The Ten Commandments of Beef Brisket
A beautiful cut of meat, beef brisket often intimidates people because of its high weight, imposing size and anatomy (it is made up of two muscles that are one on top of the other and connected by fat).
But don't worry, I'm here to reveal all the dos and don'ts so you don't miss your brisket!
Without further ado, here are my ten commandments of brisket!
1- Choose your cooking tool: the smoker, the charcoal BBQ, the gas BBQ, or even the oven
The first step in getting started with cooking beef brisket is choosing the right cooking appliance for this cut of meat. Some smokers are literally not big enough to accommodate it, others are not insulated enough and cost a lot of fuel, and then others do not maintain the temperature, which does not do justice to this tough cut of meat.
Personally, I'm a big fan of wood pellet smokers because they regulate and maintain temperature easily, are generally not very energy intensive, and allow pitmasters to go about their business while their brisket cooks.
Warning! It also seems that you can cook briskets in the oven or in the slow cooker, but you won't find out how to do that on our site! ;)
For those who would like to cook their briskets in a gas BBQ, I really recommend using the Presto BBQ from BBQ Québec . This accessory transforms the BBQ into a smoker and creates a zone of air and humidity between the burners and the piece of meat. This makes cooking extremely easy, especially if two, three, four, five or even more burners are used.
If you have a Kettle type BBQ, like a Master-Touch or a Kettle Premium, it is possible to cook your brisket in it, but I warn you, it will not be the easiest cooking of your life... With the All-in-1 on the other hand, an accessory that transforms your BBQ into a smoker and which is large enough to allow the insertion of an aluminum dish filled with water in the BBQ, it will be much easier because you will have space to separate the fire from the piece of meat.
There are also offset smokers, traditional smokers made of thick steel that are great for this type of cooking, because they usually have plenty of space and are very simple to use. Once you get used to controlling them, cooking becomes a breeze! It goes without saying that this type of BBQ requires more attention and must be handled by its chef with, of course, a bottle of bourbon (or Gatorade!) in hand to keep it hydrated throughout the cooking process.
Lastly, there are also smokers made on the top, such as Kamado style BBQs (Kamado Joe, Primo, Big Green Egg, Kamado Blaze, etc.), Weber Smokey Mountain and other smokers of the same type. In the case of this type of smoker, you should know that the heat coming from their lower part is generally (almost always, guaranteed!) more intense than that of their upper part. You must therefore adapt your cooking and protect your piece of meat by putting the fat side down to obtain a good result (we will talk about this detail later).
2- Select the right piece of meat
Personally, I prefer my briskets when they are as "flat" as possible. Aside from that, when you buy a brisket, I advise you to take the time to also look at its flat to choose one that has one that is as straight as possible. Also, if the muscle fiber of the brisket is "crooked", know that the brisket will twist during cooking; it will probably be just as good, but less sexy! The most important thing in all of this is to look at the marbling, the intramuscular fat, of the brisket, because it is what indicates the quality of the piece of meat and what differentiates a brisket for children from one for men. Of course, do not look at the underside of the brisket, because you can only see fat there. Focus instead on the flat as well as the ends which will be used to make burnt ends.
Speaking of burnt ends, if that's what you're looking to do, I recommend choosing a cut of meat with a large point, as some briskets have very small ones and others have ones that make up more than half their weight.
3- Cut the brisket, separate the two muscles and take care of the trim
When it comes to preparing the brisket, you can simply keep it whole, without touching it and call yourself a purist. You can also embark on a butchery adventure and spend a few minutes or almost an hour on it, depending on your level of experience. In any case, the important thing is to take your time and do the job well.
If you are looking to reduce cooking time, I recommend trimming off as much of the surface fat as possible, while leaving about ¼ inch of fat underneath the meat to protect it during cooking. It is important to trim off the surface fat, because otherwise it will melt and carry the spices you put on top of your meat to the bottom of the grill instead of sticking to the brisket.
4- Injecting the brisket: why and with what
When it comes to injecting brisket, we have several choices. Why do it? There are several reasons:
To increase the mass of the piece of meat;
To increase the humidity level in the brisket and BBQ;
To enhance the beef flavor in the piece of meat;
To retain moisture and flavor in the brisket;
To keep the piece of meat warm for longer;
To add a special flavor to the brisket (eg: bourbon flavor).
