Low & Slow Smoked Brisket
April 11, 2023
Reverse Seared Tri-tip
May 7, 2023How to choose the perfect brisket
Credit: IG @831mosauce
One of the most critical parts of smoking an amazing brisket is starting off by selecting the right piece of meat.
Like most cuts of beef, the quality of a brisket varies significantly between brands, grades, and the way the beast is raised. This blog will take you through the key elements to consider when selecting the perfect brisket for smoking low and slow.
Because of the relative size of this article, not every piece of info can be included. If you are looking for more information on how to smoke an amazing brisket, including everything you need to know when choosing the right brisket to buy-Check out the brisket Masterclass HERE.
When selecting a brisket, we have nine elements for consideration. You want to look for as many elements of a good brisket as possible but be mindful that it is rare for us to achieve all of them on the same brisket.
Like most cuts of beef, the quality of a brisket varies significantly between brands, grades, and the way the beast is raised. This blog will take you through the key elements to consider when selecting the perfect brisket for smoking low and slow.
Because of the relative size of this article, not every piece of info can be included. If you are looking for more information on how to smoke an amazing brisket, including everything you need to know when choosing the right brisket to buy-Check out the brisket Masterclass HERE.
When selecting a brisket, we have nine elements for consideration. You want to look for as many elements of a good brisket as possible but be mindful that it is rare for us to achieve all of them on the same brisket.
Weight
Select a brisket between 12-14 pounds to get the best results. If you are feeding a lot of people, choosing a bigger brisket is fine, but will impact cook times.
Exterior Fat
Fat equals flavor-But only if that fat can render down and stay with the meat. Although some exterior fat is great to keep when it's thick it prohibits the development of your bark and can often end up being chewy and rubbery.
Credit: IG @831mosauce
Marbling
Marbling is the flecks of intramuscular fat that runs between the meat throughout your brisket. Marbling has a huge impact on the texture, flavor, tenderness, and overall juiciness.
Here we see two briskets side by side and we can see a noticeable difference between the marbling in each. The right brisket shows larger seams of fat, but they are less frequent. The left brisket has tinner fat seams, but because they are so frequent across the brisket, the results will be significantly better.
The thinner seams of fat render down easier and so create an overall juicier product. Additionally, because the marbling is so consistent, the distribution of the rendered fat is even across the whole brisket. Uneven distribution of fat can lead to some parts of the meat being more tender and juicier while others are dry, lack flavor and are tougher.
Grade
In the US, there is a well-defined beef grading system. In all, there are 8 quality grades ranging from Canner (The lowest grade), all the way up to Prime. At most supermarkets and butchers, you will be choosing between Choice & Prime beef options, but sometimes select will be on offer.Beef grading is determined by a bunch of factors, but most critically it is the marbling of the fat. The more marbling, the higher grade that brisket is likely to be. When choosing a brisket, look for Prime if you can get it. It’s going to give you the best results and will make it easier to cook.
Deckle
Small Deckle- The deckle of the brisket is the mohawk that runs along the top of the brisket. Because it sticks up an inch or so above the rest of the brisket, it is prone to overcooking and burning.
To avoid this, we trim the deckle off prior to cooking. It is great meat as it is ultra-marbled, but because it is essentially waste from the brisket, we want to select a brisket that has a smaller deckle-creating less wastage when removed.
Thick Flat
A packer brisket is made up of two muscles. The point, which is the thick, fatty end and the thinner, leaner end called the flat.
The flat is significantly smaller than the point, which can make it tough to not overcook. To minimize this effect, select a flat that is at least 1 inch thick, ideally more. Any section of the flat, which is thinner than this, will be removed during the trimming process and is therefore waste. Even worse- Any section of the flat which is too thin and gets overcooked is wasted.
Credit: IG @831mosauce
Brisket shape
To understand the ideal shape of a brisket, it’s important to understand what is happening inside your smoker. Smoke and heat is traveling around the brisket and in order for it to cook evenly, the brisket needs to have smooth edges and as much consistency in thickness as possible. (The point will always be thicker than the flat, but the closer they are to the same thickness, the better result you will achieve)
Any parts of the brisket that stick out, come to a point, or are slices in the meat of the brisket will need to be smoothed out and removed.
Color
Good quality beef will be a bright, vibrant purplish red color on the flesh and have smooth, creamy white marbling and fat. If the beef is grass-fed, you can expect to see a yellowish tinge to the fat.
Credit: IG @831mosauce
The Bend Test
The more tender the beef is when raw, the more tender the beef will be when cooked. The bend test helps us identify two things. How tender is the meat and how much fat is running between the point and the flat.
Pick up the brisket and try and touch the tip of the point to the tip of the flat. The easier it is to bend, the better result you will have from the brisket.
Credit: IG @831mosauce
Hopefully, this article helped you to understand more about how you can select the ideal brisket for your next meal. If you are looking for more info, check out my Brisket masterclass HERE which breaks down every single step in the brisket cooking process, or grab a copy of my brisket Cheat Sheet HERE.
