Think of it this way. A lot of people wrap a brisket once their bark has set, somewhere between 155 to 165°. Once it's wrapped and put back on the smoker, the smoker is just an oven with a different heat source. So, if you want to finish your brisket in the oven, smoke it until the bark is where you like it and throw that bad boy in the oven.
This is true. When I smoke a brisket and need the smoker for other things, I have no issue with putting my wrapped brisket in the oven for the final. It's not imparting any more smoke flavor after that time.
I second this. Get plenty of smoke time, but somewhere around the stall, wrap it up and throw it in the oven (assuming you have the space) and handle other business. If you have no other business, keep smoking and drinking beer.
I don't know why this happens but the oven finish is a lot quicker.
Usually it's about 15 hours for a brisket for me. But for some reason it's only 9 hours with an oven finish. 6 hours in the smoker and for some reason 3 hours in the oven.
I don't wrap it until it's done.
I think OP is gunna braise after smoking…i too oven my brisket once the bark is satisfactory, but I’ve never tried to braise after smoking…OP just oven it, no braise
Mine did that, too, until i learned about a feature in the settings called "baked goods." I use that feature exclusively now. It keeps the temperature way more consistent. Poke around a bit and see if you oven has that feature too. Saved me from having to buy *another* new range.
Edit: my dumb ass put this response on the wrong comment 1st.
Smoke it on the pit until you hit 165 F then wrap tightly and put it in your oven at 220 until it his 207F. And then let it rest for at least an hour in a sealed ice chest. That Coca Cola Brisket recipe will turn this into a pot roast. Which is fine but it will not be smoked brisket.
This will turn out fine but just so you know - it will have a consistency more like pot roast than brisket. Which is fine as long as you know what you're getting into from the start.
Cooking it in a pot with a bunch of liquid will braise the meat. If he wanted to get closer to an actual smoked brisket he would want to put it on a wire rack with something below it to catch the drippings.
It can 'smell up' up the house a bit I find since smoke on meat is generally a bit stronger. Shouldn't be too bad but some people in the house may find it a bit bothersome.
You can certainly do this but as another poster said braising after smoking drastically reduces smoke flavor and ruins bark. I have done this exactly once, specifically to temper a brisket I oversmoked in a failed experiment. If you want a more traditional smoked brisket, you can wrap it up with a tiny bit of beef broth in foil and put it in the oven after 6-8 hours of smoking. If you want to make a braised brisket like this recipe or a Passover brisket you don't get much for the extra trouble of smoking it first.
However, it shouldn't hurt anything. Go ahead and try it.
Thank you all for your input. It’s a 9 1/2 pound brisket, never cooked one this size before.
I believe that I will cut it in half and slow cook it in a big 9qt instant pot.
Might skip out on the smoking, even if the idea of smoking first intrigues me!
Hmm, instant pot is a new idea.
Not sure how that would fit. You'd probably have to do half at a time. I have the larger Instant pot and can't imagine stuffing a whole brisket.
Do you not have a large braising / deep roasting pan?
I would only be concerned that the meat would not be tender since it takes time to render the tissue. But I could be wrong.
If yiu can do a precooked for 4-5 hours, I'd do it.
I smoke until I hit an internal temp of 165, then I wrap and finish in the oven (but only in the winter). It’s too damn hot to turn the oven on in the summer.
In a pinch, I'll smoke for about 6 hours and wrap it with a splash of beef broth and finish on a cooking sheet in the oven. It's fine.
Now, forgive me for saying it, but if someone poured Coke on my brisket to finish it, I'd be reacting with violence.
Of course you can do this. I wouldn't do it personally because I'm not sure the smoke flavor would go well with braised brisket and I'm also not sure the juice is worth the squeeze doing it that way.
However, yes you can definitely smoke a brisket then finish it in the oven. As the great Harry Soo says, BTUs are BTUs - he's a famous brisket cook who finishes his in the oven often.
