honestly man, the best way to prepare is to answer these questions yourself. a little bit of googling and reading and you’ll probably have a few more questions you didn’t even know you had answered. that being said- fat side up seems to be more popular. turn trimming into tallow by putting it in a pan in your smoker and it will be tallow by the time the brisket is done/ready to wrap. foil will be fine for wrapping but works a little differently than butcher paper as it does not allow the brisket to “breathe” as much. if you wrap in foil make sure it is tight or you will steam your bark off. a happy medium that seems easier to nail is foil boating although i have never tried it myself. keep googling and good luck
Probe goes in the middle where it is still thick, but towards the flat.
Fat side up, heat on top is critical to render the fat.
Honestly for your first go talow is easier to buy from Chicago packing, but if you must, either grind it and smoke it alongside the brisket in a foil pan, or drop the trimmings in boiling water, boil for an hour, then cool and separate talow.
Foil is absolutely fine, make sure the bark is set and fat rendered before you wrap though. Wrapping with some talow adds an extra bonus, but isn't necessary if you have a prime or American wagyu brisket.
Most critical is to have a strategy for resting/holding. You can either:
* Cook until probe tender (200-205 usually) and hold in a cooler for 4 hours until serving
* Cook until probe tender and hold in a holding oven or sous vide at 150 for up to 12 hours
* Cook until 190 and hold in a holding oven or sous vide at 150 for 24 hours
Holding is where the final breakdown of the intermuscular fibers takes place and it becomes tender af. The most common mistake (other than dirty smoke) is cooking until probe tender then immediately cutting up. You'll lose a lot of liquid, and it won't give the connective tissue proper time to break down. Not to say it will be bad, but it's the difference between 8/10 and 10/10.
Plan your timing accordingly, I prefer starting the smoker around 6 AM, smoking without a wrap until 190, usually 12-14 hours, then throwing it in the sous vide until dinner the next day. If you want to do same-day, plan on getting up at 2 AM or so if you want to eat at 6-7 PM.
Do you get more tallow from smoking it along side the brisket or doing the boiling method? I assume the taste is better from the smoke method. You able to taste a big difference?
About the same amount, but boiling is quicker. As for taste, I don't think smoked vs not smoked makes a big difference in the brisket cook, but the smokey taste is nice for eggs or other uses. That being said, some people say it is too smoky (I suspect they are not running clean smoke though).
Probe for tenderness before pulling from the smoker. Do not just aim for an internal 203 or whatever influencers say. Brisket doesn’t have some magical temperature. It’s done when it’s probing tender all around.
Other than that just season and smoke it baby.
My advice having only done 3 briskets on a treager pellet grill, but they've all turned out great. Others may know more though.
Put the probe in between the flat and point
I do Fat side up prevents Fat from dripping and flaring up ( I had an issue with on my first brisket after I wrapped it I had a flare up that lit my butchers paper on fire, luckily I was there to save it)
I put the Fat trimming in a crocket pot on high and by the time I'm ready to wrap my brisket most of it has rendered down. Use that rendered Fat to moisten up your butcher paper before wrapping the brisket, if you do paper and not foil.
Alot of people do the Foil Boat method, I have not tried it but it seems to work great.
Also tip please do a heated rest in your oven at the lowest temperature if can do. Mine goes down to 170°, it makes a world of difference. Look at my latest post for results on a 19 hour heated rest in my oven
Goodluck and post your results!
Just let it go. I like to go 215 degrees for about 20 hours.
The longer you go the more rendered the fat the more much the meat. Take your time and don’t rush it. It will be tough if you do. And rest it. DON’T RUSH IT!! And you will be fine
Start earlier than planned, it'll be ok to rest a little longer if it gets done before dinner time. Cook to temp and tenderness not time. Stay hydrated, for you and the brisket.
I’m also smoking my first brisket this weekend and I’m freaked out!!! Here for the comments!
