brisket is akin to golf

Those enamored of golf engage in a simple yet nearly impossible task: hitting a ball with a stick and chasing it themselves--an effort at which perfection is nigh unattainable.

Several truths can observed with regards to dedicated golfers:
--they are selfish to the exclusion of all else when faced with the prospect of freeing time to fit in a round
--they will lie to any and all, to co-workers, bosses and especially spouses in pursuit of a game; and to themselves and their foursome about their lie, their score and their putting.

In a recent post I raised the ire of the brisket police who lurk hereabouts--and rightfully so, I suspect--by proposing to cook a brisket on a gas grill rather than in a smoker. Why their adamance?

Because by any method other than braising, such as smoking, cooking a tender and moist and toothsome brisket is an art almost totally resistant to science. Add to that the fact that each brisket is different from the last, and you have a net end result of engaging in a challenging--if not almost impossible--task. A Sysiphean effort nevertheless compelling when its goals are met by a talented and practiced hand.

That said, I myself have never had really good smoked brisket. Some have been tough, some have been dry, and most puzzling--some have been bereft of taste.

I gave up on golf before I got to college. Today I'm giving up on cooking a brisket by any means other than braising. Call me a wimp. I know my limitations. I make a hell of a brisket pot roast.

In the depth of night I yet await the brisket police, to bear me to smoked meat nirvana.

I'll letcha know how mine turns out today.

Mike G wrote:I'll letcha know how mine turns out today.

After golf?

Steve Drucker wrote: cooking a tender and moist and toothsome brisket is an art almost totally resistant to science. .

It is often useful to differentiate between art and science when approaching cooking. However, in this case, it may be meaningful to consider process and product. I enjoy the process as much as I enjoy the product, not just when it comes to BBQ, but to all kinds of cooking. Granted, the process for smoked brisket is one of the most demanding. It requires the correct meat, equipment and, above all, a lot of patience and commitment and passion to survive the inevitable failures, (a metaphor for relationships? ).

I have never played golf, but I imagine that serving friends and family a perfectly smoked brisket that I prepared myself is akin to a hole-in-one. I doubt I would feel the same way serving the same brisket that someone else had made. FWIW.

Bill/SFNM

Steve,

I don't know that I would describe any of the follow-ups as "ire"-filled, but they are certainly correct.

Briskets are perhaps the toughest (perfect adjective, in several definitions of the word) cuts of meat to cook so that it comes out edible, let alone delicious. It is part art and part science (the meat needs to be broken down). Smoking, corning (and then simmering or roasting), or braising are about the only methods likely to result in anything close to success.

Here are photos of my recent brisket-smoking (dry-rub only, hickory/oak smoked at 200 degrees, about 11 hours).







Cheers,
Wade

Wade,

What I don't sense from your post is whether you thought your recent cook was a success? How did it taste? Was the texture satisfactory? What would you do differently next time?

Brisket is something I have yet to do.

Regards,

Cathy2,

At the risk of appearing immodest (I am, after all, a mannerly and modest Southerner by upbringing), I long ago mastered smoking briskets and pork shoulders.

The secrets are:
1. Choice of brisket
2. Choice of wood
3. Cooking temperature (and sustained, constant temperature)
4. Knowing when they're done

Costco is my go-to place for briskets these days (full briskets, nice fat cap [you leave that on while smoking], nice prices). Dry spice rub only; no mop sauce. Homemade TX-style BBQ on the side for those who want it (discouraged in general, but O.K. on sandwiches with white bread and maybe sliced onions).

I like to use oak and/or hickory. Mesquite is too strong. Pecan is nice, with a fruity flavor, but hard to come by in this neck of the woods.

Smoking/cooking temperature: for briskets, 200 degrees is perfect.

Doneness: You just KNOW, by look and touch. Before I got to that point, there was a lot of trial and error.

One of those briskets went to the Mexcan-American family next door for their first taste of smoked TexasQ. A month later, they decided to drive, not fly, to visit family in Michoacan, just so they could chow on brisket during the drive through Texas.

Another one went to an extended Lithuanian family in Brighton Park on the South Side. One of the highlights of my life was watching a 94-year-old aunt (with a full set of false teeth) getting her first taste. She so got into it that she chowed down with her hands, chattering away approvingly (in Lithuanian) the entire time. At the end, she licked her fingers, always a good sign.

Cheers,
Wade

Hi,

I'm glad I asked!

Thanks for the update and tips.

Regards,

Well now I realize I must plan a brisket smoking event to coincide with a golf game, so that I can be doing both at the same time. Proper prior planning would allow for an overnight smoke, a morning golf game, and perfect brisket waiting for me when I get home.