A Brisket Cook

The Crappie and Bluegill Fishing this year is good. Not a banner year, but my freezers are stacked full even though I have given away many fillets to those who don’t or can’t fish. My favorite hobby is obviously Fishing, but Cooking is an absolute joy and necessary part of my life. The summer chores (Honey-do list) have been piling up and one way to take the sting out of not getting to fish over the weekend is to smoke a protein while plodding through my indentured servitude. About a month ago I visited Texas and saw this at Walmart
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Brisket for under 2 bucks...what? At a local wholesale club I pay over 3 bucks a pound. Location Location Location, more cows in Texas I guess. Anyway, we ate at Black’s BBQ in Austin and I did enjoy the brisket and homemade sausages there.
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Fast forward a couple weeks and we visited Jasper GA for a wedding at Big Canoe Resort. We were in charge of babysitting the grandchildren and ended up at Bubba Q, where again I sampled Southern Brisket.
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No plate shots as we had our hands full with these monsters but the barbecue was good. So while pressure washing, field dressing the basement and storage building, I managed to procure a 15lb Choice Brisket and throw him on the smoker.
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Salt and pepper made up a simple rub, and after 10 hours at 235-250 degrees I took my first peek.
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Internal temps were only 175, so in two more hours he pushed through the stall and arrived at 195, exactly 12 hours from the start.
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The bark was set, so after a brief rest I separated the flat from the point, and sliced the flat against the grain for maximum tenderness.
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I cubed some of the point for the platter, but the majority of the fatty point was cubed then returned to smoker to make Burnt Ends.
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If you have never experienced burnt ends, you need to try some. The cubed point is returned to the smoker with more rub and sauce then cooked for up to 4 more hours, further reducing the fat content and leaving chewy smoky saucy nuggets of beef goodness. This is my wife’s favorite part, and you all know that old saying! Plated shot, no ovens or microwaves were harmed as I threw the twice baked taters on the smoker also!
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Not a bad weekend, but no fishing either!


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Great looking stufff! They say their is an art to cooking brisket! I haven’t ever tried to cook it I guess because I haven’t ever found it that cheap! But I sure like to eat it when it’s done right! Never heard of the burnt ends and couldn’t imagine eating anything burnt! But my wife likes everything chared! Good job!

Looks great

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Burnt ends aren’t really burnt, or even charred. My smoker temps stay relatively low, below 275, and really you are just double smoking the point. This part of the brisket is much fattier, and by further reducing that fat the meat left becomes fall apart tender. Adding sauce and rub and more smoking intensifies the flavor and color, giving it a burnt look, but not burnt, just “more smoked”. The joint in Jasper serves them as an appetizer and were not too bad.


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Really looks delicious, Stan. Just proves "low-n-slow" is the way to go. Great pics and post, I can almost smell it. Thanks!

Now I got to buy and smoke a brisket ---- see what you started.

Now I’ve got to locate some Burt ends Jumping Jacks Icon the more the smoke the better ! I looked up Burt end and realize what a delicacy they would be! Thanks for sharing!

I can't believe you found it for less than $2 a pound ! The price up here in Yankee territory is outrageous. [ Indiana ]
Looks really good :)

Some good looking stuff there. Yum!
LittleJohn

What type/brand smoker do you use? Cost aside, do you feel any one type/brand is better than other ones? What is used for heat, elec/wood? I have a big unit that will cook 100#s+, but would like to get something smaller for more frequent use. Thanks for any comments or info!!!

I have two smokers, but use my Weber Bullet the most. It is what is pictured. I have the 18 inch model, but sometimes feel I could use the 22 inch model. It is a charcoal smoker, and for the money it is a great investment. They show up on Craigslist quite a bit for 100-150 bucks and are around 300 new i think. It is a set it and forget it type smoker, meaning once you get it dialed in to your desired smoking temperature, 225-275 for me, it will hold that temperature for several hours without varying more than 10-15 degrees. It has a water pan for the heat sink, and i wrap foil around it before filling it up to aid in the cleanup. Big box stores run charcoal sales about 3 times a year and I stock up enough to last me for several months, so cost of fuel is very low for this type smoker. I do have a stick burner, New Braunsfel Black Diamond, and an endless supply of wood but find that a wood burner requires more attention. You have to tend the fire more often, and I like to smoke meat and ribs on the weekends when i am doing other chores. I am not affiliated with Weber but feel like they have wonderful products as I have several others grills and accessories made by Weber. The Masterbuilt electric smokers are also affordable and make a decent smoked product, but require electricity and are not camping/tailgating type activity friendly. I have no experience with propane smokers and prefer the wood smoke flavor produced by the Weber. My stick burner actually makes a better brisket but involves tending the fire all day. With the Weber I can come and go all day and not have to worry about temperature spikes or drops.

Looks great, your really making me hungry!!


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Looks delicious got to get me a smoker