"Bad" Brisket?

[Altjaeger]

Are you one of those who loves good brisket but either avoids it or feel guilty because it is unhealthy for you?

Good news!!!:)

Texas A&M researchers have found brisket is actually good for you. The fat from the brisket is high in oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid that promotes good cholesterol in people. So eat up, enjoy and know you are doing your body a favor.

Picking the brisket.
1. make sure it is thawed to inspect.
2. Pick itup and fold in half. It should be able to touch end to end after a couple of tries.

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

I Knew It! I Knew It! Something that is SO good was just bound to be good for you!!!!

Alan

[SeniorCoot]

I never met a Brisket I didn't LOVE!
I'm confused by picking instructions- can brisket fold it's self? like a sit up? What's wrong if it can't touch it's toes??

[Altjaeger]

I never met a Brisket I didn't LOVE!
I'm confused by picking instructions- can brisket fold it's self? like a sit up? What's wrong if it can't touch it's toes??

I am told that the amount of fat effects how it folds. The fold is like taking a sausage link and bending the two ends to touch looking a bit like a horse collar when looked at from the side.

[SeniorCoot]

bend it with fat inside would be very hard- other way easier- me I do not take much fat off of the Flat but do remove a bit of hard fat.

[Altjaeger]

bend it with fat inside would be very hard- other way easier- me I do not take much fat off of the Flat but do remove a bit of hard fat.

Yes, the fat is hard. The theory is that when it can bend it is the right proportion of fat to lean. It is pretty strongly believed down here having heard it a number of times from a number of sources.

[SeniorCoot]

Worry interesting--I'll remember it next time I gotta do 8 or so. by the way do you cook your briskets whole or seperate into two pieces-flat & point??

[Altjaeger]

Worry interesting--I'll remember it next time I gotta do 8 or so. by the way do you cook your briskets whole or seperate into two pieces-flat & point??

The people who tell me that do the whole brisket. The place I buy mine trims them so I get only the bottom piece because that is what pleases the Chief of Staff. :D

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

If she buys it, it looks like it's been to a liposuctionist. If I buy it, it looks like a heart attack!

After injection and rub for the required time, I sear the lean side and then flip it and cook/smoke on the fat side for most of the time the brisket is on the fire. I don't cut it in two. After a while I place it on foil and continue cooking. Then I wrap it to finish and rest.

I did trim one with the intention of using the fat cap to wrap a deer roast. It turns out the fat cap doesn't keep too well. I suppose it was OK but it was not aesthetically pleasing so I tossed it.

I use bacon to wrap my deer roasts.

I have never heard of the bending thing, but I have now and I'll be bending those briskets in HEB from now on.

Alan

[SeniorCoot]

Some questions Alan--My Guru's from Texas always said to cook Brisket fat soide UP and if you had to turn it--Your fire was Too Hot. I always use indirect heat from charcoal brickets with mesquite and apple wood in large chunks for smoke and never sear or have flames in cooker.
I never, never inject my Brisket but apply seasonings seperately so I can be sure I get full coverage.
I also do not put it on foil but do wrsap it in same the last 3-4 hrs.
I wish i could posr pic of my last cook 2 weeks ago- it shows meat almost ready for foil and also my fire. Will try later but i ain't very good with anything more than a simple post.

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

Ralph, I'm hardly a "Brisket Guru" and I guess my taste in cookery is similar to the old saying about art, "I don't know much about Art, but I know what I like". I put the fat side down because it protects the meat from too much heat (at least that's my reasoning). I like a hot fire with plenty of smoke so it would probably be too hot for professional brisketeers. I inject because that's how I like it and I sear it to keep that stuff on the inside as much as I can. I like my brisket sliceable and for it to hold together. I've cooked some of those falling apart kind and while they are good I prefer it to be more "meaty".

I won't ever be famous on a large scale but I'm pretty famous around my house for my BBQ. Of course my three sons will eat most anything and #1 wife is glad she doesn't have to cook. Fame is a fleeting thing.

Alan

[SeniorCoot]

Alan--I am not a pro either and was not throwing aspragras on your methods at all. Sorry if it appeared so- i merely was giving the methods i picked up over the years from some guys who were in contests and some from guys who made their living cooking brisket in Texas.
I have seen lots of recipes that call for cooking them fat side down-and some with pre mixed rubs- some without foil and some with hot fires- i have no problems with what ever folks like- in fact until this last cook when I was admonished by texans to keep fat side up I always turned mine several times- i also do NOT like over tender meat that is difficult to slice.