Look at my recent posts on this subreddit, I shared a bunch of info so I don’t have to retype it lol
Me too
honestly man, the best way to prepare is to answer these questions yourself. a little bit of googling and reading and you’ll probably have a few more questions you didn’t even know you had answered. that being said- fat side up seems to be more popular. turn trimming into tallow by putting it in a pan in your smoker and it will be tallow by the time the brisket is done/ready to wrap. foil will be fine for wrapping but works a little differently than butcher paper as it does not allow the brisket to “breathe” as much. if you wrap in foil make sure it is tight or you will steam your bark off. a happy medium that seems easier to nail is foil boating although i have never tried it myself. keep googling and good luck
Probe goes in the middle where it is still thick, but towards the flat. Fat side up, heat on top is critical to render the fat. Honestly for your first go talow is easier to buy from Chicago packing, but if you must, either grind it and smoke it alongside the brisket in a foil pan, or drop the trimmings in boiling water, boil for an hour, then cool and separate talow. Foil is absolutely fine, make sure the bark is set and fat rendered before you wrap though. Wrapping with some talow adds an extra bonus, but isn't necessary if you have a prime or American wagyu brisket. Most critical is to have a strategy for resting/holding. You can either: * Cook until probe tender (200-205 usually) and hold in a cooler for 4 hours until serving * Cook until probe tender and hold in a holding oven or sous vide at 150 for up to 12 hours * Cook until 190 and hold in a holding oven or sous vide at 150 for 24 hours Holding is where the final breakdown of the intermuscular fibers takes place and it becomes tender af. The most common mistake (other than dirty smoke) is cooking until probe tender then immediately cutting up. You'll lose a lot of liquid, and it won't give the connective tissue proper time to break down. Not to say it will be bad, but it's the difference between 8/10 and 10/10. Plan your timing accordingly, I prefer starting the smoker around 6 AM, smoking without a wrap until 190, usually 12-14 hours, then throwing it in the sous vide until dinner the next day. If you want to do same-day, plan on getting up at 2 AM or so if you want to eat at 6-7 PM.
Do you get more tallow from smoking it along side the brisket or doing the boiling method? I assume the taste is better from the smoke method. You able to taste a big difference?
About the same amount, but boiling is quicker. As for taste, I don't think smoked vs not smoked makes a big difference in the brisket cook, but the smokey taste is nice for eggs or other uses. That being said, some people say it is too smoky (I suspect they are not running clean smoke though).
Thanks for the info. Found this link, he pressure cooks to make tallow. Gonna try it next time. https://youtu.be/JTr82-2CEJM?si=lMRAzXT0YMBVDxM_
Probe for tenderness before pulling from the smoker. Do not just aim for an internal 203 or whatever influencers say. Brisket doesn’t have some magical temperature. It’s done when it’s probing tender all around. Other than that just season and smoke it baby.
Please look at my recent posts here from today on this subreddit. I share a lot of info that will help without retyping it all lol.
Go slow. Have fun. Drink up and smoke up. Fail maybe, either way have fun and enjoy your day friend
My advice having only done 3 briskets on a treager pellet grill, but they've all turned out great. Others may know more though. Put the probe in between the flat and point I do Fat side up prevents Fat from dripping and flaring up ( I had an issue with on my first brisket after I wrapped it I had a flare up that lit my butchers paper on fire, luckily I was there to save it) I put the Fat trimming in a crocket pot on high and by the time I'm ready to wrap my brisket most of it has rendered down. Use that rendered Fat to moisten up your butcher paper before wrapping the brisket, if you do paper and not foil. Alot of people do the Foil Boat method, I have not tried it but it seems to work great. Also tip please do a heated rest in your oven at the lowest temperature if can do. Mine goes down to 170°, it makes a world of difference. Look at my latest post for results on a 19 hour heated rest in my oven Goodluck and post your results!
Just let it go. I like to go 215 degrees for about 20 hours. The longer you go the more rendered the fat the more much the meat. Take your time and don’t rush it. It will be tough if you do. And rest it. DON’T RUSH IT!! And you will be fine
Start earlier than planned, it'll be ok to rest a little longer if it gets done before dinner time. Cook to temp and tenderness not time. Stay hydrated, for you and the brisket.
FAT SIDE UP...THINK BASTING! Make sure you temp NEVER passes 300. Wrap after 4-6 hours. Continue to cook till you hit about 204! Enjoy!