And what do we inject into our brisket? Well, we can simply inject water, but it would taste more like water than beef and that is not the effect we are looking for… So we must inject it with, at a minimum, beef broth. To that, we can add soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce to taste for a more flavorful result.
If you really want to add flavor to your brisket, I recommend using Butcher BBQ and/or Kosmos Q injection powders, which are ready to mix and inject. Using these powders will amplify the flavor and keep more moisture in the brisket while still paying homage to it.
5- Season the piece of meat like a god
When it comes to seasoning your brisket, I recommend using a pre-rub first, to boost the flavor of the beef, and then spreading your favorite beef rub over the cut of meat. Keep in mind that we're generally looking for a salty/peppery flavor profile, although many people like their brisket on the sweeter side.
Personally, when I want to make a dream brisket, I use BBQ Québec Booster , then BBQ Québec Texas spices and, to taste, I add a little bit of a spicier rub, like Kosmos Q Hot! Cow Cover spices . Honestly, the possibilities are endless when it comes to rubs that can be used to season a brisket! (I could talk about them for a long time… SJB BBQ products, for example, are excellent and Butcher BBQ products win international competitions, so you may have a lot of success in your backyard with products from these brands.) So you will have to cook several to find the mixture that will melt your heart.
6- Know the cooking tips and secrets, how to wrap a brisket and the answer to the famous existential question of the brisket: which side do you cook it on?
If this is your first time making brisket, my first tip is to wrap it. When you do, it is very important that you take the time to place the foil so that the fat does not drip to the bottom of the BBQ and stays with the brisket. Be careful, do not wrap the brisket right away! You should do this as soon as a nice crust has formed; when the brisket has reached an internal temperature of about 160-170 °F.
On this subject, it is possible that during cooking you will encounter a "plateau" ("stall" in English), during which the piece of meat will stop cooking for one, two, or even three hours and its temperature remains stable. If this is the case, you can place a bowl or aluminum dish with water inside in your BBQ, between the heat source and the brisket, to increase the humidity inside the appliance. By doing this, your piece of meat will not dehydrate during cooking and will absorb more smoke.
Otherwise, as for the famous question "Do you cook the brisket with the fat facing up or down?", it really depends on the smoker that is being used. If the heat is coming from underneath the piece of meat, I recommend putting the fat facing down to protect it. On the other hand, if it is an offset or reverse flow style smoker, or even a big fat BBQ where there is plenty of space for the heat to come "from the side" and not from below, the fat should be placed facing up to ensure that it runs down the piece of meat throughout the cooking process. Be careful! The fat will not magically penetrate the rest of the brisket, but it will help to form a nice caramelization on the piece while lubricating it.
7- Prepare the brisket to enjoy it
Once this beautiful piece of meat is cooked, it must be eaten! And since it is a large piece, it will take you several meals to eat it all; you can therefore transform your traditional brisket recipes into quick recipes. For example, you can add pieces of brisket to your shepherd's pie, your tacos, your chili, your burgers, your sandwiches, your pizzas, your salads or even your smoked meat!
8- Have the essential products to make a successful brisket on hand
Personally, the item I consider to be the most important to have with you when making brisket is a good thermometer. There are wired models that you can control remotely, others that you stick in the meat and that give you an instant reading… Definitely, you can use the one that suits you best; there are plenty of choices.
When the brisket is done, the thermometer should penetrate it as if it were soft butter and read about 200-205°F (internal temperature).
Another thing I wouldn't do without? My knives! They save me time and allow me to work safely. Indeed, a well-sharpened and quality blade allows me to remove small pieces of fat (and large ones!) easily; it would probably be much more complicated for me to work with lower quality knives. So I recommend the Shun knives from Kai Industries Co. that I always use, otherwise the Kai PRO (from the same company) also do a great job for a lower price.
There are also products that can help the brisket cook, or even save it if it is too dry at the end of cooking! I am thinking here of the Kosmos Q Brisket Mop sauce , the Butcher BBQ Mud sauce, our multiple injections and while we are talking about injection, let's talk about injectors! The BBQ Québec Injecter is a solid choice when it comes to injecting large pieces. I am a big fan of the BBQ Québec competition syringe, which is an automatic filling syringe; the syringe fills as you pump, it is really very hot. That said, if you use this type of syringe, it is very important to:
-
Mix the injection product in boiling water;
Allow the product to cool;
Pass the product through a sieve to remove any solid pieces.
By doing this the springs in the syringe will work easily and allow for a problem-free injection.
