How to cook brisket

[MoonshineBen]

Hey all, been a while! Lots has been cooking and busy preparing for competition season in a few weeks.

Wanted to share a video we shot recently about my favourite low and slow cut - brisket.

For many people new to smoking meat, it's one of the more challenging cuts, so hopefully this video will demystify some of it.

We did this as an addition to the 5 Tips for Great Brisket article.

Cheers!

Ben

[Joker]

Great info thanks @MoonshineBen. Would you use the same technique for a beef fillet?

[BIM_Engineer]

"The brisket in Coles is just a section of the flat, but has also been corned a little bit, so I don't use them. If you've got a good butcher you can have a chat with them and they should be able to source it, or there are specialist butchers in most states who stock them (or even Costco if you have one near)"Quote Ben

Hey (BBQ) Ben this is a Wesfarmers (Bunnings, Coles, etc) sponsored site if you want to advertise Costco I suggest you post on their forums. Thanks for understanding the Wesfarmers Stakeholders appreciate it...

[Jason]

@BIM_Engineer, we do not censor discussion on the site. Community members are welcome to discuss products and businesses that are competitors to Bunnings and Wesfarmers when relevant to a discussion. In this case, it was certainly relevant to the discussion and @MoonshineBen's input is valued. 

We simply don't tolerate spam and advertising on the site, as per our Rules of participation. We know from feedback from our members that spam and advertising discourage participation on the site, so are vigilant on that point. 

Feel free to contact me via private message if you ever have any questions or concerns about our Rules of participation.

Thanks,

Jason

[MoonshineBen]

@MartyH sorry I should clarify that it's more a marinade (or possibly an injection), it tastes corned when you cook it out (kind of like corned beef). Possibly to do with shelf life, I'm not sure, or to save people from having to season properly?

Brisket is great for tacos, you can also try beef cheeks for them as well, like a mini brisket. Cook them until they're like butter and shred them. Amazing.

[MoonshineBen]

@Joker not for beef fillet, it's way too lean. The thing with brisket is the marbling which breaks down during cooking, giving it taste and tenderness. With a fillet, I would reverse sear it - season it, smoke / oven cook until the internal temperature is spot on (about 135F for medium rare), then rest for 10 minutes and then sear it in a screaming hot pan.

[AshY]

Love a good brisket convo.

I always do a 12 hour - 6hours in I'll spritz with apple cider vinegar (for 2-3hours on the hour), once i'm happy with the bark, ill then wrap it for 2hours, then unwrap for the remaining hour or two.

Once its off the smoker 100% wrap it in a towel and pop it in an esky for an hour to rest - makes a huge difference.

Best way to season brisket is Salt & Pepper only (Kosher Salt & Corse Pepper Granuals)

Heres a quick vid of one of my smoke ups (not sure if people can view it).

"https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fash.yap.31%2Fvideos..."

[Hirsty]

Do you inject your brisket with beef stock to help keep it moist?

[Jason]

That's a good question @Hirsty. I have seen competition videos that encourage injecting prior to adding a dry rub. I will tag @MoonshineBen and @AshY for you so they see your question about their technique.

Jason

[MoonshineBen]

Hi @Hirsty, I only inject for competition as you want to pack as much into the one or two bites the judges take as you can. At home I’ll just boat it. Wrap foil around the bottom of it and up the sides when it get to about 140f. Then it will retain the juices in the boat and keep it moist. 

[Jason]

@Hirsty,

I've used @MoonshineBen's technique for the last couple of brisket cooks and had a lot of liquid in with the meat when I unwrapped the foil. No chance of the meat drying out and no need for additional stock.

Good luck with your next cook. Do let us know how it goes!  

Jason