Losing my brisket virginity

[Bert2368]

I went to a grocery store very hungry, which often leads to... interesting? choices. This time, it resulted in a huge chunk of cow meat following me home.

16.5 pounds of brisket, needing some cooking love ASAP. What have I done?!

I THINK I want to do this as sous vide followed by a few hours in the charcoal fired water smoker. Because, dry beef BBQ is vile and I've not got the time to closely monitor a real BBQ pit overnight.

From the internets:

I find that I should probably leave that huge fat cap where God and the cows dietary choices put it.

I should separate the thinner end, and will have to bisect the thick end to get it into my bags.

Texans just put coarse ground black pepper and salt on these for a rub?!

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Questions, after my analysis of several recipes:

I'm targeting 36 hours in the water bath at 135° F, followed by 2 -3 hours in the cheap-O Walmart water smoker. Does that sound reasonable?

Really, couldn't we up the flavor of that traditional rub just a bit here? What do YOU all like???

And sauce. I've got some experience with pork and chicken BBQ sauces, but what has worked with beef for YOU? Texas seems to favor a mustard based BBQ sauce- I have not made this family of BBQ sauces before.

All recipe suggestions welcome-

 

[M1k3]

For simple and flavorful, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder and a dash of smoked paprika (just a faint back note, it's going in a smoker also!).

 

[Desert Rat]

Mustard based sauce is a Carolina thing and I think goes best on pork.
I can't be much help on water baths and do my briskets low and slow. I inject. My uncle makes a good brisket and he goes with a fast method on the BBQ. Much like Harry Soo does here only he brine's first, Harry does a Texas cheat with wrapping towards the end. A good demonstration of how to trim also.

 

[rickbern]

Bert, best brisket I ever had I made at home in a pressure cooker. And I’m a New York Jew!

http://www.bestpressurecooker.reviews/pressure-cooker-brisket-recipe/

Trying to do 16.5 lbs in one go might not be great first time out.

 

[DamageInc]

I've done the chefsteps sous vide brisket recipe before and it's really good, just massively cut down on the salt in the rub.

 

[AT5760]

For brisket, I stick with salt/pepper rub. chicken and pork get more interesting rubs. I have no sous vide experience, so I can't comment on how well that works. But, I do wonder how well cooked meat will pick up smoke. I use a water smoker and get good results with brisket. You won't get a pretty smoke ring though. My advice is to smoke first, the wrap the brisket tightly in foil and "bake" at 200 degrees until you are ready to serve.

 

[stringer]

I have also never tried sous vide. However, I do smoke/roast it often (I have six in the oven right now for tomorrow's staff meal). To me the most important factor in making it tender is making certain that the internal temperature reaches at least 190 degrees.

 

[Bert2368]

Many ways to BBQ a brisket, apparently-

At least no one is FIGHTING about it (yet!).

Keep 'em coming!

 

[Bensbites]

I am a hard core kamado (ceramics outdoor oven) user. I love SV for lean proteins, and will follow along.

I would rub it with your favorite rub, put in your bbq 225-275 F. Assume 12-20 hrs for something that large. You can always wrap the meat once the bark is set, you will not be able to scrape it off with your finger nail. I would start probing for tenderness at 195 F internal temp, but expect it to be done between 200-205 F. Maybe higher.

I trim off exterior fat in preference to bark formation. Fat melting is a fake myth, you need collagen to break down, that is the magic of BBQ.

If you want to SV it check out darrin’s SV/BBQ channel fire &water.

 

[Bert2368]

Herself has had a "Kamado Joe" cooker these last 4 years or so. I have BBQ'd many a turkey in it, lots of space, pretty good temperature control capability. We have even crisped up Peking ducks on a rack which holds them verticle to allow the grease to run off, just enough room under the lid to do a pair of the big white Pekin ducks we raised 3 years back...

 

[MontezumaBoy]

SV brisket ... never done it so the only help would be to check out Chefsteps w/ caveat about salt quantity from DamageInc above ...

I have done a dozen or so full briskets in the last few years and most (all?) per Mr. Franklin guidance on BGE ...

https://video.klru.tv/video/bbq-franklin-episode-1-brisket/

Worth a review IMO but there is certainly a lot of info out there so Best 'O Luck ... pic's or it didn't happen ...

 

[WildBoar]

No one here is asking the important question: You fricking went to the store hungry and bought something that will take you at least 12 hours to cook?!?!?! Please, please, please show the 5 bags of chips and Doritos you bought to tide yourself over.

 

[MontezumaBoy]

No one here is asking the important question: You fricking went to the store hungry and bought something that will take you at least 12 hours to cook?!?!?! Please, please, please show the 5 bags of chips and Doritos you bought to tide yourself over.

Since he is doing a SV for 36 hours then actually finish it ... more like 50 bags ... ;-)

 

[Bensbites]

Herself has had a "Kamado Joe" cooker these last 4 years or so. I have BBQ'd many a turkey in it, lots of space, pretty good temperature control capability. We have even crisped up Peking ducks on a rack which holds them verticle to allow the grease to run off, just enough room under the lid to do a pair of the big white Pekin ducks we raised 3 years back...

Ok, then watch my buddy john Setzler on the KJ cooking channel. He has done a few briskets; also check out his Man Cave Meals YT channel.

 

[Bert2368]

No one here is asking the important question: You fricking went to the store hungry and bought something that will take you at least 12 hours to cook?!?!?! Please, please, please show the 5 bags of chips and Doritos you bought to tide yourself over.

Hey, I'm on a diet! So all I bought was THREE bags of chips...






And a large pizza.

 

[RonB]

Over on AmazingRibs.com they are having some success with QVQ. That's putting some smoke on the meat first, then sooo veed, then more smoke. I'd dry brine for 48 to 72 hours first, then use pepper as the rub. You could add garlic and onion powder if you want. And I think putting a sauce on brisket is a hangin' offence in Texas...

