A good brisket doesn’t just happen. This piece of meat is known for being hard to get just right. I’ve been grilling and smoking other meat: steak, chicken, ribs, and chops, just working my way up to a brisket. For my first effort a couple weeks ago, I only got a portion; about a 3 pound flat. I cooked it low and slow with smoke. I did some things well, but didn’t get it completely right. The flavor was good, but the meat was almost dry and tough. Today was a good day for another shot at it since we were going to be here all day. I took a more ambitions step and bought a whole brisket. This one includes both the flat and the point and weighs 7 ½ pounds altogether. I trimmed it, got it on by 8am, smoked it, wrapped it, and finished it. We ate at 5:30. It came out like it should, looking more like a meteorite than a meal, but not burnt.
Slow-cooking, it never gets hot enough to burn. That dark outer layer is the “bark”, a combination of smoke and rub.
This one was pretty good, but we’re still not quite there. Got to be lower and slower so it will be even more tender. I might have to wait for warmer weather, set the alarm, and start it cooking in the dark.
Slow-cooking, it never gets hot enough to burn. That dark outer layer is the “bark”, a combination of smoke and rub. This one was pretty good, but we’re still not quite there. Got to be lower and slower so it will be even more tender. I might have to wait for warmer weather, set the alarm, and start it cooking in the dark.