How To Smoke A Brisket – [Expert Guide In 2019 & Beyond]

Barbecue is one of the oldest and most loved forms of cooking. Whether you have some guests you want to treat to an outsider dinner, or holding a reception for your wedding, it is important to know some recipes you could prepare outside your home or in the open field. How about treating your guests to a brisket meal? Sounds amazing right? Well, this article is going to show you how to smoke a brisket at your own home. It will also tell you how to prep the brisket and how to tell whether it is done. Let’s dive in.

Prepping Your Brisket

The first step to preparing your brisket is quite obvious, buying the meat. When shopping for the meat, ensure you get the best quality meat as this would ultimately determine the quality of the delicacy.

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The second thing is to cut the meat into fine cuts that would be ready for smoking. The cut should have a layer of fat at the top and in the middle.

 

Last but not least is to wash the piece of meat. Use warm water to do this. Your piece of meat is now ready for cooking.

Cooking Your Brisket

Do you know how to cook brisket? The answer is many people don’t know how. Well, this article will let you know how. The thing is, there is no universal formula or recipe to prepare brisket.

Related: How To Smoke Chicken

There are many things which vary and would determine how you would cook your brisket. Below are a few guidelines on how to go about this.

• Temperature control (200-250 degrees) – This is one of the most important aspects when it comes to preparing a brisket. If you cannot be in control of the temperature levels, achieving a good result would prove very difficult. It would be easier to cook brisket on appliances with a powered thermostat, like a pellet cooker or an electric smoker. This is because these kitchen appliances have the ability to control their heat in a more consistent manner. You don’t want to have to look at what your cooking. Just be in control of the heat, avoid altering the heat levels and know the specific area to place your meat and you’re good to go. Remember how well you control your heat will determine the quality of your brisket.
• The meat used – You might be thinking, any meat is fine as long as it’s meat. You’re wrong. Meat can be cut into different versions, not all of which may be ideal for cooking brisket. A large cut with two muscles that has an intact cap of fat and is 11-15 pounds before it is trimmed will be perfect for brisket. Another perfect example is one that is a lean flat. Another crucial thing to consider in the meat is its quality. High grade brisket is more marble. Cooking it will result in a delicacy that is both tasty and not dry. Different meats have different melting points, this would necessitate the need to find out what type of meat you’re dealing with for more quality result.
• Ensure doneness – This means that you have to ensure the meat is cooked until it’s done. To do this, you have to consider many things. This includes the size and quality of the brisket. The day’s weather is also important as it may be raining thus lowering the temperature levels in your smoker. You should also not have any trouble controlling the fire on your smoker. Another thing is whether you have plans to wrap the meat in a foil. All this should be considered to know when the brisket is done.
• Rest after the cook – Just like any other piece of meat, brisket requires resting after cooking. After you’re done cooking the brisket, you should remove it from the smoker then wrap it in a foil or pink paper. Doing this will allow for its muscles to relax and also to retain its moisture. By doing this, you allow the brisket to continue cooking slowly using the retained moisture which would result in much finer result. It is recommended to allow at least one hour resting time after you finish cooking the brisket.

How To Tell When Your Smoked Brisket Is Done

Now that you know how to cook your brisket, how do you tell if it is done? The following tips will help you tell when it’s done.

• Use a thermometer – Use the thermometer to determine the temperature of the brisket. This should be an instant-read thermometer and should be placed in the middle of the piece of meat. The internal temperature needed to guarantee the brisket is well cooked differs depending on the type of meat. However, a temperature level of between 195 and 215 is good enough for most briskets.
• Poke the meat –  You can poke the brisket by inserting a knife or any other sharp object into the meat. When the knife deeps in without any resistance, then the meat is ready. Remember not to poke the meat many times as doing this will destroy the quality of the meat.
• Rest it – Meat is never done until it rests. To do this, you should wrap the meat, after cooking, in a paper or a foil. The heat that is retained will enable the meat to continue cooking until it is done.

Conclusion

This article has looked into detail the specific issues to take into account when preparing and cooking brisket for a more tasty result.

As it has been discussed, temperature control is the most important. Please note that different types of meats have different boiling points.

This will require you to first know what type of meat you’re dealing with so as to know the correct boiling point. You should also look out for top quality meat and ensure you cut it well.

If you still have your doubts then you don’t need to worry. We at David’s BBQ & Catering will help you out on this. Contact us today for the most efficient services.

Do you smoke your own brisket? Let us know your favorite recipe in the comments below!