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

Oh, no offense taken at all Ralph. Gotta go to work now.

Alan

[Altjaeger]

I never have injected mine, but have stabbed it to death with a fork and marinated it 24-48 hours though that's not an always thing. It gets a good rub and thrown on the smoker fat side down for about 30 minutes. Then its flipped and forgot for about a hour and half. After 2 hours the soaked chips are ussually burned and smoking quit.

After wrapping in foil it is either put in the smoker or the oven at about 200 degrees fat side up for the remainder of the day timing determined by when everyone is ready to eat and the sides about done. Then it is unwrapped and set for 30 minutes (a goal seldom met). :)
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Some of this like setting fat side up is because thats what I was told was the right way so the fat dripped across the meat and it works, but then I never tried fat side down. I have no doubt it works, especially if the brisket is fatty.

Whether I put the wrapped brisket back in the smoker or the oven is often decided by the season. In the summer I will keep the extra heat outside and not counter it with expensive AC. In the winter if the oven is free then I will augment the housing heat with the oven.:)

I find 200 degrees a very forgiving temp of time as long as the total is at least 6 hours. A friend on my advice years ago put one in the oven at 200 degrees with foil over the baking dish. Having no smoker this was done oven only. She was always baking cookies and I was over 2 days later as she was mixing dough. As she started to slide the sheet into the oven she found the brisket she had forgotten 2 days earlier. After 2 days at 200 degrees it was black and 1/4 the original size. Catching her before she tossed it I sliced into the brisket. The black was about 1/16th inch thick and the rest very well done. The black did not affect the flavor. It was in fact quiet full of flavor, though a bit dry.:D It was still good enough it was all was eaten as finger food that night at the domino games.

I have no special rub or marinade. I do like Williams BBQ rub and Hill Country HEB house brand) mesquite marinade.

[Altjaeger]

I just read the second page posts after my post above. Truthfully I think some brisketts are better than others, but that it is difficult to truly screw one up badly. :D

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

Truthfully I think some brisketts are better than others, but that it is difficult to truly screw one up badly. :D

Which is probably why mine turn out well, most of the time.

Alan

[Altjaeger]

Which is probably why mine turn out well, most of the time.

Alan

I am not going to say mine are any better. I just do as I have read and heard without a whole lot of experimentation other that marinades and rubs. But if I am ever around at meal time you can bet that I will try yours!!! :D

By the way when I do a brisket I feel positively un-Texican if I don't throw a few pounds of Polish or German Sausage from Brenham or the Hill Country (or maybe in your area Czech :D) on the smoker with it. I've done it rarely but hated it. How about you?

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

There's Czech North of us but around here it's mostly squarehea.....er Germans. It doesn't matter much to me as I am part Italian and Italian sausage is the only kind that I don't really care for. Sausage is a must for any grilling. I'll cook it just to have it on hand. I cooked three links of Czech on Sunday and cut up a link and a half into a big pot of red beans that #1 wife cooked this evening. That is a really good way to get rid of sausage.

Alan

[SeniorCoot]

Funny how guys can agree on miscellanious stuff(Obamie) but choose to differ on the BIG Picture ie Food--Me I love Italain sausage and with my wife hosting some Army buddies this week-I have a brisket done --chili- a smoked ham and Lasagna- so last night i went to t local Wisc store-- 304 kinds of BRATS but only one poor old package of Italian sausage ( i was born on east coast)
I always love to travel the USA by auto and eat local stuff esp BBQue in Texas- seafood in Maine-La(not Ca) or in the NW-meat in SD and MT but with the absolute dominance of Fast food and Niche rest-Red Lobster- Applebee,s outback etc it is becoming harder and harder to find places like The Uranium Cafe in Grant NM., The Depot in Mitchell SD,The Cattlemanin Pierre,SD or Lum's or Cooper's in Junction/Mason Tx.If I wanted to eat box food I can at home--BUT I'd rsather have a Stuffed Chciken or Boudin from Hebert's in Maurice,La or Bkfst at Dora's mexican heaven in Uvalde.
I know i'm just an old fart saying things were better in the old days BUT FOOD sure was- Man I'd give a bunch for a Blue Plate Spec at a Greek Diner in NJ or grits and gravey- chix fried steak like in Fredericksburg--Ah well i am rambling again- sorry to have Hi jacked the thread.