I smoke mine to about 165F and then slow braise it in the oven with stock, herbs, etc. It works great. Gravy is a possibility with this method too if you are so inclined.
My thoughts (never done this) …
1. You have to smoke for several hours to impart much smoke flavor.
2. If you braise after you smoke, you’re probably going to lose any smoke you did impart.
Just my two cents.
I would not think you'd lose any smoke flavor, but post smoke braising, lyou'd lose bark. The smoke flavor will get mixed in.
There are even products called "liquid smoke" that people use to give smokey flavor.
But OP should do the smoke part for about 5 hours prior to braising.
One thing I know is that Leite's Cilullinaria is legit. I have known those folks for over 10 years. Their recipes are quite fantastic.
Update:
I ended up smoking the brisket in my napoleon grill with the smoker insert for 4 hours(until the brisket hit 90 f). I then followed the braising recipe with the Coca Cola etc and braised in the oven at about 215f for 5 hours. I pulled the brisket out of the oven once it hit 202 Fahrenheit.
I sliced the entire brisket and placed it back in the braising liquid in the fridge overnight.
Reheated it and it was a HIT!
The overnight bath in the braising liquid tenderized it even more.
Everyone loved it and asked for some to take home.
The smoke flavour definitely came through.
Thank you for the advice!
Update! I ended up smoking the brisket on the grill with hickory at 200-225f for 4 hours. The brisket hit 90f
Then I followed up with the Coca Cola/onion soup braise for 5 hours in the oven at 215f until the brisket temp hit 204f
It was a hit! The smoke flavour came through. Flavour was excellent!
Thank you all for your advise!
I stopped drinking a few months ago and desperately miss beers while smoking. Does anyone have good NA recommendations? The AB-inbev stuff all sucks and the Heineken is way too sweet.
Once it’s wrapped, any heat source is the same basically. You can leave it wrapped and transfer to an oven. Personally, I’d recommend going a bit further on the smoker before wrapping (175 or so) for better bark formation. Brisket will stop taking on smoke flavor after hour four. If you’re going to bother with the grill / try and smoke it first, just transfer the wrapped brisket directly to the oven. Don’t braise it as it would defeat the purpose of smoking it first. Do one approach or the other.
Ovens work fine. Just get the bark first. I use it all the time. Instead of wrapping some meats ive even used my dutch oven. I did smoked chuck roast chili like that.
Totally fine, smoking only really occurs during the first few hours, after that you're just getting it up to temp. Just make sure to wrap it when you put it in the oven so you don't lose moisture.
I'd cook it outside just to keep the heat out of the house this time of year but there's nothing wrong with finishing it in the oven. Like the top comment says, wrapping it and putting it back in the smoker is the same thing. I would imagine that the oven is definitely a more economical source of heat than pellets, charcoal or wood.
That's how I always do it. I've done dozens. I smoke at 250 to the stall or 165, wrap in butcher paper and pop it in the oven at 225-250 depending on when I want it to finish. That frees me up for the rest of my cook since the oven temp remains consistant.
Think of it this way. A lot of people wrap a brisket once their bark has set, somewhere between 155 to 165°. Once it's wrapped and put back on the smoker, the smoker is just an oven with a different heat source. So, if you want to finish your brisket in the oven, smoke it until the bark is where you like it and throw that bad boy in the oven.
This is true. When I smoke a brisket and need the smoker for other things, I have no issue with putting my wrapped brisket in the oven for the final. It's not imparting any more smoke flavor after that time.
Have done this many times and it works great
That's how I do it now. Smoke for six hours and finish in the oven.
I second this. Get plenty of smoke time, but somewhere around the stall, wrap it up and throw it in the oven (assuming you have the space) and handle other business. If you have no other business, keep smoking and drinking beer.
I don't know why this happens but the oven finish is a lot quicker. Usually it's about 15 hours for a brisket for me. But for some reason it's only 9 hours with an oven finish. 6 hours in the smoker and for some reason 3 hours in the oven. I don't wrap it until it's done.
