Full disclosure, I grew up enjoying pork ribs and shoulder, not much brisket. As such, I have never attempted smoking brisket before and generally make pork ribs, shoulder, chicken, steak, burgers, etc. And I have never had *good brisket. That said, I bought this 2.5lb brisket(??) at Aldi for $15 pre seasoned with salt and pepper (I think). And figured, worst case, I'll chop it up and make sandwiches. I went to San Diego Grill Pros recently and picked up some Sharpe red oak wood chunks that I planned on using for some tri-tips, and decided to try them with this piece of beef. Smoked for 2 hours on my 26" kettle with Jealous Devil briquettes and a couple red oak chunks. Wrapped in foil and back on the 26 with a single pad of McDonald's butter I found in the fridge for another hour. It was temping 208-210ish. Rested in the foil in the oven for 3 hours before slicing. I fully expected something dry and tough. And yes, it's not the most tender thing ..but there is some moisture….and it tastes pretty good. So I don't feel like it was time or money wasted.
by choujay0
3 Comments
So having access to some decent Texas BBQ joints, I will say visually this looks decent and would be a pleasing cut to most anyone in TX. If this were served to me, unless it was super tough, I would be a happy “customer!”
I’ve been around people who pay way more for way worse
It’s an art
Looks pretty good to me. I’d roll in the hay with that.
The pre seasoned in a bag did you no favors; also, such a small brisket and very little fat to render down and keep the meat moist.
Next time, find a packer, work on a great trick, season yourself (simple 60% fresh cracked Malabar black pepper and 40% kosher salt is all you need), and smoke…you’ll get better results than that tiny, pre seasoned brisket.
Not a bad first cook for what you had to work with, keep cooking, it’s a labor of love.