Lately, if you were thinking of injecting your brisket without making a little damage, I prefer to warn you, it's not likely to happen! I therefore suggest you protect yourself with the BBQ Québec apron ; it will allow you to stay clean and you can even take advantage of the famous insulated beer pocket integrated into the apron (bottle opener included)! ;)
9- Finish cooking: check the temperature, let it rest and cut
Once the internal temperature of 200-205°F has been reached (I especially recommend that the brisket be kept at an internal temperature above 195-200°F for at least 30 minutes, or even 60 minutes for it to become extremely tender), you need to let the brisket rest. Note that if you have left the meat at an internal temperature of 195-200°F or above for more than an hour, you will not really need to let it rest; it is more of a reinvented kind of rest.
To let the meat rest, some people place it inside their oven, or better yet, their cooler (empty of course) so that it retains maximum heat and humidity. It's very effective! In competition, for example, you can take the brisket off the BBQ around 9 am, place it in the cooler and serve it at 1 pm and it will still be super hot!
Once the brisket has rested, it must be cut against the grain. Personally, I like to separate the two muscles before cutting them. This allows me to easily slice the flat into smoked meat style slices and the point into cubes to make my famous burnt ends. If you are interested, you can try Max's excellent recipe which can be found on our site here.
10- Know the ultimate secrets of brisket: advice from John Lattuca and techniques from Jason Savage and Travis Clark, the two world champions of brisket and BBQ
I have discovered some professional secrets and because I like to share my knowledge with enthusiasts, I am passing them on to you:
Travis Clark puts maple syrup on everything, he says it's a BBQ elixir;
-
John Lattuca gives his meat a top secret massage before cooking it;
Jason Savage taught me that “if you're looking you're not cooking”;
Travis Clark says it all happens in the last ten minutes, not the first ten hours;
John Lattuca confirms that you can make champion pieces even in a Weber Kettle; that's how he won the best brisket in the world;
Jason Savage recommends cooking at the lowest temperature possible for perfect cooking control; his ideal (internal) temperature is 225°F.
With that, you should be very well equipped to succeed with your briskets. Happy BBQing everyone! ;)
A beautiful cut of meat, beef brisket often intimidates people because of its high weight, imposing size and anatomy (it is made up of two muscles that are one on top of the other and connected by fat).
But don't worry, I'm here to reveal all the dos and don'ts so you don't miss your brisket!
Without further ado, here are my ten commandments of brisket!
1- Choose your cooking tool: the smoker, the charcoal BBQ, the gas BBQ, or even the oven
The first step in getting started with cooking beef brisket is choosing the right cooking appliance for this cut of meat. Some smokers are literally not big enough to accommodate it, others are not insulated enough and cost a lot of fuel, and then others do not maintain the temperature, which does not do justice to this tough cut of meat.
Personally, I'm a big fan of wood pellet smokers because they regulate and maintain temperature easily, are generally not very energy intensive, and allow pitmasters to go about their business while their brisket cooks.
Warning! It also seems that you can cook briskets in the oven or in the slow cooker, but you won't find out how to do that on our site! ;)
For those who would like to cook their briskets in a gas BBQ, I really recommend using the Presto BBQ from BBQ Québec . This accessory transforms the BBQ into a smoker and creates a zone of air and humidity between the burners and the piece of meat. This makes cooking extremely easy, especially if two, three, four, five or even more burners are used.
If you have a Kettle type BBQ, like a Master-Touch or a Kettle Premium, it is possible to cook your brisket in it, but I warn you, it will not be the easiest cooking of your life... With the All-in-1 on the other hand, an accessory that transforms your BBQ into a smoker and which is large enough to allow the insertion of an aluminum dish filled with water in the BBQ, it will be much easier because you will have space to separate the fire from the piece of meat.
There are also offset smokers, traditional smokers made of thick steel that are great for this type of cooking, because they usually have plenty of space and are very simple to use. Once you get used to controlling them, cooking becomes a breeze! It goes without saying that this type of BBQ requires more attention and must be handled by its chef with, of course, a bottle of bourbon (or Gatorade!) in hand to keep it hydrated throughout the cooking process.
Lastly, there are also smokers made on the top, such as Kamado style BBQs (Kamado Joe, Primo, Big Green Egg, Kamado Blaze, etc.), Weber Smokey Mountain and other smokers of the same type. In the case of this type of smoker, you should know that the heat coming from their lower part is generally (almost always, guaranteed!) more intense than that of their upper part. You must therefore adapt your cooking and protect your piece of meat by putting the fat side down to obtain a good result (we will talk about this detail later).