 

[Bert2368]

The smoke/sear - sous vide - more smoking progression is what I had arrived at for "low effort" pork ribs, beef and venison roasts. Nice to see others have come to a similar process-

I guess I'd better not bring my BBQ to Texas... Sauce can be a good thing.

 

[rickbern]

Since he is doing a SV for 36 hours then actually finish it ... more like 50 bags ... ;-)

My pressure cooker recipe is a helluva lot faster than that. I could be in the store shopping at four, do dinner at eight.

 

[Bert2368]

My pressure cooker recipe is a helluva lot faster than that. I could be in the store shopping at four, do dinner at eight.

TOO MANY PATHS!

I do have a pressure cooker, got it for canning stuff where a water bath was not sufficient (meats, other low acid foods).

The "mediteranean brisket" recipe linked sounds good, but I'm aiming at a smoky brisket meat for this first attempt. Maybe I will try this next winter, I don't have AC in my kitchen here. Sous vide set up out in the loading dock followed by an outdoors BBQ smoker keeps my kitchen cool!

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F*** practice, I'm going to do this live! Opening the cryo bag and starting NOW.

Black pepper, salt, celery seed, dehydrated onion and garlic plus some smoked paprika and a bit of thyme are the rub I've compounded.

I'm going to add a venison neck roast I found in the bottom of the freezer to the bath too, and use the same rub. Because, MEAT. It's what's for dinner...

 

[Bert2368]

pic's or it didn't happen ...

OK.

There are now the 3 bags of brisket + a bag with a venison neck roast also done with the same beef rub AND a 7 lb. (before trimming) boneless pork butt roast with pork rub sitting in the water bath. Somewheres North of 20 lb. of various meats altogether.

Anything worth doing is worth OVER doing.

 

[Bert2368]

For the record-

Beef dry rub:

28g coarse fresh ground black pepper

28g coarse Kosher salt

3g celery seed

3g granulated dehydrated garlic powder

5g granulated dehydrated onion powder

7g paprika

1g dry thyme leaves

These were very briefly milled in a small electric coffee grinder. This batch was barely enough for the approx. 14 lb. trimmed weight brisket, I had to make more for the venison roast.

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Pork dry rub, modification of this online recipe (cut the salt down to 1/4!)

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/09/sous-vide-pork-ribs-recipe-food-lab.html

1/3 C paprika

1/3 C dark brown sugar

1 T coarse kosher salt

2 T whole yellow mustard seed (ground up during blending)

1 tsp. fresh ground coarse black pepper

2 T granulated dehydrated garlic powder

1 T dry oregano

1 tsp red pepper flakes

First the whole mustard seed was ground in the electric coffee grinder, then the rest of ingredients were added and briefly ground to mix.

This is the second time I have made this recipe, now minus 3/4 of the original recipe salt. It is sufficient to coat an 8 lb. side of pork ribs, plus 3 T reserved for use in the BBQ sauce.

 

[MontezumaBoy]

Cool ... starting to get hungry ...

 

[thebradleycrew]

OK question for folks here: can one use a slow cooker to get the same effect with a brisket, with a quick finish in a broiler or hot grill? I've been wondering about doing a brisket in a slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours. Anyone?

 

[Bert2368]

OK question for folks here: can one use a slow cooker to get the same effect with a brisket, with a quick finish in a broiler or hot grill? I've been wondering about doing a brisket in a slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours. Anyone?

This sounds like what you're after-

https://www.recipetineats.com/slow-cooker-beef-brisket-with-bbq-sauce/#wprm-recipe-container-22244

I have not tried it, let us know if you do?

 

[thebradleycrew]

Heck yes. I'm in! Thanks for the recipe, Bert. I'll pick up some meat this weekend, make it Sunday and report back next week.

 

[Bensbites]

OK question for folks here: can one use a slow cooker to get the same effect with a brisket, with a quick finish in a broiler or hot grill? I've been wondering about doing a brisket in a slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours. Anyone?

Yes and no. A slow cooker will give you a braise, liquid - meat contact. This will cook faster than a smoker -air to meat contact and evaporate cooling/bark formation. You can still make a darn good brisket in a braise, but it will be different.

Some people add dry rub before the high heat sear to mimic bark formation. Check out some YouTube videos on sous vide/sear for cuts of meat containing lots of collagen. There should be plenty on briskets.

 

[thebradleycrew]

Thanks, Ben. Sounds like I need a Kamodo Joe. Hmmmm.....maybe instead of the next gyuto.

 

[Bensbites]

Thanks, Ben. Sounds like I need a Kamodo Joe. Hmmmm.....maybe instead of the next gyuto.

Aaahhh one of my other hobbies. I admin way too many cooking groups.

 

[Bert2368]

Thanks, Ben. Sounds like I need a Kamodo Joe. Hmmmm.....maybe instead of the next gyuto.

If you want to get into this type of grill for a lot less, we have had decent results with a less "famous name":

This one was $150 at Menards, end of season sale for a floor model, already assembled, no box but all the parts were there. Heck of a deal.

List price at a big box store is around $350 now. And there is someone in South Carolina who sells on ebay- A new grill for $225 IF YOU CAN PICK IT UP. He won't ship.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Char-G...711194&hash=item4d98494c87:g:5QkAAOSwGB9c2iUZ

 

[Bert2368]

The meat came out of the water bath and went into a cooler full of ice water this afternoon. A bit pressed for time, so only out the pork butt into the smoker after nightfall today, with an additional layer of rub...

Some of the beef and the venison probably will get smoked Sunday, got shows to do Friday & Saturday.