brisket bonanza & lazy know-it-all's query

Bonanza.
My local Kroger in Atlanta has been selling whole briskets (12-15 lb cryovac-ed) for a while at 2-2.50 /lb. I've never bought one as they are always the grade below choice--USDA Select.

Yesterday, on a Sunday so quiet and bereft of traffic you could hear birds sing while driving, in order to dodge a mini-van ahead of us moving amoeba-like we detoured to Kroger, anything to get away from the slow poke.

As usual, I noted the whole briskets, my interest perking up when I saw a sign that said 'Special--$1.29/lb. I bent down and flipped one over like I usually do--it was Choice, not Select. The price marked was its regular 1.99. I figured it would ring right at the register, but it didn't. Long story short--I received the $25 lb whole brisket absolutely free.

Query.
What to do with this monstrous slab? I figure I'll take off the more expensive leaner cuts, trim them closely of fat and freeze them off for pot roast.

That leaves the fattiest cut(s).

Now I know one certain Chicago brisket maestro who would make smoking it a Weber imerative, but I'm not smoker enabled--only gas grill enabled. I don't want to seal it up inside of aluminum foil to steam--if I did that, I could use the stove top or the oven to steam it to hell and tenderness--a technique I eschew even for regular old pot roast.

I'm guessing to salt it generously followed by a crushed peppercorn/cumin/coriander/thyme/garlic/capsicum dry rub, place it over indirect heat loosely draped in foil to hold some moisture in, relying on a substantial fat cap and the foil tent for moistness.

Cook it at around 275. (That technique takes about 2:30 for a 5-6 lb whole slab or regular old ribs.) I guess I'm targeting the moistness and tenderness of expertly smoked brisket, just absent the smoke ring.

Can you smoker mavens suggest a slow-roast target internal temperature? When you use a smoker, at what temperature are you cooking? Any guess as to how long it might take at your suggested temp?

Irene Kuo in the Key to Chinese Cooking has a very nice recipe for salt cured beef brisket. A rub of Szechuan peppercorns and salt, wrap in foil and cure in the fridge for 4-5 days, cook in a pot barely large enough to hold it (cover with boiling water and proceed as you would a corned beef).

Chill thoroughly. Because it isn't cooked in much water, the broth is a lovely soft jelly that can be spooned over the meat. Good for sandwiches, on steamed chinese buns, as part of a cold appetizer dish, or just on its own.

Leave it whole!

Some gas grills can be used effectively to gently smoke the entire thing, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, at 225F-250F. Even with a certified official genuine smoker, brisket is probably the hardest thing to get right. No such thing as target internal temp. It's ready when a sharp fork penetrates ALL parts of the brisket with no resistance.

In case you want to punt, fatty brisket makes superb hamburger if you have a grinder.

Bill/SFNM

Bill/SFNM wrote:It's ready when a sharp fork penetrates ALL parts of the brisket with no resistance.

ok, I know sage advice when I hear it. Many thanks.

Not that I'm recommending that you try this, but in my childhood my grandmother made corned beef from brisket. In my memory (no doubt augmented by time) it was better than anything you can buy today. The curing took about a week, I think, and by the time it was done the brisket had shrunk to half its original size. The only other way I remember brisket being prepard was boiled; it was singy and tastless. I was quite grown-up by the time I found and liked barbecued brisket. [/i]

Bill/SFNM wrote:Leave it whole!

Steve,

As Iron Chef BBQ said, leave it whole and it's done when a fork, I use a two tined meat fork, slides easily in the meat. Though, knowing you, and your scientific bent, 197°, give or take a couple of degrees, is the answer you were looking for.

Follow Bill's advice, simple rub, 225°. Flip and rotate every couple of hours and be prepared for a 7-10 hour cook. With a full packer cut, fat-cap on brisket you need mainly worry about drying out the last couple of inches of the flat. My suggestion, towards the end of the cook loosely foil the outside end of the flat, at most 2-inches. Loosely being the important word as you don't want the meat to steam.

Give yourself enough time, and don't get too in-love with either 7-10 hours or an internal meat temp of 197° +-3, brisket is done when it's done.

Have fun, hope it turns out well.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:...leave it whole and it's done when a fork...slides easily in the meat. Though, knowing you, and your scientific bent, 197°, give or take a couple of degrees, is the answer you were looking for.

Cooking to a target temp is so easy--one gets lazy, finishes up the prep, sips lazily and waits for the alarm to sound. With all the different grain composition/fat striation variation in a whole brisket, however, its understandable that the target temp method may not really work.

Good idea about closely draping the point with foil towards the end of cooking.

In any event, if it were to be cooked whole: A 12 lb brisket with a 65% yield is about 8 pounds. 8 pounds at 2.67 people per pound is about 22 people, but figure 75% for leftovers/abbodanza, which nets out at brisket for 17--or an even dozen perhaps if we're re all LTH'ers.

Steve Drucker wrote:In any event, if it were to be cooked whole:

Steve,

Cook it whole, Barbecue brisket cooks more evenly when you have point/flat/fat cap.

