Texas Hunting Forum

1st brisket

Posted By: M Wilson

1st brisket - 05/19/17 03:55 PM

tomorrow i am going to smoke my first brisket. one thing i havent decided on is to mop or not to mop?
does anyone have a preference or tips either way?
Posted By: SnakeWrangler

Re: 1st brisket - 05/19/17 04:03 PM

I don't mop.....marinate, dry rub, smoke, wrap.....pull off when tender...... chef
Posted By: Herbie Hancock

Re: 1st brisket - 05/19/17 04:03 PM

No mop, plenty of natural mop (fat) to go around. Keep the lid closed as much as possible, you're only hurting your self in the end by opening and closing it.
Posted By: Cast

Re: 1st brisket - 05/19/17 04:09 PM

What kinda smoker? Low and slow is the key.
Posted By: HoldPoint

Re: 1st brisket - 05/19/17 04:11 PM

I prefer a nice grape jelly and cayenne mop for mine along with a hint of cedar
Posted By: MacDaddy21

Re: 1st brisket - 05/19/17 04:16 PM

No mop. Salt and pepper only. Smoke it till its done, low and slow.
Posted By: HoldPoint

Re: 1st brisket - 05/19/17 04:46 PM

I'm just kidding don't use cedar....
Posted By: M Wilson

Re: 1st brisket - 05/19/17 05:10 PM

im using a cheapo offset. but i have done some modifications like a Nomex liner around the barrel to prevent leaks and a welders blanket riveted to the top of the barrel to help with insulation. believe it or not the $30 i spent have made a massive difference. ive done a couple butts and some ribs but i want to try a longer smoke like the brisket.
id invite you guys over for dinner tomorrow but i only have a 10 lbs brisket, it will only serve 1
Posted By: bill oxner

Re: 1st brisket - 05/19/17 05:23 PM

Originally Posted By: SnakeWrangler
I don't mop.....marinate, dry rub, smoke, wrap.....pull off when tender...... chef
Posted By: BDB

Re: 1st brisket - 05/19/17 05:48 PM

Originally Posted By: M Wilson
tomorrow i am going to smoke my first brisket. one thing i havent decided on is to mop or not to mop?
does anyone have a preference or tips either way?


In general no mop. But the cut of meat you have...the type of wood you have will guide you a few general directions. I'm a basic salt/pepper guy also. I like prime cuts of meat and will spend more money to get it than the average dood will. I let the meat, wood and the salt & pepper do their magic...low and slow like mentioned already. Lousy meat and green wood will make you have to do some things you normally wouldn't do otherwise.
Posted By: Josh Koch

Re: 1st brisket - 05/19/17 05:58 PM

No Mop Smoke for 3 hrs then wrap to finish it.
Posted By: ChadTRG42

Re: 1st brisket - 05/19/17 07:49 PM

I smoke mine for about 3-4 hours at about 225-250, with a rub. Then wrap it with whatever rub or seasonings you want to finish it off. I have pulled it off at 190 degrees several times, and it's good. It ran long once, and pulled it off at a little over 200 degrees, and it was even better. I now let it go to 200 degrees. I use hickory, or any fruit wood. Oak is ok, but not my favorite as it's a little more bitter wood. And no mesquite wood for smoking.

A secret method I was told, was to cook it the day before you plan to eat it. Smoke it like normal, then refrigerate it over night. This lets the juicy fat solidify again. Then, heat it up over slow heat for 2-3 hours, and the fat and juiciness is even better. I did this once, and it was awesome! It just rarely ever makes it to the next day!
Posted By: BigPig

Re: 1st brisket - 05/19/17 08:42 PM

Originally Posted By: ChadTRG42
I smoke mine for about 3-4 hours at about 225-250, with a rub. Then wrap it with whatever rub or seasonings you want to finish it off. I have pulled it off at 190 degrees several times, and it's good. It ran long once, and pulled it off at a little over 200 degrees, and it was even better. I now let it go to 200 degrees. I use hickory, or any fruit wood. Oak is ok, but not my favorite as it's a little more bitter wood. And no mesquite wood for smoking.

A secret method I was told, was to cook it the day before you plan to eat it. Smoke it like normal, then refrigerate it over night. This lets the juicy fat solidify again. Then, heat it up over slow heat for 2-3 hours, and the fat and juiciness is even better. I did this once, and it was awesome! It just rarely ever makes it to the next day!


Why no Mesquite wood? That all I ever use because I cut it at the lease for free. Sometimes I cut the scrub oak, but I prefer Mesquite.
Posted By: Cast

Re: 1st brisket - 05/19/17 09:12 PM

Mesquite only at the end of a mild smoke. Too much mesquite will turn bitter on you.
Posted By: decook

Re: 1st brisket - 05/19/17 09:16 PM

Beer.
Beer.

