So with Easter rapidly approaching, The lil lady and I have decided to have an Easter dinner at our house this year. Instead of family, we are doing a "friends" dinner. We have some friends that are struggling a little, so we thought we'd have them over, and if our families decide to come, all the better. I've decided to smoke a brisket this year because 1. I'm out of elk meat 2. I love brisket 3.I've never cooked/smoked a brisket 4. Our friends have never had brisket. 5. I have a smoker and love using it. I'm seeking your advice.......like I said, I've never done one before. So if any of you fine folks have any tips/tricks/recommendations that I should know, it will be greatly appreciated. I use a Bradley smoker and have all sorts of different chips. Smoke/cook time? Marinate or dry rub? Inject? Thanks in advance for your help!!!!!!
Smoking beef brisket
- Thread starter pmcgovern
- Start date
I just did a full brisket a couple weeks ago and I turned out great. Low and slow is the key!! There are about a hundred different opinions on how to do them but Ill share how I did it. FIrst you want to trim off the really hard thick fat if there is any. But be sure to leave a good 1/4 inch or so, this keeps it moist during the cook gives great flavor. The night before I rubbed it down with Better than Bullion beef base, its a thick paste of beef base, you cant put too much of this stuff on. After that season fairly heavily with your favorite dry rub. I use a couple (1 with a little spice and the other is a prime rib rub) Now wrap her up in foil or saran wrap and throw it in the fridge for the night.
For the cook I do everything off of internal temp. i use a treager so I start the smoker on about 180 for the first 4 hours just to put smoke in it. Put it on the smoker with the fat cap up. After 4 hours I turned the temp up to 250. When the Internal temp hits 170 pull it off and double wrap it in foil ( throw a stick of butter in there too) and then back on the smoker, still at 250. Now just let it sit till the internal temp hits 200 at least 205 if you have time.
Once you hit that temp pull it off the smoker, leave it in the foil, and put it in a cooler covered with towels for at least an hour but up to 4 hours works too. The key here is make sure there is no holes in the foil so your wife doesnt get pissed that you just leaked beef juice all over her towels. HAHA You want to let it rest for at least an hour so it will soak up the juices but if you end up being done way ahead of time Ive let it sit for a little over 4 hours till it was time to eat. Still warm and juicy like you just pulled it off the smoker.
Good luck!!!
I put it on the smoker at 5 am and put it in the cooler at 230 pm, just for a sort of time frame but it will depend on your smoker and how big the brisket is.
For the cook I do everything off of internal temp. i use a treager so I start the smoker on about 180 for the first 4 hours just to put smoke in it. Put it on the smoker with the fat cap up. After 4 hours I turned the temp up to 250. When the Internal temp hits 170 pull it off and double wrap it in foil ( throw a stick of butter in there too) and then back on the smoker, still at 250. Now just let it sit till the internal temp hits 200 at least 205 if you have time.
Once you hit that temp pull it off the smoker, leave it in the foil, and put it in a cooler covered with towels for at least an hour but up to 4 hours works too. The key here is make sure there is no holes in the foil so your wife doesnt get pissed that you just leaked beef juice all over her towels. HAHA You want to let it rest for at least an hour so it will soak up the juices but if you end up being done way ahead of time Ive let it sit for a little over 4 hours till it was time to eat. Still warm and juicy like you just pulled it off the smoker.
Good luck!!!
I put it on the smoker at 5 am and put it in the cooler at 230 pm, just for a sort of time frame but it will depend on your smoker and how big the brisket is.
Work2hunt
Veteran member
Here is the Bradley Smoker recipe that came with my pucks.
5 to 6 lb trimmed brisket
2/3 c dried cane sugar (dry in oven before using)
2/3 c garlic salt
1/2c paprika
3 tbsp pepper
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp each of powdered beef bouillon, ground ginger, onion powder, ground coriander, cayenne pepper
Lots of Frenchs's ballpark mustard
Smother the brisket with mustard. Mix all dry ingredients together to create a rub. Roll the mustard covered brisket in the rub.
