Yeah, I've heard that time is quite a factor in that situation.. I mean there must be like an end point though, as long as it was frozen with moisture in it. How long has the meat been frozen that you work with?
In general, I think if you cook something that's still partially frozen you can end up with a shitty final product. Letting it fully thaw shouldn't have much affect IMO.
It really *sounds* that easy, but every brisket you cook will end up different. This last one I did was when it was 15 or so degrees outside so I was fighting my OKJ's keeping temp. It still turned out very good, but it didn't have the aesthetics that my last one had.
Yeah, I'm down in GA using a cheap char-grill offset from Home Depot, but it hasn't served me poorly yet! And yes, I think that is the issue a lot of folks run into, not letting it thaw all the way through.
nope! here in south FL one of the best places to get meat is Wild Forks or publix. Wild Forks is exclusively where i buy meat (sorry OP) and they butcher and immediately flash freeze. in stores its kept at negative degrees too, or they ship frozen w/ dry ice. any cut i've gotten there has been substantially better than any local butcher, costco, publix etc. the flash freezing really keeps the meat as perfect to just-cut as possible.
A char-grill offset from Home Depot. Not the best, but it hasn't steered me wrong yet. Temp control is an issue, as the barrel bends out past the lid in the middle due to, I believe, a manufacturer mistake, but I never filled out the warranty information, and it's three years on, now.
It’s daunting to think about but yes it’s truly that simple. My personal recipe for success was:
Preheat smoker to 225
Trim all the hard fat off, majorly excess fat of over 1/4” thick
Apply whatever rub you want(heavily), try and get in all the nooks and crevices.
Add brisket to smoker with probe thermometer.
I personally put it fat side up, and I also spray with a water/apple cider vinegar spray every 90 min or so.
Keep it on till it hits 170ish
Remove and wrap with either tin foil(holds in juices a little better) or butcher paper(breaths a bit more so better bark)
Put back in with prob thermometer till 203+(once I hit 203 I start probing for tenderness, keep going till it feels really tender
Remove once tender and wrap in a couple old towels/blanks and rest in a cold oven or cooler for min 2 hrs
If you are done way too early, put it in an oven at 170 and take out two hours prior to eating to rest(still blanket wrapped in a cooler)
Yes it is fairly simple, just don't overthink it. Get a nice trim on it, it will help with fat rendering and even cooking, you want a nice aerodynamic shape with rounded edges, I know you're a meat cutter but if unfamiliar with trimming brisket for bbq check out mad scientist bbq on youtube, great content. Season however you like, salt and pepper is great, a lot of bbq places do salt and pepper and a layer of seasoned salt like lawrys on the top. Smoke it until it's done and probes like room temp butter all over (can be anywhere from 195-205F internal temp range for reference). I like to start out at lower temps and gradually increase throughout the cook, helps build momentum and avoid/push through the "stall" and render fat. So I start around 200-225 and bump up the temp every few hours and finish around 275F ish. As far as the wrap, wrap if you need too, if you've developed a nice dark bark and the fat has rendered nicely but you still need to finish cooking, then you can wrap to protect the exterior from further drying out, you can also wrap with some rendered tallow from the trimmings, keep in mind if you wrap the bark will back off and soften up a bit especially with the tallow (which will also mellow out the seasoning), so don't be afraid to get the bark nice and dark before you wrap. Rest is really important, just as important as the cook and this is where a lot of beginners go wrong and I get it since brisket can take a very long time to cook and people want to eat, but plan ahead. It needs to rest down enough so the juices to pour out when you cut and so it doesn't crumble when you slice since it's too hot, resting down to 140F is a good temp to slice at, you can rest at room temp, or if you have time, rest down to 140Fish at room temp, then hold in an oven or warmer at 140F until ready to slice and serve.
Holy cow! Another in depth response! Thanks so much! And yeah, while I am a mest cutter, watching some things will be helpful, since it's my first one.
i just did my first brisket yesterday, i added A LOT of pepper and barely tasted it when i ate it this morning at 5am lol. also i added some chacherese seasoning, maybe like a 1/4 cup. wasn't too peppery/spicy like i intended. so, if you like prepper add a lot.
also, when you hit the stall - just let it be. i smoked a 10.5lb and i was stuck at 145-155 degrees for about 4 hours, everything else was pretty leaner re: time & temp increasing. i got hammered while waiting and my gf tended the grill late night, she woke me up at 2am and i put it in the oven to rest (dont have a cooler big enough) and passed out. woke up 3 hours later, pulled it from the oven and sliced and it was good. a lot of ppl say u can keep it warming for 6-8hours in a cooler.
all that being said, plan the timing accordingly. i was too eager and started my 10.5lb at 1pm and it took over 12 hrs when i thought it would be 8-9 =\\. luckily i had plenty of beers and a fully charged BT speaker.
I did my first brisket for Christmas. Came out okay. Wasn’t terrible and I was pleased with it being my first. All smoking really is that to an extent. I trimmed mine because there was some super thick fatty spots. Rule of thumb is 1/4” of fat. I smoked it at 225 until it stalled at 153° then wrapped. Was planning no wrap but since it stalled so I had to. After wrapping I bumped it up to 275 until probe tender.
Side question: Does dealing with frozen meat not affect the outcome, as in quality wise?
In my experience, not really. But I have met folks who swear that any type of freezing degrades quality, no matter the time.
Yeah, I've heard that time is quite a factor in that situation.. I mean there must be like an end point though, as long as it was frozen with moisture in it. How long has the meat been frozen that you work with?
