StevenZ
Texas or nothin'
Finally had some down time and convinced my parents to take my kid or the day/night so the pregnant wife and I could relax a bit. Decided along with the yard work I had to take care of I decided to throw a brisket onto my pellet grill (Grilla Grills brand, Silverbac model).
I picked up a brisket at my local HEB grocery store a couple days ago and noticed that they didn't have much in the way of selection, however the HEB I visited isn't known or catering to people of higher tastes and budgets so pickings were slim. While there were quite a few briskets to choose from, they had zero prime grade (and no section for them) and had only "Select" grade but these briskets were trimmed already and the prices here for "trimmed" briskets are ridiculous. So I wandered a bit further down the aisle and came across some full packers. The prices were REALLY cheap compared to what I'm used to, and aside for a USDA seal on the package, there was no grading. I assume these are below "select" and closer to commercial grade or something like that. That explains how I walked with a 14lb packer for $24.
So, not quite off to the right step, but optimistic being as I've seen others turn out good product on low quality meats, I set off to not only achieve the right tenderness, but also get the right bark that I prefer for my briskets.
I decided to trim my brisket last night and apply a base coat of worcestershire sauce to help the rub stick. My first layer of rub was a reliable SPG mixture (Salt, Pepper, Garlic) 3:2:1 ratio. My next coating was a 4:3:2:1 mixture of Paprika, Salt, Pepper, Coffee grounds (espresso grind). I applied a heavier second rub than first and wrapped tightly in cling wrap to let sit overnight.
By 5:45 this morning I had the smoker up to temp, 235F, using Rec Tec Comp Blend pellets (not my normal choice, but they'll work). The brisket seemed to not weep as much as I expected it to. Not sure if that's a good thing, but when I've done ribs the night before they always wept a bit more. First sign of a poor quality brisket? We'll see.
Attached is how it looked first thing this morning.
I picked up a brisket at my local HEB grocery store a couple days ago and noticed that they didn't have much in the way of selection, however the HEB I visited isn't known or catering to people of higher tastes and budgets so pickings were slim. While there were quite a few briskets to choose from, they had zero prime grade (and no section for them) and had only "Select" grade but these briskets were trimmed already and the prices here for "trimmed" briskets are ridiculous. So I wandered a bit further down the aisle and came across some full packers. The prices were REALLY cheap compared to what I'm used to, and aside for a USDA seal on the package, there was no grading. I assume these are below "select" and closer to commercial grade or something like that. That explains how I walked with a 14lb packer for $24.
So, not quite off to the right step, but optimistic being as I've seen others turn out good product on low quality meats, I set off to not only achieve the right tenderness, but also get the right bark that I prefer for my briskets.
I decided to trim my brisket last night and apply a base coat of worcestershire sauce to help the rub stick. My first layer of rub was a reliable SPG mixture (Salt, Pepper, Garlic) 3:2:1 ratio. My next coating was a 4:3:2:1 mixture of Paprika, Salt, Pepper, Coffee grounds (espresso grind). I applied a heavier second rub than first and wrapped tightly in cling wrap to let sit overnight.
By 5:45 this morning I had the smoker up to temp, 235F, using Rec Tec Comp Blend pellets (not my normal choice, but they'll work). The brisket seemed to not weep as much as I expected it to. Not sure if that's a good thing, but when I've done ribs the night before they always wept a bit more. First sign of a poor quality brisket? We'll see.
Attached is how it looked first thing this morning.
