The Barbecue Thread

You'll do fine. I actually don't know where brisket's reputation of difficulty comes from. I'm more likely to screw up something like a rib, which you can actually overcook, than a brisket, which is so naturally juicy and fatty that as long as you cook it long enough, it'll work. You'd really have to be off your game to overcook a brisket. And you can always "cheat" by putting the smoke you want on there, then foil wrapping and finishing in a low oven. Will you feel like a cheater ... maybe ... will it be eye-wateringly delicious and damn near fool-proof? Yeah!

Inspired by this thread I was actually thinking of doing a brisket this Sunday, but I'm not sure yet. Beef is really expensive these days. I expect to pay between $30-40 for a full brisket, but I've been seeing it over $50 most places. Of course, it's a ton of meat so it's still not a terrible deal, but because I'm used to paying less I just have this gag reflex to spending that much on any one ingredient.

Since it would just be the three of us, I'm actually thinking about separating the point and the flat, making my traditional smoked brisket out of the point, and then brining the flat, either for corned beef or maybe even pastrami. I've never made either, so maybe I'd start with corned beef as that's a little simpler and I don't really want to have a 8-12 hour smoke session two weeks in a row.

I think there's a lot that contributes to lame restaurant brisket: undercooked, under seasoned, cooked too hot, meat that has been overly trimmed especially if before the cook, meat that has been allowed to sit out too long, or meat that has been (shudder) reheated for service. In the home environment, I would guess that the most common failings are undercooking (9-12 hours is no joke), cooking too hot, or unnecessarily trimming the meat.

I recommend the foil wrap for all the reasons I've stated prior - it almost ensures tenderness by turning the dish into a braise, it's easier 'cause you don't have to tend the fire any longer should you take it to the oven, I like a milder smoke so it stops the smoking process, and finally the drippings. The one thing I never really thought about, though, is saving time. I put my oven at the same temp that I try to keep the smoker at, 200-225, so I'm not sure there is a huge savings there.

I don't have a membership at Costco or Sam's, so I'm not sure about their pricing. That's a good idea, though.

I was probably going to use Alton Brown's recipe, which is actually a 10-day brine. I was thinking I'd buy soon, do brisket this weekend and if so inclined pastrami the next weekend. Corned beef isn't smoked though, so I could do that any time after the brining was done.

Yep, pink salt is one of those things I always have in the pantry, even though I almost never use it.

I saw your prior link but hadn't clicked through. Now after reading this article I think I'm going to go read this blog forever. Dammit, Pairesta!

Glad to know my method has some science behind why it works, even if I didn't know why until now.

@pareista , could you toss a ham-curing formula from that charcuterie book up on here? I've got one from the feral hog I shot last November in my freezer, and need to do something with it. Only problem is, I don't have a ton of space. Or even a little space, really... There's gotta be something I can do!

So. After spending the evening reading up on brisket on the Amazingribs site, I'm having second thoughts, considering a) the time needed to cook it b) the expense of that much meat and c) how very much it makes.
This'll only be my third smoke, and I'd rather not risk such a pricey cut when I don't have the procedure down yet, plus there's the danger of it still not being ready come dinner time.

So instead, what about a chuck roast? On that site they had an article about that vs. a brisket and damned if it didn't look tastier and juicier (i.e., fattier) next to the brisket. It's a much more manageable size, meaning a shorter cooking time. Too, I can do ribs and sausage in the smoker and make it a "Texas Trinity" meal.

That sounds like an epic meal. What are you thinking for the sausage? I mean, what do you plan to get?

Is that code?

Yeah, it looks like the heavens will be pissing on a lot of people's Memorial Day fun this year. Hopefully it won't be so bad.

We're attending a cookout on Sunday afternoon, which is still safe in the forecast. Think I'm going to make esquites, which is just elotes with the corn cut off the cob for simplicity's sake. The host didn't do so great with the burgers and dogs last year, but this year they're doing carne asada tacos so my hopes are higher.

Best of luck with the cookout, badger.

The spice mix will be perfect. Basically just what I had in mind.

For logistical reasons I'll be removing the grilled corn from the cob and making a salad of it so it'll travel better, but no doubt that's a fo' real elotes right there. (maybe some cheese on there, too, like queso fresco or cotija).

Even with the two cuts needing a little more time on the heat, that spread sounds positively sublime. I never did get around to picking up a brisket, and now with the move so close I'll probably wait 'til after. We'll have so much more room in the new house that I'll actually feel good about having people over and entertaining for once. I'll just do a big cookout then as a house-warming kind of thing.

I've never used Picasa, but I've had luck with Photobucket for that purpose. It's free of course. I guess make sure you're pulling the image URL ("copy link location" or "copy image URL") and not the embed code. If you stick the embed code into the insert image function, that won't work. (which I'm sure you know but that's the only thing I can think of.)

How did your bacon turn out, btw?

Edit: Also, cutting the skin off a pork belly is a pain in the ass for me. Do you usually do that or will the market on Legacy do that for you?

It's . . . okay. I make a huge batch of it and then freeze it, and I guess maybe the freezing does something to it, because when I fried up a sample while cutting it it was nicely seasoned and smoky and now whenever I dip into it from the freezer it's just kinda bland. I may try brining the next batch to see if it's seasoned better.

Also I noticed that the bellies sold at Ranch 99 are fattier (also a dollar or two more, but I'm willing to pay that!)

If you take off the skin while it's warm from the smoker it goes alot quicker. Doing it cold is a pain in the ass.

randy's donuts I'm too scared of how good frying the skin will be. But I do save it in my freezer and use it whenever I make beans or greens, or even just to simmer in water to make bacon "broth". It's amazing how handy it comes in.

We're having landscaping work done as we speak and part of the work involves trimming back our oak tree. You know I'm tipping them extra to save me a few chunks of wood for my smoker!