ChiefsPlanet - View Single Post - Food and Drink HELP! I have a smoker and don't know how to use it!

**Fire Me Boy!** · 07-19-2008, 07:41 PM

Buy the brisket whole in a cryovac. Open the cryovac and rinse the whole thing with cool water. You want the meat to have the fat cap remaining. I always leave 1/8 to 1/4 inch of fat on the back, so you'll probably have to do a little trimming. Try to find one that is roughly the same thickness from point to flat. You're not going to find one that is perfect, just get the best one you can find.

Season that bad boy up using whatever rub you have around, but make sure there's not a ton of sugar. The time it'll take to smoke it will burn the sugar. Wrap it up, throw it in the fridge for 12 hours.

When you're ready to smoke, bring the brisket out of the fridge and unwrap it. You'll want to take a paper towel and dry up all the moisture that's come to the top, and do another dusting of rub. If you have a box fan, put the brisket on a drying rack in front of the box fan and let it sit there while you get the coals for the smoker going. That 45 minutes will do wonders for the bark. That moisture will hinder the bark's formation, so make sure the brisket is dry on the outside, even if you don't have a fan.

Put the brisket on the smoker fat side UP. As that fat renders, it'll melt into the meat and keep it moist. Keep your temp between 200 and 225, and open the lid to the brisket as infrequently as possible for the first four hours. This will be a lot easier if you have an offset smoke box. Keep the thickest part of the brisket (the point) the closest to the fire, but as a whole you want to keep the entire thing away from the flame.

After that first four hours, turn the meat over and baste with apple juice or beer every couple of hours until it's ready (usually about 90 minutes per pound). If you feel at any point it's getting burned, pull it out and wrap a couple of times with a heavy duty foil. After that first four hours you're wasting wood, so stop burning it unless that's your heat source.

Once it's come to temperature, let it sit for 20-30 minutes under foil. This will make slicing a LOT easier. Trim off that fat cap now. I like to separate the point from the flat - there's a line of fat going between the two, so it should be fairly easy to do. I also will put the point back out on the smoker and make me some burnt ends.

07-19-2008, 07:41 PM	#142
Fire Me Boy! Cast Iron Jedi Join Date: Nov 2004 Casino cash: $9999900 VARSITY	Buy the brisket whole in a cryovac. Open the cryovac and rinse the whole thing with cool water. You want the meat to have the fat cap remaining. I always leave 1/8 to 1/4 inch of fat on the back, so you'll probably have to do a little trimming. Try to find one that is roughly the same thickness from point to flat. You're not going to find one that is perfect, just get the best one you can find. Season that bad boy up using whatever rub you have around, but make sure there's not a ton of sugar. The time it'll take to smoke it will burn the sugar. Wrap it up, throw it in the fridge for 12 hours. When you're ready to smoke, bring the brisket out of the fridge and unwrap it. You'll want to take a paper towel and dry up all the moisture that's come to the top, and do another dusting of rub. If you have a box fan, put the brisket on a drying rack in front of the box fan and let it sit there while you get the coals for the smoker going. That 45 minutes will do wonders for the bark. That moisture will hinder the bark's formation, so make sure the brisket is dry on the outside, even if you don't have a fan. Put the brisket on the smoker fat side UP. As that fat renders, it'll melt into the meat and keep it moist. Keep your temp between 200 and 225, and open the lid to the brisket as infrequently as possible for the first four hours. This will be a lot easier if you have an offset smoke box. Keep the thickest part of the brisket (the point) the closest to the fire, but as a whole you want to keep the entire thing away from the flame. After that first four hours, turn the meat over and baste with apple juice or beer every couple of hours until it's ready (usually about 90 minutes per pound). If you feel at any point it's getting burned, pull it out and wrap a couple of times with a heavy duty foil. After that first four hours you're wasting wood, so stop burning it unless that's your heat source. Once it's come to temperature, let it sit for 20-30 minutes under foil. This will make slicing a LOT easier. Trim off that fat cap now. I like to separate the point from the flat - there's a line of fat going between the two, so it should be fairly easy to do. I also will put the point back out on the smoker and make me some burnt ends.
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