Smoking Brisket

[deplorablenc1]

So tomorrow will be my first attempt on smoking a brisket! (I have 6 pounds of snow crab legs as back up if it fails). They are very small at 3 lbs each so I am assuming it isnt going to be very long time in the smoker.

Question: should I smoke at a lower temp for a longer period just to give them smoker time? Or stick with the 225 deg until they are 190 internal?

Wish me luck! I may or may not be drinking Stone IPA the entire smoking process and think it is good either way…

[Joe Hell]

@deplorablenc1 When I do brisket I go with 225 for the entire duration. I’m not sure I could drink stone IPA for that many hours though! Good luck with the cook! I’m considering throwing my St. Patrick’s Day corned beef on the smoker this weekend. I’ll pair that with Irish whiskey

[lamurscrappy]

@deplorablenc1 225 is perfect. Set it and forget it! I generally take mine to 195 but your right in that magic number. Just let it rest for at least 1/2 hour in a cooler or similar with a towel over it. I love using applewood to smoke it with to satisfy people around here but my prefered is hickory wood. Let us know how it turns out! I would plan on maybe 6-8 hrs to cook. Might stall around 150 to 160 especially if you injected them.

[deplorablenc1]

@lamurscrappy thanks for those tips. I do plan on using apple so hopefully that will be good. I will keep y’all updated and hopefully will have happy friends over tomorrow .

[deplorablenc1]

@Joe-Hell that’s what I figured, 225 it is! I hate IPA but a friend is coming over so I bought a few 12 packs of it (and a case of keystone light just in case)…

[Joe Hell]

@deplorablenc1 You are one hell of a friend to buy several 12-packs of IPA and provide dinner! Although I don’t drink beer these days I like everything from Keystone to Guinness. Every beer has its place!

[lamurscrappy]

I generally like to cook full packer briskets not just the flats. But if you cut the fat off, toss the fat in the smoker too! Its a delicious little snack or if its too much for people toss it in a stew!

[Jonathon]

Has anyone tried using a sous vide cooker for a portion of the cook on a brisket? I am planning on trying it, I will start in the smoker, go for about 3 hours then pull it and vac seal it and sous vide it at max temp for an hour and then move back to the smoker until it is 195 internal temp. I think I can cut my time down to right around 5 hours.

I’d be interested to know if anyone has tried this already?

[Joe Hell]

@Jonathon I will try that next time for sure…I have nothing to lose but plenty to gain. My pathetically small pastrami took forever to reach 160 before I gave up on it for the night. I’m braising it now in the oven with kraut, cabbage, onions, carrots, garlic and beer to finish the cook.

[lamurscrappy]

@Jonathon im not endorsing anyone but theirs a youtube guy called sou vied anything (i think is his channel) and hes done brisket as you described a bit. If you can smoke brisket for a few hours then increase the RH it would dramatically cut your time.

[mousefuzz]

@Jonathon yes Jonathan I have souis vide my brisket for 48 hours but I started by dry briningfor 24 hrs and also adding my seasoning of garlic powder and onion powder when it is done cooking I drain off the juice and then I cold smoke it for a couple of hours.save the juice as it makes a great dip for sandwiches or put it on mashed potato’s the brisket doesn’t get any bark on it but it is still delicious it doesn’t last very long when my kids find it in the fridge

[Jonathon]

@mousefuzz What do you think the 48 hours did for you? Just continue to break it down? I’d imagine once it hits 195°(or thereabouts) it wouldn’t need to be held there for holding it at that temp for any length of time?

[IVERYAN]

Hi Waltons- I am planning on smoking a brisket this weekend. I will be marinating with Pa Bulls & vacuum sealing for 36 hours. I am wondering if it will be beneficial to injecting if I am already vacuum sealing.

Thanks

[Jonathon]

@IVERYAN Absolutely will have a benefit on a big cut like a brisket. In 36 hours you could expect it to penetrate about 1.5 inches but it won’t be as even as it would be if you inject then vac and let it sit for 36 hours. Now, if you have the Pa’s that is not designed for injecting (there are two) I would recommend just letting it marinate. This one is soluble and this one is for marinading and they have different particle size so you might have trouble injecting the marinade.

Pa’s is my favorite marinade for Brisket, good luck, cant wait to hear how it turns out!

[IVERYAN]

Hi Jonathon- I dont have the soluble, but I might try grinding the marinade for injection in my whirly blade coffee grinder I use for spices. Ive never tried this before so I will see what happens. If everything goes well, I will post some pictures.

Thanks

[Jonathon]

@IVERYAN that should work for injecting, it might not be perfect but it should work well enough. Im sure it will come out well!