So how do you know when your brisket is done when doing it in the smoker? I've done brisket only once before and it came out tasty but a bit tough.

I use an infared thermometer. Or an old fashioned meat thermometer might work, if you want to go that route.

Doesn't the infrared one just give surface temperatures?

That's right, an IR thermometer only measures surface temp, which has limited value when BBQing. A probe thermometer is essential. If you get a digital, avoid the cheapest of the cheap since they tend to take a long time to display the accurate temp. The most convenient device is a probe that will alert you when a certain temp is reached, either via audible alarm or page, depending on how fancy it is.

As far as smoking a tender brisket, it's hard to put a time on it, since brisket these days come in many configurations, i.e. whole, flat, point, first cut etc. I address it briefly in my pastrami treatise. It's better to go strictly by temp, and is actually quite simple. I do employ one trick that purists may deem heresy. Most ppl tend not to trim the brisket of its fat cap, since it acts as a self-baster during smoking. I do however, into several large slabs, and reserve them.

Apply your rub of choice (simpler the better for beef, as far as I'm concerned) the night before. When you're ready to start, your cooker should be at around 270, but anywhere between 240 and 290 should be ok. Transfer meat directly from fridge to cooker, since cold meat takes smoke better apparently. Then take your reserved fat trimmings and place on top of brisket. This way, you get the self basting benefit, and the rub gets into all the meat surfaces. While cooking, reposition occasionally to achieve even browning (another benefit!).

Smoke until internal temp reaches about 175, usually about three hours or so for me. Then, wrap tightly in heavy duty foil and cook using coals only, but still maintaining cooker temp, until internal temp reaches 190. Though beef is well done at 175, you need this extra time and heat energy in order to convert the tough collagen in the hard-working brisket muscle into melty gelatin.

Finally, there is the essential resting period, wherein the hot, volatile juices can redistribute and become more stable within the beef. To ensure maximum juiciness, let it rest in a cooler for at least an hour. Note that there will still be a lot of juice in the foil, which you can make into a sauce or whatever. I always end up with a significantly dense and tasty "bark", but after resting you can reintroduce the brisket to a hot cooker briefly for a chewier "bark".

As with BBQ in general, it's all about feel, which comes from trial and error. But I've found this template to be pretty effective. Fall-apart tender is easy, just cook it for 12 hours. I always assume chopped brisket is just a salvaged fail brisket. What I look for is brisket that can be sliced easily, hold its structure, and still be tender. Also, though I never use it for pork, I settle for hickory with beef, just to preserve my dwindling stash of apple and cherry. And of course, thin blue smoke at all times!

Some pics:



Briskets in the cooker - the wood is in there because it was cut very recently, and this is a fast way to season it a bit. Note the re-positionable fat pieces.




Double hook-up of the thin blue! The smoke on the right actually is blue, just looks white in the shot. You want to avoid thick, white smoke at all cost - this is what causes that acrid taste and sometimes that thin, black residue on meat. Keep intake vents at least half open and exhaust wide open. Control temp via amount of fuel, not venting. Never soak your wood!




Finished product.

When meat hits the point where the proteins set (I think this is around (140 degrees F), it stops taking smoke flavor and the smoke ring won't develop any further according to one of my many smoking books. The idea of transferring directly from the fridge is that you get more time for the smoke flavor to be absorbed and the ring to develop as the range from fridge temp to 140 degrees is much wider.

Awesome. I guess I had always assumed the fat cap basted due to the attachment to the meat, but it makes sense that it's just due to the fact that it's on top of the meat. Well done. (quote is from Henry's pastrami blog post here)

Hmm, this is an interesting point. There's a lot of conflicting info out there. I don't have my McGee in front of me, but I do know that the smoke ring results from a reaction between myoglobin in the meat and nitrogen compounds in the smoke, similar to curing meat with sodium nitrate or nitrite. I do not think that smoke ring = smoke flavor though. The smoke ring does contribute a flavor of its own, but I'm not sure it's smoky necessarily. Indeed, if you ever have ribs cooked in a high-speed, self contained device such as a SmokeChef (prevalent in Baltimore City due to environmental codes), you will note a good smoke aroma and flavor, but no smoke ring. Thus I think that though cooked or "set" proteins may not be amenable to a smoke ring, smoke flavor penetration is still possible. Also, for ribs I've found that smoke flavor pretty much maxes out at around 3 hours, and the ribs reach 140 way before that. There is also the less respectable technique of par-boiling ribs first, then smoking them, which does still imbue them with smoke flavor, though perhaps not as much. So perhaps it's a combo of density and myoglobin damage as a result of cooking.

So why start the meat cold? Basically because that seems to be the consensus of those that smoke meat far more often than I. I don't believe it's due to the muscle fibers being more "open" when cold, although I guess that could be possible. In any case, it probably takes less than 10 minutes for the surface to get back to room temp in the cooker, so maybe it's just more convenient than letting it rest. I guess it's worth investigating the difference - next time I will!

Also, for anyone interested, I'm going to be on the Dan Rodricks show on Tuesday, June 24 (1:00 pm 88.1 WYPR) talknig about BBQ.