2- Select the right piece of meat
Personally, I prefer my briskets when they are as "flat" as possible. Aside from that, when you buy a brisket, I advise you to take the time to also look at its flat to choose one that has one that is as straight as possible. Also, if the muscle fiber of the brisket is "crooked", know that the brisket will twist during cooking; it will probably be just as good, but less sexy! The most important thing in all of this is to look at the marbling, the intramuscular fat, of the brisket, because it is what indicates the quality of the piece of meat and what differentiates a brisket for children from one for men. Of course, do not look at the underside of the brisket, because you can only see fat there. Focus instead on the flat as well as the ends which will be used to make burnt ends.
Speaking of burnt ends, if that's what you're looking to do, I recommend choosing a cut of meat with a large point, as some briskets have very small ones and others have ones that make up more than half their weight.
3- Cut the brisket, separate the two muscles and take care of the trim
When it comes to preparing the brisket, you can simply keep it whole, without touching it and call yourself a purist. You can also embark on a butchery adventure and spend a few minutes or almost an hour on it, depending on your level of experience. In any case, the important thing is to take your time and do the job well.
If you are looking to reduce cooking time, I recommend trimming off as much of the surface fat as possible, while leaving about ¼ inch of fat underneath the meat to protect it during cooking. It is important to trim off the surface fat, because otherwise it will melt and carry the spices you put on top of your meat to the bottom of the grill instead of sticking to the brisket.
4- Injecting the brisket: why and with what
When it comes to injecting brisket, we have several choices. Why do it? There are several reasons:
To increase the mass of the piece of meat;
To increase the humidity level in the brisket and BBQ;
To enhance the beef flavor in the piece of meat;
To retain moisture and flavor in the brisket;
To keep the piece of meat warm for longer;
To add a special flavor to the brisket (eg: bourbon flavor).
And what do we inject into our brisket? Well, we can simply inject water, but it would taste more like water than beef and that is not the effect we are looking for… So we must inject it with, at a minimum, beef broth. To that, we can add soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce to taste for a more flavorful result.
If you really want to add flavor to your brisket, I recommend using Butcher BBQ and/or Kosmos Q injection powders, which are ready to mix and inject. Using these powders will amplify the flavor and keep more moisture in the brisket while still paying homage to it.
5- Season the piece of meat like a god
When it comes to seasoning your brisket, I recommend using a pre-rub first, to boost the flavor of the beef, and then spreading your favorite beef rub over the cut of meat. Keep in mind that we're generally looking for a salty/peppery flavor profile, although many people like their brisket on the sweeter side.
Personally, when I want to make a dream brisket, I use BBQ Québec Booster , then BBQ Québec Texas spices and, to taste, I add a little bit of a spicier rub, like Kosmos Q Hot! Cow Cover spices . Honestly, the possibilities are endless when it comes to rubs that can be used to season a brisket! (I could talk about them for a long time… SJB BBQ products, for example, are excellent and Butcher BBQ products win international competitions, so you may have a lot of success in your backyard with products from these brands.) So you will have to cook several to find the mixture that will melt your heart.
6- Know the cooking tips and secrets, how to wrap a brisket and the answer to the famous existential question of the brisket: which side do you cook it on?
If this is your first time making brisket, my first tip is to wrap it. When you do, it is very important that you take the time to place the foil so that the fat does not drip to the bottom of the BBQ and stays with the brisket. Be careful, do not wrap the brisket right away! You should do this as soon as a nice crust has formed; when the brisket has reached an internal temperature of about 160-170 °F.
On this subject, it is possible that during cooking you will encounter a "plateau" ("stall" in English), during which the piece of meat will stop cooking for one, two, or even three hours and its temperature remains stable. If this is the case, you can place a bowl or aluminum dish with water inside in your BBQ, between the heat source and the brisket, to increase the humidity inside the appliance. By doing this, your piece of meat will not dehydrate during cooking and will absorb more smoke.
Otherwise, as for the famous question "Do you cook the brisket with the fat facing up or down?", it really depends on the smoker that is being used. If the heat is coming from underneath the piece of meat, I recommend putting the fat facing down to protect it. On the other hand, if it is an offset or reverse flow style smoker, or even a big fat BBQ where there is plenty of space for the heat to come "from the side" and not from below, the fat should be placed facing up to ensure that it runs down the piece of meat throughout the cooking process. Be careful! The fat will not magically penetrate the rest of the brisket, but it will help to form a nice caramelization on the piece while lubricating it.
