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Captain Caffeine and the Elusive Brisket

The Captain and I watch a lot of food shows, including the barbecue cookoff competitions, and we drool over the amazing barbecue those guys turn out. We’re especially impressed by the brisket, because the brisket on TV always looks so juicy and delish.

The Captain has been trying to make brisket in his smoker for a while now but it always seemed to come out a bit dry. He tried again this past weekend and I think he’s made his best brisket yet! (He thinks it’s still a bit dry, so maybe my expectations aren’t quite as high.)


I seriously loved his brisket. The meat has a nice smoke ring and I thought it was really tender and juicy.


Any of you use the smoker to make brisket? Any tips or advice?
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Comments

Linda B said…
I do brisket in my roaster oven. I roast it at 250 for 8-12 hours depending on the size. It comes out moist and melt-in-your mouth tender. I bet it's good smoked, too, though!
Thu May 31, 02:18:00 PM 2012
Patrick G. Whalen said…
I'm definitely no pro, but I've made some really good (and some not so good brisket) in my smoker. One thing I do now based on a tip I received seems to have pretty much solved the dryness issue for me. Instead of putting the brisket right into the smoker completely uncooked, I start a fire on the grill and when the flames are nice and hot I sear the brisket on both sides just enough to brown the outside of the meat. This has helped to seal in the juices which are created while the brisket smokes slowly in the smoker. In addition, I now add a small aluminum pan of mixed water, olive oil and herbs just inside the smoker, as close to the firebox as possible. This helps create a moisturizing and tasty steam bath. Oddly enough, I'm now very much craving some smoked brisket :)
Thu May 31, 02:20:00 PM 2012
Patrick G. Whalen said…
I just wanted to add though...the pictures you posted of that brisket look mighty moist and yummy to me!
Thu May 31, 02:28:00 PM 2012
Camy Tang said…
I did a brisket in my slow cooker, and it turned out great! But we like the smokiness that can only come from long hours in the smoker, which is why he's been trying so hard to make it come out just right.
Thu May 31, 08:09:00 PM 2012
Camy Tang said…
Those are good ideas--thanks! I'll pass those on to him.
Thu May 31, 08:10:00 PM 2012
Camy Tang said…
*I* thought the brisket turned out fantastic, but he said it was dry. So I told him I'd eat it all and he took exception to that. :)
Thu May 31, 08:10:00 PM 2012
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