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Smoking Food Thread

So you smoke it in the pan the entire time, and what do you use for the mop? Apple juice? I really am a noob with brisket.
 
So I recently made some mods to my grill and tried a smoke on it a few weeks ago. I did chicken legs and they turned out pretty good...

As for the technical details, I have a barrel style grill/smoker and opted out of the side smoker box. The grill has two cast iron grates and an adjustable charcoal grate. What I decided to do was wrap one of the grates in tin foil and put all the charcoal and wood chips underneath that grate.

The idea being the foil would serve as a baffle and direct both the heat and smoke over to the other half of the grill to flow up through the meat on its way towards the chimney.

My first smoke with this set up was pretty good. I haven't tried anything else this way, but it went well enough that I'm going to continue with this method.

I've also been experimenting with wrapping in foil to speed up finish time recently - mixed success so far here.
 
TSY I am planning another brisket smoke this weekend. Didn't know that HT had brisket on sale but it will only be a flat or point. I've never seen a full packer cut up there, and if you are cooking for a small crowd that shouldn't be a problem. But small briskets don't cook as effeciently as half or full size and every flat i've ever smoked tends to dry out.

I've had decent luck finding half and full briskets at Wally World for less than $2/lb. Very easy to trim, and I really think you get the most bang for your buck with brisket leftovers vs. pork.

My go-to commercial brisket rub is from The Salt Lick in Austin, TX. Basically I don't think you can go wrong with a combo of salt, pepper, cayenne, chili powder, cumin, white pepper, and garlic. Obviously no sugar. And apply that rub liberally!

I would recommend only using the Texas Crutch (foil pan, aluminum foil) if you are pressed for time. The last 9# brisket we smoked took about 10-12 hours and that may have been one too many. Brisket is not as finicky as pork when it hits the 'plateau'. As long as you have a constant heat source you should be fine over wood alone. After the cook, I let it rest in a pan and collected enough juices to make a quick sauce.
 
I'll have plenty of time, and its just for me and wife. I'll probably get it going while I'm out working in the yard. I feel dirty bringing foil anywhere close to my smoker, and I've seen people suggest getting some cheap bacon for the top to add some fat if the cut is very lean. I'm going to swing by today to see what the selection looks like.

Do you guys brine the brisket the night before, or just rub it and smoke it?
 
I have not brined in the past. Here is a brisket rub my pops swears by. Big part of it is to get the rub on it a day or two early:

½ Cup Salt
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup White Sugar
1/3 Cup Chile Powder
¼ Cup Paprika
6 Tbsp Pepper
3 Tbsp Onion Powder
3 Tbsp Garlic Powder
3 Tbsp Ground Cumin
1 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper
 
Again, I always go back to the oracle APL. I have made several whole briskets using a modified version of his recipe and they have turned out great. Whole brisket is the way to go, the extra fat really gets it there. The last one I smoked was around 13 lbs.

Instead of his homemade rub I use Myron Maple's Jack's Old South, but I do coat with beef paste like he suggests. You smoke it for 6-7 hours then wrap it in the standard honey/butter mixture and put it back on for about another 2-3.

The real secret to his recipe that puts it over the top is that you reserve the liquified fat that melts off during the wrapped cook, add it to your bbq sauce, coat the brisket with it for a finishing glaze and also toss it in a light coat of the fatsauce after slicing. So cash.

http://www.adamperrylang.com/recipes/get-a-book-whole-beef-brisket
 
I'll have plenty of time, and its just for me and wife. I'll probably get it going while I'm out working in the yard. I feel dirty bringing foil anywhere close to my smoker, and I've seen people suggest getting some cheap bacon for the top to add some fat if the cut is very lean. I'm going to swing by today to see what the selection looks like.

Do you guys brine the brisket the night before, or just rub it and smoke it?

I've never heard of brining a brisket, but who knows. I've seen them injected, but would only invest that much work into it if I was being judged. Rub a few hours ahead of time works well for me.

I ran by HT this afternoon and was pretty disappointed. Basically a portion of the brisket still left in the cryovac, then wrapped and plated to sell. Go big on the brisket....trust me.

My advice on a brisket: keep it simple. Don't get too fancy with 300 steps and layers. As I know you know, good BBQ should be able to stand alone. A sauce and/or glaze only compliments the dish....it should not make the meat.
 
I'll have plenty of time, and its just for me and wife. I'll probably get it going while I'm out working in the yard. I feel dirty bringing foil anywhere close to my smoker, and I've seen people suggest getting some cheap bacon for the top to add some fat if the cut is very lean. I'm going to swing by today to see what the selection looks like.

Do you guys brine the brisket the night before, or just rub it and smoke it?

TSY

I respect your desire to avoid the foil. That said, I have smoked 2-3 flats, low and slow with no foil, and all were dry and not very good. I have a buddy that uses a high heat method that basically consists of cooking at 325 to 375 degrees to an internal meat temp of 170 degrees. Foil and cook another 2-2.5 hours until fork tender. It is pretty darn good brisket.

Full discussion of the methodology is available on the virtual weber bullet website if you want to read more.

Good Luck!!
 
I'll have plenty of time, and its just for me and wife. I'll probably get it going while I'm out working in the yard. I feel dirty bringing foil anywhere close to my smoker, and I've seen people suggest getting some cheap bacon for the top to add some fat if the cut is very lean. I'm going to swing by today to see what the selection looks like.

Do you guys brine the brisket the night before, or just rub it and smoke it?

You are missing out on some bold, braising flavors my friend.
 
What's a good benchmark as far as pounds of food per person for a pork butt?
 
1/4 Lb of pulled pork per sandwich, usually 2-3 per person. That weight is post cooked, so take into account you'll lose ~20% of your initial weight during the cook.
 
I've got 13 pounds, so I'm probably looking at 10 pounds at the end of the day? That would be enough for 40 sandwiches? so roughly 20 people worth?
 
Should be. For my group of 60 at the tailgate, two shoulders suffice with plenty left over. My estimate was for them eating purely meat. If you have sides, people won't eat as much on average.
 
I only have applewood and mesquite right now. Weird. I'll dry rub it good, then smoke the shit out of. About how long should it smoke for?
 
Can I use just wood chips or do I need to be using big pieces of wood?
 
The bigger the wood, the longer it'll take to flame out.

Cook it to an internal temperature of 190 degrees, usually for me it's 4-6 hours.
 
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