Back to The Briskets of Love
For this smoked brisket, I cut it in half for 2 pieces short ways, finished at two different times. So you'll have the fat side and the lean side separated. Wanted to keep this brisket fail-safe by cooking to a temperature in which both sides reach temp at separate times. Lots of words if you click > Keep reading
Here's how I bang out BBQ brisket 80% of the time. There are so many brisket recipes I just stick to what I know tastes good when guests are involved. This probably isn't competition legal but it's the law at here especially if guests are coming. I've seen the standard brisket smoking techniques throughout my life (mostly last 30) grow into what is now basically a roast. Back in the day, a pitmasters thermometer was his hand and his proof of concept was the line waiting to get some. Not that other techniques are bad in fact they often turn out fantastic. Some of us like to mix and match techniques from both sides of the Mississippi knowing it could be a disaster brisket. It's a hard life.Not going to drag you over BBQ brisket trimming this time but in short, I trim all the fat off to 1/4 inch thick left on the meat. We are rendering the fat into a concentrated bliss that in the end, it's pretty good, kinda beats the meat. If you avoid fat then it's really easy to brush off after the brisket is cooked.Whether you smoke briskets in a trash can or a 1000 gallon rocket you have to know your pit and over time know it intimately. You'll need to know what to do or react to in rain, hot, cold, humidity, wind. You'll have to be able to whoa the pits ozone to target degree. With my keg smoker, I throw fits if the pit reaches 260 and start micromanaging air intake at 250 to keep my blood pressure down. Lower temps under 245 aren't as OMG but I'll let some air in to raise the temperature when it gets down to 230. Using wood/coal fired if the air is not heating up the pit then it's likely you need a stick or coal to feed the fire. You have to stay close to your pit and be able to check it every 30-45 minutes. Try not to open it, just do temp checks as simple as going out checking and walking right back in the A/C. The less you open the better so just trust the process.Smoking a whole brisket on a pit cooks differently from one side to the other because of the flat (thin part) and the point (fatter part). Cooking without a pitmasters license is a pain because reaching target temp in the smoked brisket point can turn out a great point but tender dry flat. Cooking to the target temp in the flat steals time from the point rendering great flat but a tough point. Therefore repeating, we're gonna cut this one in half and you can cook both at the same time or different days for different recipes. Both would get same target temperature.Since we're slow smoking brisket on our pit similar to a barrel the fire/coals need to be fed and coddled a lot more than a large firebox hanging off the end. Stay on your temperatures throughout the long slow smoke.Good lawd that was a wall of words.
Servings 8
Calories 1326kcal
Ingredients
Parts
- 15 lb brisket (untrimmed )
- 3/4 cup Dawgs Bark
- 2 tbs Dirtyleg (optional end BBQ sauce dipper)
Tools
- Pit that can hold the brisket away from heat.
- Your choice of chunk wood I use mesquite (it burns hot. In Texas most Texans use pecan or oak or both. Mesquite burns hotter while oak and pecan are a little easier to tame.)
- Lump charcoal
- 3 thermometers (Label them if needed like point, flat, ozone.)
Instructions
Anticipate
- 24 hour ahead take brisket out of vac pack and run cold water over to clean crap off.
- Trim all fat on exterior to 1/4 inch thick.
- Cut brisket in half short ways to get your point and flat divorced.
- Pat dry and place on pan or something the can hold it.
- Sprinkle, pour or shake Dawgs Bark all over the briskets.
- Rub the Dawgs Bark in meat and as even as possible.
- Cover brisket tight and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Less to 6 hours will work too I just strive for 24.
Process
- Set brisket on counter.
- Get your pit to 245 degrees in the ozone gauging by your thermometer hanging in pit offset from coals.
- Start the pit with charcoal and wood. Since we are smoking in a small pit ozone what I call the green (condensed) smoke can't mix with the air as quick to thin it out. Putting the brisket on too early in the green smoke will "tar" the brisket. So don't throw the brisket on condensed smoke, wait at least 45 minutes for it to thin out. Even when you don't see smoke it's there, your smoke ring will be fine.
- During the smoking process you'll need to get more heat at one point. At about 2-ish hours your brisket will stop taking in smoke. Before 2 hours add the smallest piece of wood you have to prevent the green smoke and after 2 hours lump coal is fine to keep the target temp in check. Go easy on this it's like salt, too much and you shit bombed the dish. Not enough heat then add another lump. This step will vary almost every time but an important part is battling your ADD.
- Now we got the pit to 245 place your briskets as far away from heat as possible. Don't allow fat drips on red hot coal during the burn.
- Stick a thermometer in each piece of brisket half way in. My thermometers have a leads to their display I can read without opening the pit and I highly recommend you collect a couple. I've seen them around for 5 bucks and pricey ones that port to one display via bluetooth. Depends on what makes you look good but outcomes are the same.
- Our only job is to keep the ozone at 245 degrees while monitoring the meats internal temp. We are looking at 12 to 18 hours.
- Internal meat temperature of one of the pieces (likely the flat) at 195 degrees yet? Great pull it and get in house.
- you: done? me: nope
- Place the 195 piece of brisket (prolly the flat) on a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil and wrap it up tight. Wrap a 2nd time and place in cooler. Not a refrigerator just a no ice, ice chest. On the counter in an off oven is fine too.
- Rest your smoked brisket for a minimum 4 hours and I go 6. If your home is cold placing brisket to rest in a cooler lets the meat chill out slower which is better.
- Wait for the point to finish to 195 degrees and do the same thing in last on lines 10 and 11.
- I plan out smoking sessions like: Start smoking at 3am it finishes at 9pm. Start resting til 3am then fridge it. OR Start smoking at 5pm it finishes at 11am. Start resting til 5pm and eat it!
- While the brisket/s are resting you can hump out some side dishes.
- Fiddle with this if ya want just never pop 201 internal meat temp and the resting I would argue is the most important step.
- It's not hard but patients and having a good relationship with your pit helps a lot.
➕ Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Back to The Briskets of Love
Amount Per Serving (355 g)
Calories 1326
Calories from Fat 657
% Daily Value*
Fat 73g112%
Saturated Fat 24g150%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 5g
Cholesterol 557mg186%
Sodium 1256mg55%
Potassium 2831mg81%
Carbohydrates 1g0%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 183g366%
Vitamin A 50IU1%
Vitamin C 1.2mg1%
Calcium 46mg5%
Iron 16.4mg91%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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If you don’t have any Texas Butter I guess we’ll overlook it if you use what’s in your pantry. Be sure to ask how something turned out or you have questions. Expect grammar errors, these are not checked much other than what my browser flags. Well, in general I can’t spell worth a crap. Thanks – Shawn
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