Don't forget to marinade yourself with beer.
Posted By: Huntmaster

Re: 1st brisket - 05/19/17 09:56 PM

I only use mesquite-- all the other woods are for wimps.
Posted By: Dalee7892

Re: 1st brisket - 05/19/17 11:13 PM

I like pecan myself, if can find apple or cherry good. Have used mesquite just don't overdo it.
Posted By: M Wilson

Re: 1st brisket - 05/20/17 12:42 PM

I think I marinaded myself well in bourbon last night so it's going on a little later than I would like
Posted By: SnakeWrangler

Re: 1st brisket - 05/20/17 12:59 PM

Originally Posted By: BigPig
Originally Posted By: ChadTRG42
I smoke mine for about 3-4 hours at about 225-250, with a rub. Then wrap it with whatever rub or seasonings you want to finish it off. I have pulled it off at 190 degrees several times, and it's good. It ran long once, and pulled it off at a little over 200 degrees, and it was even better. I now let it go to 200 degrees. I use hickory, or any fruit wood. Oak is ok, but not my favorite as it's a little more bitter wood. And no mesquite wood for smoking.

A secret method I was told, was to cook it the day before you plan to eat it. Smoke it like normal, then refrigerate it over night. This lets the juicy fat solidify again. Then, heat it up over slow heat for 2-3 hours, and the fat and juiciness is even better. I did this once, and it was awesome! It just rarely ever makes it to the next day!


Why no Mesquite wood? That all I ever use because I cut it at the lease for free. Sometimes I cut the scrub oak, but I prefer Mesquite.

It's all I use too.....some people think the smoke is too heavy..... confused2
Posted By: M Wilson

Re: 1st brisket - 05/20/17 09:11 PM




Been going since 830 this morning.
Posted By: BuckRage

Re: 1st brisket - 05/20/17 09:15 PM

food
Posted By: DryFire

Re: 1st brisket - 05/20/17 09:51 PM

Is there any left?? looks some kinda good..
Posted By: SnakeWrangler

Re: 1st brisket - 05/20/17 10:10 PM

Might be dry.....when you pull it off the pit put it in a cooler to rest......you can put a can or two of beef broth to rehydrate.....
Posted By: bobcat1

Re: 1st brisket - 05/20/17 10:32 PM

Originally Posted By: SnakeWrangler
Might be dry.....when you pull it off the pit put it in a cooler to rest......you can put a can or two of beef broth to rehydrate.....

Yep or 2 bouillon cubes boiled in a cup of water.
Posted By: ChadTRG42

Re: 1st brisket - 05/22/17 04:25 PM

So how'd it turn out?

Yes, the mesquite wood can be a little bitter in flavor. I have also used it to smoke pork and brisket. When you compare it to hickory or a fruit wood, the smoke flavor is much more soft than mesquite. If you like the mesquite flavor, it will work just fine. I just prefer a softer less bitter flavor for smoking. But mesquite makes the best flavor for grilling.

Any of these woods are better than a pinion wood! Yes, a buddy of mine cooked dinner on the grill with pinion wood.
Posted By: M Wilson

Re: 1st brisket - 05/22/17 04:47 PM

so it came out a little dry but not bad for my first one. definitely learned some lessons for the next one.
i could write a long post with the lessons that i took away, but i will save you veterans from reading through it.
Posted By: ChadTRG42

Re: 1st brisket - 05/22/17 05:05 PM

I'm all ears! It's good to figure out things you can do better next time. It took me MANY briskets to get it how I want it, and I still don't get it right sometimes. My brother, who has cooked for parties and large friend gatherings, has it down even better than me. He has a big trailer smoker, and knows it well.

Did you wrap your brisket, or just leave it smoking the whole time? If it's dry, that's usually why. Also, it takes some time to figure out your smoker and how the temp swings vary. The smoker has a lot to do with it, also.
Posted By: PMK

Re: 1st brisket - 05/22/17 05:16 PM

Originally Posted By: M Wilson
so it came out a little dry but not bad for my first one. definitely learned some lessons for the next one.
i could write a long post with the lessons that i took away, but i will save you veterans from reading through it.

go for it!!! although I have been associated with smoking meats for over 50 years, I am still always looking for good pointers of something I might have overlooked. I still learn on each cook!
Posted By: M Wilson

