BRISKET

Brisket may be the most difficult cut of meat to cook.  However, with a little practice your brisket will turn out juicy and tender.  The real difficulty with brisket is that it is very difficult to predetermine the correct amount of time it needs to smoke.  As a general rule, brisket is supposed to cook for about 1 hour and 15 minutes per pound.  However, due to what is known as the "stall," brisket generally ends up taking much longer.  Waygu brisket is very lean and will take 45 minutes to 1 hour to cook per pound.  This is because the meat is very lean and because there is less fat, the stall takes less time to cook.  For prime or choice brisket you can expect about 1 1/2 hour per pound, plus a few hours or more stall time depending on fat content.  If you plan in at least 4 extra hours to account for longer smoke times you will not disappoint your guests by making them wait hours for the brisket to finish.

What is the stall?  The stall is a period of time where the meat stops rising in temperature for hours.  In practice, this means brisket may, and usually will, end up requiring a solid 4-6 hours more time to cook than you expect.  For instance, an 8 pound prime brisket should smoke for roughly 14 hours at 225 degrees.  Therefore, if you want to eat at 6:00 pm, you should start smoking your brisket by 9 pm the night before.  At 14 hours this would mean your brisket should be done by 11 am.  However, in practice what happens is that you start the brisket at 9 pm, and by noon the brisket may be at an internal temperature of 160 degrees.  Novices will panic and stay up all night thinking that at that rate the brisket will be done by 3 am.  What will invariably happen though, the brisket will reach the stall (somewhere between 155 degrees and 175 degrees) and stay at that temperature for 6-10 hours.  Someone who is familiar with the stall will go to bed knowing the brisket will still be at roughly 160 degrees still when they wake up.  Once the brisket exits the stall it will continue rising in temperature at the same rate it rose before the stall. Therefore, you can count on the brisket continuing to cook for 1 1/2 - 3 hours after it exits the stall before it is done.

What happens if it exits the stall in a shorter time?  Have no fear.  Brisket needs to sit for at least a half hour to redistribute the juices before they are cut.  However, a brisket can sit for 4-5 hours in an insulated container while still maintaining their temperature and be no worse for wear.  Simply double wrap the brisket in foil.  Do not cut the brisket until just prior to serving.  Add the wrapped brisket to a small cooler and cover with a towel.  If you need a longer sit, you can cook a brick to 250 in the oven and add to the cooler as well.  The brick will keep the inside of the cooler very warm.  However, this is not usually necessary, the combination of the foil and towel in the cooler will keep the brisket warm for 5-6 hours.

If your brisket finishes more than 5 hours prior to serving, place the brisket in a cooler as described above, then 1 1/2 hours prior to serving add back to the smoker on indirect heat at 185-200 degrees to reheat and firm the bark back up.

The worst thing you can do when cooking brisket is to not give yourself plenty of time.  If you do not plan for a long stall, you may end up having to resort to drastic actions in order to finish your brisket before your guests arrive.  Whatever you do, do not ramp up the temperature.  This will dry the meat out and leave you with a tough brisket.  If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of needing to speed up the smoke, tin foil is your friend.  4-5 hours before you want to eat, double wrap your brisket in tin foil, and add a half cup of beef stock.  The foil and stock will steam the brisket, reducing evaporation, and speed brisket through the stall.  The beef stock will add moisture and make the brisket more tender.  However, this will also moisten the bark.  So, once the brisket starts rising in temperature again, which means the stall is over, remove the brisket from the foil for the remainder of the smoke.  This will firm up the bark again and leave you with a brisket that no one will know you foiled.

Cooking your brisket

The brisket should cook at 225 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour and 45 minute per pound.

Cooking brisket so that it finished at an exact time is impossible.  Your best bet is to try to determine when the brisket will finish and then start 5 hours earlier.  If the brisket finishes early, not to worry.  The brisket can rest in a cooler for 4 -5 hours if double wrapped in foil and then covered with towels.  However, the key to a really bad brisket is to not give yourself enough time and then panic and increase the heat.

Soak a handful of wood chunks (not chips) in water overnight.  I prefer apple wood chunks.

Inject Brisket with a mixture of the following

              1 cup apple juice

              3 tablespoons soy sauce,

              2 tablespoons garlic powder

              1 teaspoon truffle powder

Beef Rib/Brisket Rub Ingredients

              2 tablespoons black pepper

              2 tablespoons kosher salt

              1 tablespoon paprika

              1 tablespoon granulated white sugar

              1 tablespoon onion powder

              2 teaspoons dry mustard powder

              2 tablespoons garlic powder

              1 tablespoon chili powder

              1 teaspoon cayenne powder

                 1 tablespoon cumin

Coat the brisket liberally with yellow mustard so that the rub sticks to the brisket.  Do not worry, you will not taste the mustard as the cooking process cooks off the mustard.

Coat the brisket liberally with rub.

Wrap in foil and place in the refrigerator overnight.

Cook indirect at 225 degrees Fahrenheit.

Check for tenderness when internal temp reaches 202 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pull brisket at 195 degrees if it is going to finish early and you are going to rest it in a cooler.  Add 5-10 degrees to the brisket if you prefer a more tender brisket.

The brisket is done when you can insert a fork and twist the meat easily.

Now you need to separate the tip from the flat (unless you just purchased the flat and then you are done).  The flat is the thin part that runs the length of the meat.  On the thicket part of the brisket, on the top there is another cut of meat that is separated by a layer of fat.  This thicker piece of meat should just pull apart from the flat because the fat has rendered.  Grab this piece of meat, called the tip, with your hands and pull it from the flat.  The tip is what is used for burnt ends, which is the best part of the brisket if done correctly. 

Add rub to the part of the tip that is exposed from the separation from the flat.  Cook the tip for another 2 hours and then cut into 2 inch cubes.  Add barbecue sauce for the last half hour if you like burnt ends with sauce.

Let the tip and the flat sit for at least a half hour before cutting to redistribute the juices.  This is important, if you do not follow this step some of the meat will be dry.

Slice the flat in ¼ - ½ inch slices across the grain.  This will make the brisket more tender.  Some people recommend making a small cut on the tip across the grain prior to cooking.  This is because one the brisket has a bark on it you may find it difficult to recognize the grain. 

I generally prefer brisket without barbecue sauce, however, if you like barbecue sauce, you can try the recipe below.

RIB/BRISKET Barbecue Sauce

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup ketchup

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons hot sauce

1 teaspoon paprika

Combine ingredients and bring to a boil over medium heat, once the mixture is at a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce reaches the desired thickness.