should hold the meat well above 140°F for h
I think, but I am not sure, Aaron Franklin pays up for his brisket, I think he serves prime cut, and the rest of us is using choice.
OK. I just wanted to make sure you're not giving up your pioneer heritage.
Last time we did one was also the first time I ever did one. 20 pounder. Smoked it @225 until the internals hit 150, then wrapped it and put it in the oven. Kept it in there at 250 until it went over 200. Rested it for 2 hours, then put it in the REFRIGERATOR overnight!
This was my own idea, and it made the brisket so easy to cut it was not funny. Now, I know there will be some aficionado here who will tell me what a terrible mistake that was, but it cut very nicely and tasted terrific.
(One of the worst things about smoking meat is that there are so many f'ing experts everywhere. It is like home-brewing beer--every clown with a set up in his garage is Anheuser the F@ck Busch in the flesh. It used to be that it was only wine snobs but now every toolbag with a electric smoker or a homebrew setup is a ****ing expert.
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the first time I did one, we had like 30 people coming!! and a few from Texas!! But as you know, it is hard to mess up if you keep the temp right, and get the internal temp right. and then if it is over cooked, slice it thicker, and if it is under, slice it real thin!
I have a rib recipe that I have used on brisket. I take the ribs/meat, put whatever spices on it that I want and sprinkle brown sugar on both sides. I place the ribs/meat in a deep sided baking dish and pour regular coke in the dish until the ribs/meat is covered. You want the coke acid and sugar to help tenderize the ribs/meat. Bake in the oven for maybe three hours at 200 to 250 to basically get it cooked half way so depending upon how much meat you have will determine the cooking time. Have your smoker/grill fired up to get it up to temperature. Take the ribs/meat out and then follow your smoking or grilling routine. Very tender and tasty.
Which end will you light?
As soon as I read your question, I thought of this. Were you thinking the same?
You can follow the process from THE expert himself if you like:(One of the worst things about smoking meat is that there are so many f'ing experts everywhere. It is like home-brewing beer--every clown with a set up in his garage is Anheuser the F@ck Busch in the flesh. It used to be that it was only wine snobs but now every toolbag with a electric smoker or a homebrew setup is a ****ing expert.
I have had brisket stall for hours around 160. The Texas crutch is a day saver when you are planning a party. I smoke them indirect around 225-250. I did a 16 pounder in my Kamado joe this summer and it took 14 hours. I normally will crutch it with butchers paper and not foil to help that bark form up. Like others have said, 195 start probing and when it is probe tender and little resistance you are golden. That is normally between 203-208 internal temperature.
One tip if you are wanting to time a party, get it done a couple hours early...I will start it before bed and let it go over night if necessary. Pull it off when done and double wrap in heavy duty foil, place it in a cooler and wrap it with old towels. That brisket will hold temperature for hours. I have opened that cooler up to carve it up after 2.5 hours and the brisket is still 170 degrees. Cooler is also a great option to transport it. Another tip, don’t carve it up until you are ready to eat, it fires up fast when sliced.
Slice the flat and burnt ends with the point is the way to go for me but that is time consuming to start another process at that point.
One tip if you are wanting to time a party, get it done a couple hours early...I will start it before bed and let it go over night if necessary. Pull it off when done and double wrap in heavy duty foil, place it in a cooler and wrap it with old towels. That brisket will hold temperature for hours. I have opened that cooler up to carve it up after 2.5 hours and the brisket is still 170 degrees. Cooler is also a great option to transport it. Another tip, don’t carve it up until you are ready to eat, it fires up fast when sliced.
Slice the flat and burnt ends with the point is the way to go for me but that is time consuming to start another process at that point.
That is definitely one of his "secrets." He buys top notch quality beef to start with, USDA Prime whole briskets from Creekstone Farms. In Texas, the Texas Monthly magazine BBQ rankings reign supreme. All but one of their top 10 uses Prime briskets. Their #1, Snow's BBQ, uses choice.
Of course he also made his own smokers, which is hard to replicate. I heard he sells homemade smokers on the side now, I'd imagine each one costs thousands.
Lots of good information in this post. I agree with it, fwiw. The only thing I am considering is, if I know I will have to hold it a long time, I am thinking of taking off the heat a little before it’s done and let it come up while it’s resting. I’ve had a couple get too tender (and not pass a pull test) while resting 3-4 hrs
I live in the Austin, TX area and HEB has whole briskets every day of the year
Sounds like a very good price to me. I live in the Austin area and HEB (grocery chain in Texas) has whole untrimmed briskets for $1.96/pound. Not sure what WalMart locally sells them for. Of course, you can buy whole brisket here year round. Another good cut of beef to smoke, if you can find it, is tri-tip. HEB has it year round, but might not be readily available in the northeast.
