# Smoked Brisket



## djleye

I smoked some brisket and it tasted incredible. The only slight problem I ran into was the toughness of the meat. After smoking it I set it in tinfoil and oput it in the oven at 200* for an hour and a half. It seemed a bit less tough after that but would more time in the oven help??? Any other hints at tenderizing a cut of beef/venison would be appreciated.

Thanks


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## Dak

We have found that time is the key. We smoke at 200 for about 3 hours. Then we wrap in tinfoil and put back in the smoker for another 3 hours.


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## MossyMO

djleye

I have never smoked brisket but I would think it would be about the same as turkeys(pending the weight of the brisket). I will smoke 6, 12 to 14 lb. turkeys and they will sit in my smoker for approx. 12 hrs, sometimes longer. If I remember right, I get their internal temperature to the 165/175 range. This is with the smoker temp at 180 degrees. This is after soaking them in brine for 5 days.


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## faithsdave

djleye, care to share your secret recipe with the rest of us?


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## djleye

No secret. I used a bunch of different spices i just dumped in a jar and shook it up. I honestly just started grabbing different ones. I then rubbed them all over the outside of the brisket. I then smoked over mesquite for about 3-4 hours and then removed it and wrapped it in tinfoil and put it in the oven at 200* for another 2 hours. It was moist and very tasty!!!!


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## MossyMO

djleye

Did you soak it in a brine ahead of smoking it?


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## djleye

No I didn't......does that help tenderize it a bit??????


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## MossyMO

Brining is mostly for curing, or preserving the meat. Anything you smoke should be soaked in a brine or have cure added.

Here is a link that explains brining better than I can - http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/brining.html#works


> Brisket can be brined to become corned beef or pastrami depending on the seasonings used in the brine.


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## djleye

I wasn't really interested in preserving it though, we ate it all right away anyway. My kids couldn't get enough of it. If you have ever had the smoked brisket at Fanmous Daves.....This was an awful lot like it, except for the tenderness!!!


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## faithsdave

Do you know at what temp your smoker was at? or was it just a cold smoke?


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## KEN W

MossyMO said:


> Brining is mostly for curing, or preserving the meat. Anything you smoke should be soaked in a brine or have cure added.
> 
> Here is a link that explains brining better than I can - http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/brining.html#works
> 
> 
> 
> Brisket can be brined to become corned beef or pastrami depending on the seasonings used in the brine.
Click to expand...

Mossy is right....Cure is added to smoked products to guarantee that bacteria does not grow and develope into food poisoning while in the smoker.This bacteria grows at temps between 40 and 140 degrees and no oxygen....which is what happens in the smoker with low temps and smoke driving out oxygen.

Which is why smoke-cured meat is red in color.Large pieces of meat like hams are usually injected with a brine and allowed to cure for a couple days depending on size of the meat.

When I make a brisket or ribs or pulled pork roast,I put some cure into the spices I rub in.Put in fridge at least 24 hours to let it penetrate the meat.


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## MossyMO

Finally you showed up Ken. I was waiting........ I knew you would back me on this.


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## KEN W

I use a cure on anything that goes in the smoker.....

Sausage,bacon,brisket,fish,chickens,ribs etc.

Either use Modern Cure or Morton's Tender Quick


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## djleye

The smoker was at 200 degrees at a minimum during the entire time the meat was on..........I did have some rub on the meat,mostly flavoring and lots of salt and peppers, and the meat was in the fridge for two hours with the rub on it before I put it on the smoker. Should I have been worried about bacteria at those temps???? :huh:


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## fox412

My family and I (grew up in the south where everything is smoked or fried) never use brine unless it is something we intend to have around a while. Sausage, bacon, jerky all of those type things get soaked but brisket, ribs, pork shoulder or loin, chicken, turkey basically anything that will be consumed immediatly we never used brine with. You do need to make sure that your meats are cooked to a proper temp. With brisket I tend to smoke it 4 hour with hickory and apple wood and then wrap it and cook it for at least 4 to 6 more in the smoker. I try to keep my smoker between 180 and 225. I make my own sauce and dry rub for mine. Good luck cookin.


