How to Smoke & Cook a Brisket
Brisket originates from the beef forequarter and has large amounts of connective tissue and dense musculature. Cuts from this muscle group require cooking methods often referred to as "low and slow" -- meaning low heat and long cooking times, such as smoking or braising. Smoking is an ideal method of cooking brisket -- the smoke from the firewood carries heat with it, which slowly cooks the brisket while augmenting its flavor profile with aromatic elements redolent of the firewood used. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Wire rack
- Paper towels
- Hard firewood, such as white oak
- Smoker
- Meat thermometer, with cord
Instructions
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1
Place a wire rack in the sink. Open the brisket, place it on the rack and allow it drain for approximately five minutes. Rinse with cool running water and pat dry with paper towels.
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2
Trim the brisket's fat cap to 1/2 inch. Score the fat cap with a knife by carving a crosshatch pattern with 1" x 1" squares in it.
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3
Apply marinade or dry rub of choice to the brisket. Marinades for brisket commonly include seasonings of choice, an acid, such as red wine, and papain, a tenderizing agent extracted from papaya.
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4
Place the brisket in a large sealable plastic food storage bag and add approximately 3 cups of marinade. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for no more than 24 hours. Turn the brisket over halfway through the marinating process. If using a spice rub, wrap the brisket in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for no more than 24 hours.
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5
Add firewood of choice to the smoker. Woods commonly used for smoking brisket include white oak, hickory and mesquite.
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6
Ignite the firewood and heat the smoker to 220 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow approximately one hour of cooking time for every pound of brisket.
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7
Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest portion of the brisket to monitor its temperature. Cook brisket to a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature of the meat can be checked without opening the smoker, as the cord will allow the temperature display reader to be visible outside of the smoker.
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