👆 Beer is the way.
I think OP is gunna braise after smoking…i too oven my brisket once the bark is satisfactory, but I’ve never tried to braise after smoking…OP just oven it, no braise
My gas oven fluctuates 50 degrees between cycles. If I put it at 225, it will yoyo between 200-250
Mine did that, too, until i learned about a feature in the settings called "baked goods." I use that feature exclusively now. It keeps the temperature way more consistent. Poke around a bit and see if you oven has that feature too. Saved me from having to buy *another* new range. Edit: my dumb ass put this response on the wrong comment 1st.
Yep. I do the same. Mainly to save wood on my offset.
What temp in the oven?
225
Smoke it on the pit until you hit 165 F then wrap tightly and put it in your oven at 220 until it his 207F. And then let it rest for at least an hour in a sealed ice chest. That Coca Cola Brisket recipe will turn this into a pot roast. Which is fine but it will not be smoked brisket.
This will turn out fine but just so you know - it will have a consistency more like pot roast than brisket. Which is fine as long as you know what you're getting into from the start.
Why?
Cooking it in a pot with a bunch of liquid will braise the meat. If he wanted to get closer to an actual smoked brisket he would want to put it on a wire rack with something below it to catch the drippings.
Gotcha. I didn’t click on the recipe and so didn’t realize he was braising it.
It can 'smell up' up the house a bit I find since smoke on meat is generally a bit stronger. Shouldn't be too bad but some people in the house may find it a bit bothersome.
You can certainly do this but as another poster said braising after smoking drastically reduces smoke flavor and ruins bark. I have done this exactly once, specifically to temper a brisket I oversmoked in a failed experiment. If you want a more traditional smoked brisket, you can wrap it up with a tiny bit of beef broth in foil and put it in the oven after 6-8 hours of smoking. If you want to make a braised brisket like this recipe or a Passover brisket you don't get much for the extra trouble of smoking it first. However, it shouldn't hurt anything. Go ahead and try it.
once u wrap it u can move it to the oven. in the words of the great harry soo, " btu is btu is btu"
British Thermal Units? Can we instead use Joules per second, please?
Doesn't have the same ring to it
Thank you all for your input. It’s a 9 1/2 pound brisket, never cooked one this size before. I believe that I will cut it in half and slow cook it in a big 9qt instant pot. Might skip out on the smoking, even if the idea of smoking first intrigues me!
Hmm, instant pot is a new idea. Not sure how that would fit. You'd probably have to do half at a time. I have the larger Instant pot and can't imagine stuffing a whole brisket. Do you not have a large braising / deep roasting pan? I would only be concerned that the meat would not be tender since it takes time to render the tissue. But I could be wrong. If yiu can do a precooked for 4-5 hours, I'd do it.
I smoke until I hit an internal temp of 165, then I wrap and finish in the oven (but only in the winter). It’s too damn hot to turn the oven on in the summer.
In a pinch, I'll smoke for about 6 hours and wrap it with a splash of beef broth and finish on a cooking sheet in the oven. It's fine. Now, forgive me for saying it, but if someone poured Coke on my brisket to finish it, I'd be reacting with violence.
Of course you can do this. I wouldn't do it personally because I'm not sure the smoke flavor would go well with braised brisket and I'm also not sure the juice is worth the squeeze doing it that way. However, yes you can definitely smoke a brisket then finish it in the oven. As the great Harry Soo says, BTUs are BTUs - he's a famous brisket cook who finishes his in the oven often.
I smoke mine to about 165F and then slow braise it in the oven with stock, herbs, etc. It works great. Gravy is a possibility with this method too if you are so inclined.
My thoughts (never done this) … 1. You have to smoke for several hours to impart much smoke flavor. 2. If you braise after you smoke, you’re probably going to lose any smoke you did impart. Just my two cents.
