by terry08 » Wed Apr 27, 2016 8:42 pm
Jimmy, I have gotten to old. I have been smoking and cooking brisket in the oven for many years. Like chicken wings, they were once considered to be the least desired and cheapest cuts of meat. But due to competition cooking and hot wings, they have both become way over priced. Especially the brisket, since it is not cut from heavy aged beef as the ones that we used to buy for under a dollar a pound from local butcher shops. When buying steaks, brisket, and many other cuts today, there is no guarantee that you are getting a tender cut of meat. I like to think that I am a pretty good judge of meat, but find myself like so many others today realizing that you can no longer judge meat by looks alone.
All that being said, I try to do all I can to ensure that I end up with at least an edible piece of meat when it comes to a brisket. I will try to buy it two weeks in advance, and let it age in the fridge for that amount of time. This is not true aging but I feel like it helps.
I use my old stand by Rebel Rub, I have tried many others with good results. But Rebel has never failed me and seems to please everybody's taste. I will melt 1 or 2 sticks of salted butter, not margin, and add about a half a cup of apple juice to it. I rub my brisket down with the mixture and leave it in the mix overnight in the fridge. The next morning, I coat it heavy with the Rebel Rub and let it come to room temperature. I drain the apple butter mixture into a cup and keep for later. I place the brisket in the same aluminum pan and into the smoker at 225 degrees. With a meat probe inserted. I have a Taylor probe which is very accurate. I use apple chips or pellets and smoke for 4 to 6 hours but usually 4 is plenty for me. I then let it go until my probe reads 185 degrees, I pull it out and brush on the apple butter I reserved cover with foil and let rest for 45 minutes. It should get very close to 195 at that point. I let cool a little before slicing. If I am lucky enough to have got a good brisket, it should be tender and tasty. But I have done this many times and still ended up with a tough cut of meat. Unless you know for a fact that you have a heavy aged cut from good stock, all you can do is hope for the best.
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