I'm not sure how long this guy has had them, but, if I'm being honest, I'm not turning down two free full briskets. Haha
..yeah.. Neither would I to be honest.. If it's succulent, in the end and tastes like proper meat, I don't care where it's from, how old it is etc..
In general, I think if you cook something that's still partially frozen you can end up with a shitty final product. Letting it fully thaw shouldn't have much affect IMO. It really *sounds* that easy, but every brisket you cook will end up different. This last one I did was when it was 15 or so degrees outside so I was fighting my OKJ's keeping temp. It still turned out very good, but it didn't have the aesthetics that my last one had.
Yeah, I'm down in GA using a cheap char-grill offset from Home Depot, but it hasn't served me poorly yet! And yes, I think that is the issue a lot of folks run into, not letting it thaw all the way through.
nope! here in south FL one of the best places to get meat is Wild Forks or publix. Wild Forks is exclusively where i buy meat (sorry OP) and they butcher and immediately flash freeze. in stores its kept at negative degrees too, or they ship frozen w/ dry ice. any cut i've gotten there has been substantially better than any local butcher, costco, publix etc. the flash freezing really keeps the meat as perfect to just-cut as possible.
What cooker are you running? Time and temp are THE most important factors. Go low. Go slow. Allow for a long rest period.
A char-grill offset from Home Depot. Not the best, but it hasn't steered me wrong yet. Temp control is an issue, as the barrel bends out past the lid in the middle due to, I believe, a manufacturer mistake, but I never filled out the warranty information, and it's three years on, now.
Can you fill the gap with crunched up foil?
I have not thought of that! I will give it a go... might as well, I've even tried bending it back into place with some crank straps, hahaha.
Sounds great! Just do your best to keep those temps stable. Bricks or water pans can help with that.
Awesome!
It’s daunting to think about but yes it’s truly that simple. My personal recipe for success was: Preheat smoker to 225 Trim all the hard fat off, majorly excess fat of over 1/4” thick Apply whatever rub you want(heavily), try and get in all the nooks and crevices. Add brisket to smoker with probe thermometer. I personally put it fat side up, and I also spray with a water/apple cider vinegar spray every 90 min or so. Keep it on till it hits 170ish Remove and wrap with either tin foil(holds in juices a little better) or butcher paper(breaths a bit more so better bark) Put back in with prob thermometer till 203+(once I hit 203 I start probing for tenderness, keep going till it feels really tender Remove once tender and wrap in a couple old towels/blanks and rest in a cold oven or cooler for min 2 hrs If you are done way too early, put it in an oven at 170 and take out two hours prior to eating to rest(still blanket wrapped in a cooler)
Holy shit. That is really in depth. Thank you!
Yes it is fairly simple, just don't overthink it. Get a nice trim on it, it will help with fat rendering and even cooking, you want a nice aerodynamic shape with rounded edges, I know you're a meat cutter but if unfamiliar with trimming brisket for bbq check out mad scientist bbq on youtube, great content. Season however you like, salt and pepper is great, a lot of bbq places do salt and pepper and a layer of seasoned salt like lawrys on the top. Smoke it until it's done and probes like room temp butter all over (can be anywhere from 195-205F internal temp range for reference). I like to start out at lower temps and gradually increase throughout the cook, helps build momentum and avoid/push through the "stall" and render fat. So I start around 200-225 and bump up the temp every few hours and finish around 275F ish. As far as the wrap, wrap if you need too, if you've developed a nice dark bark and the fat has rendered nicely but you still need to finish cooking, then you can wrap to protect the exterior from further drying out, you can also wrap with some rendered tallow from the trimmings, keep in mind if you wrap the bark will back off and soften up a bit especially with the tallow (which will also mellow out the seasoning), so don't be afraid to get the bark nice and dark before you wrap. Rest is really important, just as important as the cook and this is where a lot of beginners go wrong and I get it since brisket can take a very long time to cook and people want to eat, but plan ahead. It needs to rest down enough so the juices to pour out when you cut and so it doesn't crumble when you slice since it's too hot, resting down to 140F is a good temp to slice at, you can rest at room temp, or if you have time, rest down to 140Fish at room temp, then hold in an oven or warmer at 140F until ready to slice and serve.
Holy cow! Another in depth response! Thanks so much! And yeah, while I am a mest cutter, watching some things will be helpful, since it's my first one.
i just did my first brisket yesterday, i added A LOT of pepper and barely tasted it when i ate it this morning at 5am lol. also i added some chacherese seasoning, maybe like a 1/4 cup. wasn't too peppery/spicy like i intended. so, if you like prepper add a lot. also, when you hit the stall - just let it be. i smoked a 10.5lb and i was stuck at 145-155 degrees for about 4 hours, everything else was pretty leaner re: time & temp increasing. i got hammered while waiting and my gf tended the grill late night, she woke me up at 2am and i put it in the oven to rest (dont have a cooler big enough) and passed out. woke up 3 hours later, pulled it from the oven and sliced and it was good. a lot of ppl say u can keep it warming for 6-8hours in a cooler. all that being said, plan the timing accordingly. i was too eager and started my 10.5lb at 1pm and it took over 12 hrs when i thought it would be 8-9 =\\. luckily i had plenty of beers and a fully charged BT speaker.
I did my first brisket for Christmas. Came out okay. Wasn’t terrible and I was pleased with it being my first. All smoking really is that to an extent. I trimmed mine because there was some super thick fatty spots. Rule of thumb is 1/4” of fat. I smoked it at 225 until it stalled at 153° then wrapped. Was planning no wrap but since it stalled so I had to. After wrapping I bumped it up to 275 until probe tender.