The following has absolutely nothing to do with Cormani...
My man, I trust that you will, but I'll say it anyway: take your time and do your research before buying a smoker.
Pellet grills have become the rage for backyard bbq enthusiasts and that's what I used to make that brisket. BBQ purists will spit on my meat when they learn it came off a pellet grill but IDGAF. It's super convenient and I'm more or less able to set it and forget it once I throw my brisket/pork butt/ribs etc. on the grate.
A traditional smoker requires more time and attention on your part to maintain/adjust temperature, and for a large cut that requires a long cook time such as a brisket, you almost have to be able to babysit the smoker for the duration of the cook. But if you have that luxury and are able to learn how to use one, you'll smoke some killer meat. I love my pellet grill but I'll be the first to admit it doesn't provide as strong of a smoke profile as a stick burner.
There are pro's and con's to both, just take your time and research before pulling the trigger on something.
I'm thinking a CiS BBQ thread in the OT forum is in the near future...
I've never injected, just use a dry rub combo of kosher salt, course ground pepper and garlic powder, then hit it with a beef rub.
A full-packer brisket is a pain in the ***. It's two large muscles connected by a huge chunk of fat. They cook differently and form an uneven piece of meat so trying to get them to finish at the same temp is a tough task in its own right. You've gotta know your grill just as much as the meat.
As far as tips...
1. Learning how to trim a brisket is the most important step, IMO. The extra time spent on the front end will pay dividends. Aaron Franklin and Hey Grill Hey both have good vids on You Tube that cover trimming.
2. Seasoning is personal preference but a simple SPG (salt, pepper, garlic powder) and a good beef rub combo do it for me, no need to throw together 37 different ingredients to do the same thing an off the shelf rub will do. I used to use olive oil as a binder but I don't feel its necessary.
3. Know your smoker. They don't cook like a conventional oven, most of them will have hot spots. Grab a tube of Pillsbury biscuits, bring your smoker up to baking temp and spread them out evenly on your grate. Some of them will probably be overdone after the recommended bake time; those are your hot spots on your smoker. That's valuable intel when your point is cooking faster than your flat.
4. I prefer fat-cap down, it keeps the meat side of the flat exposed to the smoke and keeps it from overcooking and becoming tough or brittle, whereas the fat-cap can absorb that heat and protect the meat above it.
5. Wrapping. You can research the **** out of this. I generally choose to wrap in peach paper after 8-10 hours or when my bark reaches a dark mahogany color. It protects it from absobing too much smoke which can give a bitter taste, and helps speed up cook time by pushing it through the stall. It also prevents the bark from becoming soggy, which tends to happen if you wrap with foil. The peach paper is somewhat permeable wheras foil isn't. Google "Texas crutch".
6. I like to pull mine around 197°-203°, but the real test is if your meat thermometer slides into both the flat and point like a hot knife through butter. If you still feel resistence, it's not done, even if it's at temp. Conversely if you're above 190° and its sliding in and out with ease, you might wanna pull it or risk overcooking it.
7. One of the biggest mistakes people make is not letting their brisket rest after pulling it off the smoker, but ****'s are impatient and wonder why their brisket is dry when they slice it 10 mins after its done cooking. Pull it, set it in a foil pan (I usually do this after I wrap anyway) and let it sit on the counter at room temp for about an hour, but try not to exceed an hour and a half. It will still be hot after an hour, but you don't want the internal temp to drop below 150°
If you must wait longer to serve it, you can heat your oven to its lowest temp for 10 mins, turn it off then throw the brisket inside to keep it hot without continuing to cook it. If you pull your brisket and insist on slicing it 15 mins later, all that steam you see rising out of your meat is juicy goodness escaping. Let it rest!
Now, say you're brisket is done super early, like 4 or 5 hours. Double wrap it in foil, then wrap it in an old bath/beach towel and throw it in a cooler. It will still be piping hot 4 hours later. Downside to this is your bark will probsbly lose some of its crisp and it may continue to cook itself in the cooler, but I've used this trick many times and it still turned out great. Still wanna let it rest for a bit after pulling it out of the cooler though.
8. Don't start slicing until you're ready to serve.
9. **** BBQ sauce! If someone needs sauce to enjoy your brisket, you either overcooked it or they're uncultured swine who don't deserve the beefy euphoria you spent the better part of an entire day preparing for them. Au jus from the brisket is perfectly acceptable and recommended, however.
And even if you do everything right, it still may turn out so-so. I swear each brisket I've ever smoked has had its own personality. I've used the same prep methods & cook temp on briskets of similar weight and one took 16 hours while the other took 10. The best one I've ever made was USDA Choice lol. It's not a time & temp deal like most cuts of meat but if you're patient enough to figure out your own method and learn what works for you and your grill, it's very gratifying to watch everyone drooling over your meat at a big gathering.
I know that was a lot and I probably covered some things you already know, but my 3yr old has me pinned down watching Little Einsteins for the last 2 hours so I figured I'd share my Brisket Manifesto with you lol. Feel free to DM me more questions when you decide to try it again. Most importantly, find out what works for you and have fun with it. My way isn't the only way, it just works for me after a lot of trial and error.
For real, pork butt is like that slow horse they let the thoroughbred's beat up on to build their confidence. Smoke one of those for your Memorial Day cookout and your Aunt & Uncle will be telling you how great your pulled pork is, and that you should quit your job to become a BBQ Pitmaster.
Brisket is Secretariat at the Belmont and will humble your *** real quick.
ur missing the point