Flat dries out, point tastes too fatty, you need the whole thing for complimentary flavor, texture and, importantly, so the flat (1st cut) will not dry out. Drying out is not a problem when you, as in a traditional Jewish style brisket, braise, but in the low to no moisture environment of a grill or smoker, compounded by the fact your brisket will be close to the heat source, you run the risk of Sahara like meat. .

If you have more brisket than you can reasonably, or unreasonably, consume freeze the rest, give it to your neighbors, make a mobile for your grandkids, just leave the brisket whole.

As an aside, when Bill/SFNM speaks BBQ, or any cooking for that matter, listen. I know I do.

Enjoy,
Gary

Steve Drucker wrote:Bonanza.
My local Kroger in Atlanta has been selling whole briskets (12-15 lb cryovac-ed) for a while at 2-2.50 /lb. I've never bought one as they are always the grade below choice--USDA Select.

Yesterday, on a Sunday so quiet and bereft of traffic you could hear birds sing while driving, in order to dodge a mini-van ahead of us moving amoeba-like we detoured to Kroger, anything to get away from the slow poke.

As usual, I noted the whole briskets, my interest perking up when I saw a sign that said 'Special--$1.29/lb. I bent down and flipped one over like I usually do--it was Choice, not Select. The price marked was its regular 1.99. I figured it would ring right at the register, but it didn't. Long story short--I received the $25 lb whole brisket absolutely free.

Query.
What to do with this monstrous slab? I figure I'll take off the more expensive leaner cuts, trim them closely of fat and freeze them off for pot roast.

That leaves the fattiest cut(s).

Now I know one certain Chicago brisket maestro who would make smoking it a Weber imerative, but I'm not smoker enabled--only gas grill enabled. I don't want to seal it up inside of aluminum foil to steam--if I did that, I could use the stove top or the oven to steam it to hell and tenderness--a technique I eschew even for regular old pot roast.

I'm guessing to salt it generously followed by a crushed peppercorn/cumin/coriander/thyme/garlic/capsicum dry rub, place it over indirect heat loosely draped in foil to hold some moisture in, relying on a substantial fat cap and the foil tent for moistness.

Cook it at around 275. (That technique takes about 2:30 for a 5-6 lb whole slab or regular old ribs.) I guess I'm targeting the moistness and tenderness of expertly smoked brisket, just absent the smoke ring.

Can you smoker mavens suggest a slow-roast target internal temperature? When you use a smoker, at what temperature are you cooking? Any guess as to how long it might take at your suggested temp?

Steve - not to discount what others have said here but a fifteen pound packer is gonna take quite some time . Have you taken that into consideration using a gas grill?
You are looking at a vey long cook..in fact i usually cook those overnight at the 225-250 range. Is your gas grill capable of maintaining an even heat like that for that many hours? I dont know if i would encourage cooking something that large that requires several hours ( im talking 10 + range) at a slow temp on a gas grill.

deke rivers wrote:Is your gas grill capable of maintaining an even heat like that for that many hours?.

Deke,

Excellent point, 10-hours straight on a standard gas grill seems a very long time.

Maybe Steve should follow Bill/SFNM's softly spoken alternative advice and grind for top-notch grilled burgers.

Enjoy,
Gary

Good idea about closely draping the point with foil towards the end of cooking.

Drape the flat not the point. The point has enough fat to stay moist, while that 2 inches of the flat will be more much more likely to dry out.

Not knowing what gas grill you are using, I would try to get the brisket as far away from the fire as possible. Ideally by using the warming rack that many grills have.

You will have a long cooking time. You might have to play around with your burner configurations to get ideal temperature and radiant heat.

G Wiv wrote:

deke rivers wrote:Is your gas grill capable of maintaining an even heat like that for that many hours?.

Deke,

Excellent point, 10-hours straight on a standard gas grill seems a very long time.

Maybe Steve should follow Bill/SFNM's softly spoken alternative advice and grind for top-notch grilled burgers.

Enjoy,
Gary

yea I gotta think he would maybe need some extra propane just in case
now my sister has done flats on the gasser but it not anywhere near what I would call bbq..its pretty much braised in foil with juice and bbq sauce..tastes ok but not real Q..
I think packer would be too big for that unless he seperates the flat from the point and cooks them both like that

You are indeed lucky to have a brisket that size because it is difficult to find a packer brisket around the Chicagoland area. I usually go to Indiana to get some at a Wally World Supercenter that stocks them for $1.28 a pound.

When I cook a brisket on my WSM or Smokintex (electric smoker), it usually takes at least 12-16 hours. Whatever method you use, shoot for 225-250. Although I don't use this, you can wrap the brisket in foil when it gets an internal temp. of 160-165 in the flat part of the brisket and finish it up in the oven.

Remenber that you want to cook it LONG and SLOW. If you cook it at too high of a temp., you will have a nice piece of shoe leather. I take mine off at 190-195 and let it sit for a 1/2 hour before carving.

Have some beers and enjoy a great feed.