In the world of barbecue, moist, tender brisket is KING! Everyone wants to make it and everyone wants to eat it. It is the cut of meat that people either love or hate. They love it because a perfectly prepared brisket is AMAZING! Nothing beats succulent brisket. They hate it because they have only experienced dry, over cooked or tough and chewy, undercooked brisket. However, to make delicious brisket you must follow several basic principles to achieve fantastic results. All you need is salt and pepper for your rub and a full proof cooking technique. Follow this recipe and you will find a brisket that is King of Kings and Lord of Lords at the end of your half day long meat loving sacrifice.
Ingredients
1 Whole Packer Brisket 16 to 18 Lbs.
1/3 cup Kosher Salt
1/3 cup Coarse Ground Black Pepper
Spritz Spray
Water or Apple Cider Vinegar
Directions
Total time 10 to 15 hours
-Remove the brisket from its packaging. The brisket will be very wet and moist from the juice in the package.
-Remove all of the liquid from the surface of the brisket by using a paper towel to soak up the liquid.
-Once the juice is removed, trim the brisket to remove excess fat and shape the brisket for the best cooking aerodynamics. There are many "how to trim a brisket" videos on the internet. I recommend Aaron Franklin's brisket trimming technique. You can find his videos on YouTube.
-Once the brisket is trimmed, mix the salt and pepper together in a seasoning dispenser.
-Coat the brisket on all sides with a heavy, even coat of the salt/pepper mix. Brisket is a large cut of meat and can handle a healthy amount of seasoning. Don't be shy with the rub.
-Pat the seasoning into the brisket to adhere. Do not rub! -Let the brisket rest for 10 minutes.
-While the brisket is resting, preheat your pellet grill to 225 degrees. If your grill has an extra smoke feature use it. We like to use oak or a blend of oak, hickory and maple pellets for this cook.
-When the grill reaches temperature, place the brisket on the grill fat side down. Placing the brisket with the fat side down protects the meat from the heat and will produce a juicier flat portion of the brisket.
-Smoke the brisket for 6 to 7 hours.
-After the first two hours of cooking, begin to spritz the brisket with water or apple cider vinegar every 45 minutes. Spritzing the brisket will help produce a bark that is flavorful and not dry.
-After smoking for 6 to 7 hours, remove the brisket from the grill and wrap it in butcher paper or foil.
-Increase the grill temperature to 250 degrees.
-Once the brisket is wrapped, place back on the grill for another 3 to 4 hours.
-Check the brisket with a meat temperature probe by inserting the probe through the butcher paper, or foil, into the point portion of the brisket. The probe should feel as if you are pushing it into a jar of peanut butter when done. If you feel too much resistance continue to cook on the grill.
-When the probe enters easily with little resistance, remove the wrapped brisket from the smoker and place on a cookie sheet.
-Wrap the brisket in a large towel or blanket and let the brisket rest for at least 1 hour before serving. You can also place the brisket in a small cooler and let it rest for up to 4 hours.
-Cut the flat portion against the grain in pencil width sizes.
- When you get about 1/2 across the brisket, cut the brisket in half perpendicular to the cuts you made slicing the flat portion.
-Slice the point portion of the brisket in this perpendicular direction.
-There will be a large portion of fat in the middle of these slices from the point. You can serve the slices as is or remove this fat for serving.
-If you would like chopped brisket you can combine flat portion slices and point portion slices together and chop into small bits. Chopped brisket is great for sandwiches and salads.
The Shiggin'
Smoking a devine brisket has been a long sought after achievement of every amateur barbecuer since the pellet grill was invented. It is a finicky piece of meat and can easily be ruined if you stick to a strict cooking schedule. The brisket will let you know when it is done by the way it feels not by temperature or time. Utilize a meat thermometer probe to check the doneness of the brisket by comparing the resistance to the resistance of peanut butter. Do this and you will have perfect brisket every time.
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