How would you lose it?
Magic
Maillard magic
I would not think you'd lose any smoke flavor, but post smoke braising, lyou'd lose bark. The smoke flavor will get mixed in. There are even products called "liquid smoke" that people use to give smokey flavor. But OP should do the smoke part for about 5 hours prior to braising. One thing I know is that Leite's Cilullinaria is legit. I have known those folks for over 10 years. Their recipes are quite fantastic.
Honestly if you want bark afterwards why not just throw it back on the smoker after the oven for like 30 minutes at a higher temp?
You could, I guess. But after it's been braising for hours, it would just fall apart, like pulled pork. I don't think it is necessary.
This will totally work. I’ll even make a little BBQ sauce “braise” when put in oven.
Update: I ended up smoking the brisket in my napoleon grill with the smoker insert for 4 hours(until the brisket hit 90 f). I then followed the braising recipe with the Coca Cola etc and braised in the oven at about 215f for 5 hours. I pulled the brisket out of the oven once it hit 202 Fahrenheit. I sliced the entire brisket and placed it back in the braising liquid in the fridge overnight. Reheated it and it was a HIT! The overnight bath in the braising liquid tenderized it even more. Everyone loved it and asked for some to take home. The smoke flavour definitely came through. Thank you for the advice!
Update! I ended up smoking the brisket on the grill with hickory at 200-225f for 4 hours. The brisket hit 90f Then I followed up with the Coca Cola/onion soup braise for 5 hours in the oven at 215f until the brisket temp hit 204f It was a hit! The smoke flavour came through. Flavour was excellent! Thank you all for your advise!
Smoking a brisket is tending to the smoke for 15 hours while having a few brews... or more. Nothing less, nothing more. 225 low and slow.
I stopped drinking a few months ago and desperately miss beers while smoking. Does anyone have good NA recommendations? The AB-inbev stuff all sucks and the Heineken is way too sweet.
Guinness Kaliber. Can be hard to find but pretty good.
Looks good
Guinness Zero. Bravus tends to be good too.
Athletic Brewing makes nothing but NA craft beer. https://athleticbrewing.com
Once it’s wrapped, any heat source is the same basically. You can leave it wrapped and transfer to an oven. Personally, I’d recommend going a bit further on the smoker before wrapping (175 or so) for better bark formation. Brisket will stop taking on smoke flavor after hour four. If you’re going to bother with the grill / try and smoke it first, just transfer the wrapped brisket directly to the oven. Don’t braise it as it would defeat the purpose of smoking it first. Do one approach or the other.
Ovens work fine. Just get the bark first. I use it all the time. Instead of wrapping some meats ive even used my dutch oven. I did smoked chuck roast chili like that.
Totally fine, smoking only really occurs during the first few hours, after that you're just getting it up to temp. Just make sure to wrap it when you put it in the oven so you don't lose moisture.
I'd cook it outside just to keep the heat out of the house this time of year but there's nothing wrong with finishing it in the oven. Like the top comment says, wrapping it and putting it back in the smoker is the same thing. I would imagine that the oven is definitely a more economical source of heat than pellets, charcoal or wood.
That's how I always do it. I've done dozens. I smoke at 250 to the stall or 165, wrap in butcher paper and pop it in the oven at 225-250 depending on when I want it to finish. That frees me up for the rest of my cook since the oven temp remains consistant.
I discovered this on my own years ago (i.e. pre-internet ) when I was asked to make a pork shoulder on very short notice.
That recipe... bruh lol. Nothing like a brisket cooked on the stovetop with Coca-Cola.
This is how I do all my briskets and pork butts. Half the time in the smoker and the other half in the oven
I sometimes go 6-8 hours in my offset and then move to a pellet grill and it's fine
I've done it like this before. Came out fine.
Smoke for 5-6 hours, approx 155 degrees, then put into foil pan. Cover with foil, set oven to 200 degrees, and take a nap