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## KEN W

If you know your smoker is that warm....there shouldn't be a problem.The cheap ones don't have a thermostat....just something that says....Warm,Ideal,To Hot.


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## MossyMO

fox412
Recipes are very much welcomed here !!!


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## fox412

A smoker thermometer is about 20 bucks. They are threaded. So you can drill a hole the needed size in your smoker and then you can bolt them into your smoker with the provided hardware. Mossy sorry the recipes are a no can do. My family has worked on dry rub mainly for several years the next one to get that recipe is about 3 years old now. I will give a few tips though. 1. Cook meat to the correct temp. If it falls aff the bone it is overcooked and usually doesn't have as good of flavor. (Somepeople love it that way but not me) 
2. When cooking pork and chicken spray it with apple juice every hour it helps keep the meat moist and adds a little sweetness to the meat. 3 Don't oversmoke your meat this will add a bitter favor. For ribs its usually 2 hours of light smoke and 2 hours wrapped in foil. Often times I will use the wood from fruit trees since the smoke is not as strong and even if you do oversmoke the meat it is gennerally not to bitter. 4. Don't smoke fish fry it. 5. Be patient and drink lots of beer while cooking. 6. If you use charcoal as your base heat make sure that you get the coals good and ready before you put them in the smoker. The briquets or however you spell it smoke quite a bit until they are fully lit. The woods used to make charcoal are not the highest quality your need to try to keep the charcoal smoke off the meat. 6. Drink more beer and be patient.


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## MossyMO

fox412
I understand it being a family secret, you don't have a dog like that Bush's beans family does, do ya? !!!

I have been using tips 5 and 6 with great success do far....


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## fox412

If I could number they would be 5 and 7. No, no dog hopefully I will add one to the family this spring though. And if the dam thing can talk I will let him tell you the secret recipes. Heres to tips 5 and 7 :beer:


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## woodpecker

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


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## fox412

usually not they come over when its done. But it has been a while since I have cooked to much. The inlaws also need to learn to drink more beer.


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## scrapman1

hi folks, I was searching for ideas for soaking a brisket in brine and came across your forum. I thought i'd add my 2 cents worth, I'm a newbie to smoking my boys got me a smoker for last father's day and so far i've found the time to smoke 3 briskets and one pork loin, of the 3 briskets the first one was the best it was nice and tender and the taist was great, it's been down hill from there :-( the last one was so tough i gave it to my dogs. i now have one soaking in brine in my frig, it's been soaking now for about a week maybe 10 days. i'm planning on smoking it this weekend maybe labour day monday. if you want to get your hands on some good dry rub goto this web site http://www.schwartzsdeli.com/index_eng.html
you can order the spices already mixed from them, and it's great.

good luck and good cookin'


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## KEN W

I noticed that company is in Montreal and so are you.....you don't work for them do you?


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## scrapman1

no not at all it's just a deli I've been going to since i was a kid. they are well known here in montreal for thier smoked meat and steaks


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## KEN W

OK.....no problem


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## Waterspaniel

Brisket is tough. To get it tender you have to cook it loooow and slooow, like the cowboys did in coals.

The low slow temp breaks down connective tissues. This in turn bastes the meat from the inside.

General rule for brisket is one and half hours to two hours per popund at 220 degrees. Specifically, take it two an internal temp of 185 degrees.

Get a remote thermometer, like a Maverick, to monitor your temps in the smoker and the meat. You will notice a stall in the temp rise of the meat at about 160. 160 to 170 takes FOREVER. This is where that connective tissue is slowly melting and basting. YUMMMM.

So, a 7 pound brisket is going to take 10-14 hours. Worth the wait! Check the web. Tons of resources.


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