I have a brisket that I prepared with a dry rub.Question: when smoking the brisket,would/could mopping sauce be used during cooking? Thanks...

mopping sauce can be used but has a minimal effect on the outcome of the brisket other than adding a barbecue sauce flavor to the exterior..jmo

There are probably as many 'only ways' to cook brisket as there are cooks who cook brisket.

You probably want a packer trim, so you have all the fat to melt into the meat.

You can make 2 of 3 inch deep cuts into the meat, and shove a piece of garlic, some green onion, or other flavorings into the cut. If you do this, make the cuts about every 3 or 4 inches, all over the brisket.

Some folks will sear the meat, then cook s-l-o-w-l-y (sometimes for 12 or more hours)

You can take kosher salt, about 8 to 10 lbs, and mix with enough egg whites to make a paste, then coat the brisket with this, to about an inch thick. (DONT use ice cream or rock salt, as it is dirty) Then cook. Surprisingly, this technique does not make the meat salty. Try it with chicken or turkey, too. When the meat is done, use a mallet to crack the salt away from the meat.

Remember that the brisket is a TOUGH piece of meat. Untill fairly recently (25 years ago or so) briskets were mostly used for sourbraten or corned beef, or ground.

Are you going to ever wrap or cover the meat in a pan? I would almost think that if you do not the meat will dry out before it gets done or will be very tough.

We put our dry rub on, smoke for the first few hours then wrap & cook the last few hours. We dont use a sauce WHILE cooking but thats us. There are several diffrent, good ways to cook it.

Yes the trimmed ones are easier to deal with but if you get a regular one & trim it yourself and leave a little fat on it so it wont dry out. Also cook it fat side UP so that it stays moist.

This is a basic way to cook briskets.

I rub it with Brisket Rub that I get from Krogers or Walmart at least 24 hours before I cook it. Rub it down good, place it in a "NON-PERFUMED" plastic bag, let it rest for 24 hours. Fire up the pit, I like to start off with charcoal and add in hickory all day. Run the temperature up to 225 - 250 degrees. Cook for six hours in smoke and then wrap up in tin foil and cook for another 6 hours. Let it rest before eating.

So, your talking about 13 or 14 hours before you eat. So, that pretty much means you need to fire up the pit around 4am if you want to eat by 6 or 7 pm.

Between all the diffrent varities we have posted about cooking briskets there should be something that sparks your intrest.

You can add a small amount of sauce, if you like, on it before you wrap it but like said above, it wont effect the flavor really. The flavor comes from the smoking & some of the rub you put on the outside. BUT a good sauce on the side as you are eating/serving will be good too.

We have a family reunion next wknd so were are cooking about 70lbs of brisket this wknd so this thread was good timing.

I have also tried brisket that was injected with two bottles of BBQ sauce before cooking. After 10 to 12 hours of cooking it was great. Had a good flavor all the way through.

Here is a beef mop that I found:
2 cups beef stock
1 cup of beer
2/3 cup worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon teaspoon
1 teaspoon garlic powder

WE ALWAYS USE MOP ,SOME VINEGAR ,WATER ,OIL ,TONY'S,3 LEMONS AND LAWERYS SESON SALT ,BUT BEFORE YOU MIX THAT IN POT BROWN 1 ONION IN 1 STICK OF BUTTER THEN ADD REST OF STUFF AND BRING TO BOIL ,,MOP MEAT OFTEN ,AND IN 6 HOURS WRAP POUR REMAINEDER OF MOP IN WITH BRISKET

Campcook is really dead on when it comes to cooking briskets. Because we're in Texas Barbeque is high on just about everybodies list. So thats why there are so many ways to prepare one. Cooking time IMO, depends on the size of the smoking unit! The smaller the unit the shorter the cooking time. Thus, the bigger the firebox and smoker the longer the cooking time. I know people that cook them in their oven and they turn out fine. I will add if your smoker doesn't have indirect heating procedure in it you are apt to burn a brisket more times than not unless you wrap it and then you can still char them in foil.