Using mesquite bisquettes, smoke and cook about 10 hours. The damper should be closed and the temp should be steady at 180-200f. Smoke at least 4 hrs. Check bottom tray to make sure drippings don't overflow. Best cooked slow and low.
I haven't tried this but a buddy did and really liked it. Bon appetite.
5 to 6 lb trimmed brisket
2/3 c dried cane sugar (dry in oven before using)
2/3 c garlic salt
1/2c paprika
3 tbsp pepper
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp each of powdered beef bouillon, ground ginger, onion powder, ground coriander, cayenne pepper
Lots of Frenchs's ballpark mustard
Smother the brisket with mustard. Mix all dry ingredients together to create a rub. Roll the mustard covered brisket in the rub.
Using mesquite bisquettes, smoke and cook about 10 hours. The damper should be closed and the temp should be steady at 180-200f. Smoke at least 4 hrs. Check bottom tray to make sure drippings don't overflow. Best cooked slow and low.
I haven't tried this but a buddy did and really liked it. Bon appetite.
Last edited:
Brisket update........ I went to my local butcher and he had lots of brisket. LARGE brisket. I ended up buying an 11.5 pounder. I'd read that they lose a lot of weight when cooking so I figured it was more than enough for 10-12 people. Started on Friday night with trimming the fat. After drying, I rubbed it down with "Beaver-Hot & Spicy" mustard. Made my own dry rub......pepper, salt garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, beef bouillon cubes, and brown sugar. Rubbed, wrapped and refrigerated for 24 hours. Put it in the smoker at 8 oclock Saturday night, at 220 degrees, and monitored the temp. Hit 200 degrees at 11 oclock Sunday morning. Pulled it out, tripled wrapped it in foil, put it in a small cooler with towels on top and bottom and let it sit until 2 oclock. Cut it up and it was PERFECT!!!!! Thanks, usmc99, I used almost all of your advice!!!!!!!!
missjordan
Veteran member
I smoked my first beef not too long ago also and it turned out delicious, really want to try prime rib sometime for a special occasion!
Sawfish
Very Active Member
Two packs of dry onion soup mix and a generous sprinkling of seasoned salt makes a great quick rub.
arwaterfowler
Active Member
I'm a little late to the thread, but check out YouTube. Aaron Franklin has a really good series of videos. He is a legend down in Austin, TX. His videos are very informative for beginners and experienced smokers.
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6mm Remington
Very Active Member
That sounds wonderful! What kind of wood did you use? It will amaze you the different flavors that various woods give the meat. It's fun to play around with. For example I found that hickory if used pretty heavily can get too much of a flavor on the meat. Maple gives it somewhat of a sweet flavor and is really good. Apple is excellent for almost anything. I really like apple doing turkeys! I'm hungry thanks!
I used hickory. I had it on smoke for about 10 hours. You could definitely taste the wood, but it wasn't too over powering. I think with a smoke that is sweeter, I'd let it smoke a little longer next time. I'm also going to try a sweet injection next time. Apple juice or something.
I did a prime rib for Christmas 2 years ago......turned out fantastic. As is with the brisket, it isn't about time, its about temperature. If I recall correctly(prob. not), mine was around 6-8 pounds. Smoked it for 6-8 hours to an internal temp of about 150, foil and towel wrapped it in a cooler for about an hour and it was delish!!!!!
Sawfish
Very Active Member
The shells from various nuts make excellent smoke material, and the cost is virtually nothing. Pecan gives a nice smoky taste, and is not overpowering like hickory in some instances. Works great for most red meats for a mild smoke taste. For a heavier smoke flavor I use mesquite chunks sometimes mixed with hickory. Walnut is milder and works well for fresh pork. Most fruit woods are on the mild side and work well for pork, fish or fowl. My neighbor's lemon tree droops over the back fence, and the limbs make an excellent mild smoke for Thanksgiving turkey. Whether using nut hulls or fruit woods, I soak them in water for at least five hours before cooking. When using chunks or fresh wood, I increase the soak time to overnight.
2rocky
Active Member
- Sep 10, 2012
- 290
- 0
The key is to get the internal temp up over 180 degrees while keeping it moist. That will break down the connective tissue collagen into gelatin. Then it will be fork tender.
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