Re: 1st brisket - 05/22/17 05:38 PM

what i was struggling with was because of the wind keeping the temp at 225-250. i was barely holding 200-210. i think it was too low to really allow the fat to render properly. so i pulled off at hour 8 when the meat temp was 165 and i finished it in the oven in foil at 275 until it reached a meat temp of 200. this REALLY helped re-hydrate the meat.
Lessons:
1 - windy days are not thermal friends
2 - i think my next method will be 6-8 hours of smoke then finish in the oven. im not a purist and it seemed to save my meat
3 - dont over indulge in bourbon the night prior. its an unwanted headache if you need to be focusing on the smoker all day
Posted By: ChadTRG42

Re: 1st brisket - 05/22/17 05:48 PM

Yes!! Smoking on windy or really cold days has you tending to the smoker a lot more for temp control. This is where knowing your smoker helps out.

Also, the meat will stall (stop rising in temperature) about 155-160 degrees. This is where most cooks freak out, because the meat won't increase in temperature after a good amount of time ( maybe 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours). Once you pass the stall, it will pick back up and begin rising again. It's good to know where you are in the cooking phase to plan your temps in the smoker.

Ah, the good ol hangover effect. You're not the first, and you won't be the last!!!
Posted By: ChadTRG42

Re: 1st brisket - 05/22/17 05:58 PM

Another note, if you have a lot of hot coals, it's easier to manage and control your temps with a large bed of hot coals. If you run a small bed of coals and have to add wood often, it's harder to keep a steady temp due to more or less fire. I find it much easier on long smokes (like a brisket), to have more coals than I will need, than to keep adding more and more wood every few hours. I smoke on a Primos XL smoker. It's generally pretty easy to control the temps on this smoker.
Posted By: PMK

Re: 1st brisket - 05/22/17 09:15 PM

as Chad pointed out, the stall happens 155-165* and can take a long time to break thru to get the temperature rising again. I smoke even cooler than you keeping my smoke chamber in the 170-190 range for smoking. At times, I am a purist but more often than not, time is not on my side where I have to take other measures to get thru the stall. I bounce between wrapping and moving to the hotter area of the pit (230-250) or take to the oven at 225-235. My wife hates it when I take things inside to finish as it tends to add the smoke aroma into the house (way to heavily for her likings!!!). It also depends on how much smoke you like in your meat, for me, you can't get too much smoke but I am not the norm compared to the rest of my family. So, 4-6 hours of smoke for a normal trimmed packer style is plenty for my crew but if everyone is gone (when I like to do most of my smoking), I'll go 8-14 hours smoke with the lower temps. It just takes playing around with your pit and getting into the groove of what it likes to get what you like. I almost ruined 3-4 briskets with my current pit trying to figure it out as it is a lot heavier steal than my previous one and is a bear to get up to the hotter temperatures, but once you do, it holds it very well for 4-5 hours without adding any more wood or charcoal and outside conditions don't have near the impact on it that a lighter weight pit can have. My old pit worked me to death trying to maintain constant temperature, having to add wood every hour or so.

it is an art and once you figure it out with your own preference of taste and operating your pit in it's sweet spot, you will be much happier with what you are getting out every time.
Posted By: BDB

Re: 1st brisket - 05/23/17 03:36 AM

[quote=M Wilson]what i was struggling with was because of the wind keeping the temp at 225-250. i was barely holding 200-210. i think it was too low to really allow the fat to render properly. so i pulled off at hour 8 when the meat temp was 165 and i finished it in the oven in foil at 275 until it reached a meat temp of 200. this REALLY helped re-hydrate the meat.
Lessons:
1 - windy days are not thermal friends
2 - i think my next method will be 6-8 hours of smoke then finish in the oven. im not a purist and it seemed to save my meat
3 - dont over indulge in bourbon the night prior. its an unwanted headache if you need to be focusing on the smoker all day [/quote


As dark as the bark is in the picture you posted...it seems dry. Did you spritz it all? also what type smoker you cook it on..offset? If so did you cook with the firebox door shut and dampers open or...open firebox door and let lots of air in?
Posted By: QuitShootinYoungBucks

Re: 1st brisket - 05/23/17 05:27 PM

If I use mesquite for either smoking or grilling, I make darn sure it has had the heck cured out of it. Mesquite that is any sort of green will do some really nasty things to your food. Same with pecan.

That said, if the mesquite has been properly cured, it can turn out some tasty food. For brisket, I typically prefer well-cured oak, possibly with a little hickory, but I usually use hickory for pork or chicken.
Posted By: Cast

Re: 1st brisket - 05/23/17 05:45 PM

I will finish with mesquite but I won't smoke with it any more. Just a stick or two right at the end of the process. Doesn't take long.
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