I do some custom cooking for different functions around here and I'm not saying that mopping a brisket is bad but I've never mopped one because it has a tendancy to burn a little quicker. Now ribs, you betcha. I'll mop the hound out of them. My2cents

Here is a simple method for brisket. Take the packer trim brisket, trim as much fat as you desire from it, season it with what ever you like, place in a large roasting pan with the lid on it and put in an over set at 200 degrees and cook for 10-12 hours. The meat will melt in your mouth and will not be dried out. I have cooked a lot like this and have never had a complaint not even from the wife.

ILL SAY IT. IF YOU HAVE TO PUT SAUCE ON IT TO MAKE IT GOOD ! CHANGE THE WAY YOU COOK IT.!

Slow cooked a 10lb.brisket today for 10 hours.Used both a dry rub and mopping sauce.Everyone thought it was good.

I cook terrible briskets , that is why I sold my smoker, I do rember though nobody ever complained, but mine tasted like a tire.

I've had a 10 lb brisket in the oven at 200 degrees since 10:00 pm last night. All I know is it sure smells good right now.

Got my fingers crossed that when we get home from church it will be just right.

DL, Yes, thats a good and simple way to do it and its fool proof. The reason most people cook them awhile on the "open" grill is to get the flavor in. We all think we have a special nitch for cooking brisket and I don't know a living soul that doesn't have a rib recipe!! But on the brisket I'll offer a somewhat small secret to aid in making sure your meat turns out really good. I'm not saying this is any better than anyone elses method, its just mine, okay?

First off I have a large smoker on a trailer. I slow cook just about everything. I rub my briskets down with my rub and then put the fat side up and cook it on the smoker for about 4-5 hours at 250*. Take it off, triple wrap it in saran wrap, double wrap it in foil. Back on the smoker for another 5 hours at 200*-250*. Can't go wrong!!

Whenever I smoke a brisket I put a dry rub on it the night before and let it sit in the fridge overnight. I put it in a big pan and cover it with foil and let it smoke for 8 -10 hours at 250. If I want a stronger smokey flavor I just take the foil off for awhile. The pan holds all of the juices and when it done and you cut it up it keeps it moist.
Just my 2 cents.

Briskets have been my nemesis on the smoker. I have had success with pork loins, chicken, turkeys and even ribs, but the elusive "melt in your mouth" brisket still eludes me.

I think I will try Cool Hands method.

I am torn about the wood to use as well. I recently picked up a BBQ book that interviewed some of the famous BBQ pit masters around Texas. I have always started with a oak base, then added mesquite or hickory - but one of the guys from a famous bbq pit suggested just mesquite.....dunno, as mentioned, there are hundreds of methods and recipes.

Pat next time you are down & rat is cooking briskets, you need to stop by for lessons...cold beer on hand too

Oak for smoke...mesquite for heat.

I cooked a brisket for 12 hours at 200 in the oven. The leaner end was pretty tender and had a good flavor but about half the brisket was pretty fatty and did not get as tender. It also was not as flavorful.

No one complained, but I just ground the remainder into a brisket "spread" for sandwiches.

I think the lack of smoke just makes my brisket taste like a tough roast, so I don't think I will be trying the oven method anymore.

I think it has to be smoked to really be a "good" brisket. So, until I come up with a smoker, I'll stick to burgers or something else.

Thanks for the cooking tips because it was better than any previous brisket I had oven cooked.

A lot of the business with the wood used comes from personal preferences.

I have a friend from Ohio that used to cook all his briskets using hickory, once I got him to try mesquite, he stopped using hickory all together.

If I want what is to me a real deer camp flavor, I use a combination of oak and mesquite.

I do a lot of cooking over just mesquite, and one fact that has to be taken into consideration is how wwell aged the wood is.

IMO, mesquite that is still slightly green or still has the bark on it can give a somewhat bitter taste, especially with a really smoky fire.

Many folks I know of soak their smoking wood before use.

Some of the best brisket Lora and I ever ate was smoked over cherry wood, I have aslo used pecan and it comes out somewhat like hickory and have heard apple wood gives meat a good flavor.

I am going to be cooking an elk brisket today and plan on using some peach wood and see what that does.

Pecan for me