Comments on: Adventures in BBQ: Brisket

By: gsquaredb

gsquaredb — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 19:44:51 +0000

I cooked it for about 1 and 1/2 hours/pound at 215. I dont recall the temp I took it out at but it was below 200. I had to scrape off the rub to make it edible. The meat was very chewy especially at the ends. Next day - warming it up on the blech on shabbos didnt help. Its a shame because 1st cut cost about $12/lb and Dekel is about half that. Do you think you can use dekel? You would think that since it has so much more grizzle and fat it would work. I dont want to have to buy 10lb($120)of meat.
Worst case - In the BBQ FAQ site it mentions that you can chop it into very small peices and drown it bbq sauce. Seems to defeat the purpose though.

By: sweinberger

sweinberger — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 16:47:25 +0000

It took me a few tries to make great brisket, too. Can you give me more info on your process? How long did you cook it for? At what temperature? What was the temperature of the meat when you took it out? Most of all, what does “it was a bust” mean?

By: gsquaredb

gsquaredb — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 16:37:34 +0000

In general I would say it was a bust but there was definately potential.

The mistakes I made were:
1) I dont think I cooked the meat long enough.
2) Deckel is very chewy and cooking it longer might have helped
3) I used the recipe you used in Smoke and Spice but should have used the other brisket recipe which is more suitable for electric smokers.
4)I used way to much dry rub.

By: sweinberger

sweinberger — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 16:28:40 +0000

a) Sometimes I leave out some of the salt, but I’ve found that smoke cancels out salt to some degree. It ’s simply a matter of taste.
b) I’ve read that the deckle (aka point-cut/second-cut) takes just as long as the flat (aka first-cut) since it is thicker. I use the same timing, no matter which cut of the brisket I’m using. The common wisdom says 1 1/2 to 2 hours per pound, at anywhere from 180°F to 250°F.
c) Yes, sometimes it turns to charcoal. this is normal.

I find The BBQ Faq to be a useful resource, even though none of the posts deal with Kosher meat. Good luck, and let us know how it turned out. Don’t forget that a brisket is done at about 210°F

By: gsquaredb

gsquaredb — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 17:34:45 +0000

i just bought the smokintex and want use it for the 1st time. I bought a dekel brisket of about 4lbs.
a couple of questions if you dont mind.
Since the meat has been salted did you adjust your rub to account for this?
How long do you think it should go in for since it has more fat than 1st cut?
I seasoned the smokintex last night and when i opened the wood box I found the wood hadnt burnt to ash but rather turned to charcoal. Is this your experience.
thanks

By: The Survival Gourmet

The Survival Gourmet — Fri, 21 Oct 2005 10:17:51 +0000

A few tips:

1. Use a hardwood chunks to smoke your meat, even if you use electric.

2. Cook brisket fat side down. The protects the brisket from any direct heat and provides a more even cook.

3. Wrap a brisket o pork butt in foik when the temp reaches about 160. At that point, the meat won’t take anymore smoke and the foil will help get the meat past the sticking point in temps.

I learned most of what I know about BBQ at http://www.bbq-brethren.com . The guys there are awesome and they are always willing to share tips.

By: sweinberger

sweinberger — Mon, 11 Jul 2005 11:43:14 +0000

True, the Jamisons don’t mention this smoker. I do have one of the smokers they do discuss - the horizontal barrel smoker. The problem with that smoker (at least for me), is the amount of time you need to spend tending the fire. Maybe I’m not doing it right, but I the last time I used it, I had to check the heat level, adjust the valves and light more wood every hour or so. It probably had something to do with my general lack of patience. The smokintex works with no additional time spent, after loading it and turning it on. If you have the time (and desire) to tend a fire, then the smokintex may not be for you.

One difference between the smokintex results and the traditional smoker’s results is that smokintex results don’t dry out on the surface like traditional smokers do. You won’t get as good a crust on the outside of your meat as with the others.

I do reccomend the smokintex to people - but it has to meet your needs.

By: Ggb

Ggb — Mon, 11 Jul 2005 11:12:20 +0000

Based on this post I purchased smoke & spice withg a view to do my own BBQ. The authors recommend many different smokers but don’t mention the smokintex. I know this was a gift but would you recommend this for BBQ?

By: Jon

Jon — Tue, 05 Jul 2005 12:38:37 +0000

I don’t use briquets and always seem to turn up with a decent smoke ring. I’m using a propane flame and a combination of mesquite, hickory and wood I find on the ground. Maybe more charcoal is needed with the lectric smoker. Actually, who cares? It looks yummy and hopefully had more than enough smoke flavor. BTW, I’ve really enjoyed throwing a few baking potatos into the smoker for baked or potato salad. Ah, kosher BBQ!

By: sweinberger

sweinberger — Tue, 05 Jul 2005 12:08:47 +0000

As I mentioned in the article - I didn’t get the smoke ring I was hoping for. I’m not sure why. I used a few pieces of hardwood charcoal - maybe I needed briquets?