Many of us would not have hear of Smoked Brisket, let alone tried one living in Australia. It is simply not found here and for those that want to re-create this American-style favorite, we simply can’t find that cut readily available to buy on a whim. So why would you want to make this?
Smoked brisket is best know in the US and has evolved there, thanks to the many BBQ Joints serving it. Its an inexpensive cut from the forequarter of beef which contains mostly working muscles, meaning that the meat i
s going to be mostly tough if not cooked properly. Hence cooking brisket can be inexpensive as well as delicious when cooked in the low and slow method.
The most difficult part here is to find a butcher that is willing to help you. I approached my local butcher down the street – Aldo’s Meats in Leichhardt and checked out his cool room for a forequarter beef which contains the brisket cut.
I was really after a brisket straight off the forequarter with the “deckle” or rib cap attached – an extra smaller muscle on top of the brisket point end. It is not necessary to have the deckle, but for bigger cuts of beef the deckle does provide some extra fat and flavor that will baste the leaner brisket flat during its cook.
In selecting, I asked my butcher to source me a larger forequarter from a Young Beef – most butchers carry Yearling Beef which will give you a smaller brisket. Best to confirm with your butcher if they can order the bigger sized beef to get a decent sized brisket with deckle attached.
It is also import to make sure your smoker can handle the physical size of your brisket. The one I got from the Young Beef forequarter weighed in at 4.5KG or 10lb which I paid at $9-$10/kg from Aldo. It just fits inside my electric Bradly Smoker rack but you will need to do some of your own trimming when you get this large cut home.
I spend a little time removing some of the fat layer but I leave a layer of fat on top to help keep it moist. On the underside I remove the silver skin and trim it so that it sits squarely on my wire smoking rack. For those using the digital Bradley Smoker units or Hark 2 door gas cabinet smokers, you would probably want to be aware that such a large slab will take up most of your rack – In fact any bigger than 5KG+ will possibly trap the smoke under the brisket and prevent proper air flow as well as creating two heat zones during your cook, until the slab starts to shrink.
This is where a proper offset BBQ like the Hark Tri-Fire or a Yoder Offset is best used. More space for more smoke to flow around means bigger cuts and more mouths you can feed.
The process to prepare your brisket before smoking is very simple. Just heavily blanket your brisket with a packet rub but you can make your own or simply do equal parts course salt and cracked pepper. If you want something quick then the Mad Hunky all purpose rub is one to try. Just simply sprinkle evenly on all sides until all you see is rub. Sounds like over kill but that is just one layer of flavor you will experience when eating the finished product.
You can add the rub and then place it back into the fridge overnight to give the rub a chance to infuse into the surface or you can go straight into the smoker. However make sure you let your brisket rest to get close to room temp before placing into the smoker which should take at least an hour or so.
Get the smoker to the temperature before you start – you are aiming for 115 degrees Celsius (240F) and it does not have to be spot on but keep with in this range. Choosing the smoke wood is also important but also a personal preference – I tend to use PECAN which is part of the Hickory family and not so pungent. Some will prefer Hickory and others like the stronger Mesquite for smoke. You could even mix your wood, say Hickory and Apple – its all up to you.
So in goes your brisket with the smoke smoldering and close your door and leave it alone. Your smoke time should go on between 3- 4 hours and then it continues to cook at that same constant temperature.
Its also a very good idea to stick a digital thermometer probe in the thickest part and at an angle to measure the middle of the brisket. Have the cable come through the door (away from the heat source) and monitor the internal temperature to know when your brisket is ready.
The internal temperature you are aiming for is anywhere between 88 to 95 degrees Celcius (190-203F) which is well beyond well done stage but don’t worry, it won’t burn or taste like charcoal. You should expect a long wait before you see your brisket again so be prepared.
This is the long cook method and can be 12 or even 20 hours depending on your cooking temperature. But if you want to speed the process up you can “Crutch” or foil your brisket when its internal temperature reaches 71-75 degrees C. Foiling basically speeds up the tenderizing of your beef which can cut the cooking time down to half.
Once your brisket reaches its internal cooked temperature of 88-95 degrees Celsius, you then take it out of your smoker and it needs to rest. Resting is best done by placing your dark hunk of seasoned meat into some foil to hold in its juices so it can reabsorb as it begins to relax and cool. I like to further wrap it in a couple of tea towels and then a couple of table cloths which I then place in my home oven (turned off of course) or even an esky. You can let it sit in there for up to 3 hours before you unwrap it and serve.
You can begin slicing it after 30mins but best give it some more time. When you start to slice always remember you must cut against the gain. If you go with the grain then it will have a stringy texture so observe the gain on your slab of meat in the beginning. Make a mental note before you put your rub on so that you will get more tender slices of beef when you get to this stage.
Sometimes you may even want to separate the deckle at the top from the flat on the bottom as they have different grain directions. But if you are like me, you wouldn’t care as once you unwrap and place it on the chopping board – you just want to get straight into enjoying your masterpiece!
This is great as a meal on its own, or thrown in between slices of bread. Great cold the next day and you can see that such a large cut will feed the family for some time.