7- Prepare the brisket to enjoy it
Once this beautiful piece of meat is cooked, it must be eaten! And since it is a large piece, it will take you several meals to eat it all; you can therefore transform your traditional brisket recipes into quick recipes. For example, you can add pieces of brisket to your shepherd's pie, your tacos, your chili, your burgers, your sandwiches, your pizzas, your salads or even your smoked meat!
8- Have the essential products to make a successful brisket on hand
Personally, the item I consider to be the most important to have with you when making brisket is a good thermometer. There are wired models that you can control remotely, others that you stick in the meat and that give you an instant reading… Definitely, you can use the one that suits you best; there are plenty of choices.
When the brisket is done, the thermometer should penetrate it as if it were soft butter and read about 200-205°F (internal temperature).
Another thing I wouldn't do without? My knives! They save me time and allow me to work safely. Indeed, a well-sharpened and quality blade allows me to remove small pieces of fat (and large ones!) easily; it would probably be much more complicated for me to work with lower quality knives. So I recommend the Shun knives from Kai Industries Co. that I always use, otherwise the Kai PRO (from the same company) also do a great job for a lower price.
There are also products that can help the brisket cook, or even save it if it is too dry at the end of cooking! I am thinking here of the Kosmos Q Brisket Mop sauce , the Butcher BBQ Mud sauce, our multiple injections and while we are talking about injection, let's talk about injectors! The BBQ Québec Injecter is a solid choice when it comes to injecting large pieces. I am a big fan of the BBQ Québec competition syringe, which is an automatic filling syringe; the syringe fills as you pump, it is really very hot. That said, if you use this type of syringe, it is very important to:
-
Mix the injection product in boiling water;
Allow the product to cool;
Pass the product through a sieve to remove any solid pieces.
By doing this the springs in the syringe will work easily and allow for a problem-free injection.
Lately, if you were thinking of injecting your brisket without making a little damage, I prefer to warn you, it's not likely to happen! I therefore suggest you protect yourself with the BBQ Québec apron ; it will allow you to stay clean and you can even take advantage of the famous insulated beer pocket integrated into the apron (bottle opener included)! ;)
9- Finish cooking: check the temperature, let it rest and cut
Once the internal temperature of 200-205°F has been reached (I especially recommend that the brisket be kept at an internal temperature above 195-200°F for at least 30 minutes, or even 60 minutes for it to become extremely tender), you need to let the brisket rest. Note that if you have left the meat at an internal temperature of 195-200°F or above for more than an hour, you will not really need to let it rest; it is more of a reinvented kind of rest.
To let the meat rest, some people place it inside their oven, or better yet, their cooler (empty of course) so that it retains maximum heat and humidity. It's very effective! In competition, for example, you can take the brisket off the BBQ around 9 am, place it in the cooler and serve it at 1 pm and it will still be super hot!
Once the brisket has rested, it must be cut against the grain. Personally, I like to separate the two muscles before cutting them. This allows me to easily slice the flat into smoked meat style slices and the point into cubes to make my famous burnt ends. If you are interested, you can try Max's excellent recipe which can be found on our site here.
10- Know the ultimate secrets of brisket: advice from John Lattuca and techniques from Jason Savage and Travis Clark, the two world champions of brisket and BBQ
I have discovered some professional secrets and because I like to share my knowledge with enthusiasts, I am passing them on to you:
Travis Clark puts maple syrup on everything, he says it's a BBQ elixir;
-
John Lattuca gives his meat a top secret massage before cooking it;
Jason Savage taught me that “if you're looking you're not cooking”;
Travis Clark says it all happens in the last ten minutes, not the first ten hours;
John Lattuca confirms that you can make champion pieces even in a Weber Kettle; that's how he won the best brisket in the world;
Jason Savage recommends cooking at the lowest temperature possible for perfect cooking control; his ideal (internal) temperature is 225°F.
With that, you should be very well equipped to succeed with your briskets. Happy BBQing everyone! ;)
1 comment
Sincères remerciements pour la journée de samedi. Bouffe excellente en goût et quantité. Conversation agréable. Tous ont apprécié et s’en sont léchés les babines.