Traditional Brisket Recipe - The Girl Who Ate Everything (2024)

FAQs

How to make a juicy brisket? ›

After two or four hours of cooking, you can lightly spray your brisket with water, hot sauce, apple cider vinegar, or apple juice. You can do this every 30 minutes or every hour, based on preference.

Although the two brisket cuts can often be used interchangeably, the flat cut is most often used in braises that are sliced, like those popular on Jewish holidays and for corned beef. The fattier point cut, meanwhile, is preferred for pulled beef, beef sandwiches and smoked barbecued brisket.

Not Maintaining a Consistent Temperature

Smoking brisket requires a low and slow cooking method, and the temperature should be between 225-250°F. Beginners should invest in a thermometer to monitor the temperature of their smoker and check it regularly to maintain a consistent temperature.

Keeping a water pan in the smoker is the best way to retain moisture. After the first 2-3 hours start spritzing your brisket with water, apple juice, hot sauce or apple cider vinegar every 30 minutes to an hour. This helps keep it moist and stops it from burning.

Reheat it in a moist environment: One of the easiest ways to soften a dry brisket is to reheat it in a moist environment. You can do this by placing the brisket in a covered dish with a small amount of beef broth, water, or tomato sauce. Cover the dish with foil and bake it in the oven until it is heated through.

Marinating helps tenderize tough cuts by breaking up the muscle fibers. But low, slow cooking does that, too, so no need to marinate when you're smoking brisket. Brown and Ayala start with high-grade brisket from a ranch in Iowa, and season it with nothing more than a dry rub of equal parts salt and pepper.

Brown brisket in a small amount of oil over medium-high heat. Or sear fat side up in a heated 500 ˚F oven for 20 minutes to develop flavor. Add a small amount of liquid (water, broth, or wine) to a Dutch oven, cover tightly, and simmer gently over low heat or in a 275 ˚F oven for 3 to 4 hours, or until tender.

Once your smoker is maintaining 200 degrees, you are ready to place the brisket in the smoker. Place the brisket directly on the smoker grate with the fat side down. Maintain 200°F throughout and keep the smoke going for at least 6 hours if you are not using a stick burner. If you have a water pan, use it.

Brisket is BBQ royalty and one of the hardest and toughest meats to smoke. It takes many hours, dedication and each brisket has a journey and a story to tell.

To set things straight, we're here to put an end to the confusion, so you can get back to the grill with confidence. For brisket cooked to flavorful perfection, fat-side-down is the way to go. This is the only way to achieve a brisket that is perfectly moist with a perfect bark on both sides.

Does brisket get more tender the longer you smoke it? ›

The temperature of the meat begins to rise again -- which you want because brisket gets more tender the longer you cook it. Legend has it "The Texas Crutch" first came into being on the competition barbecue circuit. In these contests, smoked meat must be delivered to the judges at a specific time.

A: You can usually figure about 1.5 hours per pound at 225 degrees for brisket, pork shoulder and other larger pieces of meat. Several things can affect this time such as actual meat thickness, wind, temperature and how often you open the door of the smoker.

6. Cover and refrigerate overnight. 7. About half an hour before smoking the brisket, take it out and let it rest on the counter to warm up a little.

The temperature of the meat begins to rise again -- which you want because brisket gets more tender the longer you cook it.

The type of connective tissue in brisket is called collagen. Cook the meat quickly and you get tough, dry meat. Cook a brisket slowly, with some liquid, and the collagen turns into gelatin. A tender and moist brisket is the result.

If the brisket is tough, it is because it needs more time to cook to tenderize and break down the connective tissues. But, all is not lost.

Long, low and slow bake time is key to breaking down the meat and making it fork-tender.