Barbeque Tips

Barbeque Tips for Brisket

There is nothing as delicious as a barbeque brisket. The smoky flavor and tender texture is second to none. If you've never grilled a brisket before, you may want to find out a few barbeque tips that will help your brisket turn out as tender as possible.

If you've never seen a brisket before, it is a tough piece of meat that is full of fat and connective tissue. It was considered good food for the animals or it was boiled until it was edible. When open pit cooking became popular, someone had the bright idea to try cooking a brisket on a closed pit over low heat, and the barbeque brisket was born.

There are several barbeque tips you can follow to help you create a delicious brisket of your own. The brisket offers great beefy flavor without needing a lot of seasoning. It is worth the trouble to learn how to cook it.

Barbeque Tip 1

Pick out a good brisket. You want one that is somewhat flexible rather than stiff. A flexible brisket will be tenderer than a stiff one. There should be a lot of fat on one side. Trim off some, but not all of the fat. You want the fat to melt during cooking to keep your brisket moist.

Barbeque Tip 2

Start your fire ahead of time. Plan to add at least half an hour to get the coals just right before you put your brisket in to cook. If you are using a smoker, you may want to use ten or more pounds of charcoal. Don't use charcoal starter; it will make your brisket taste like starter. Sprinkle wet wood chips on the fire as you cook to add smoke to your cooking. Good choices for wood chips include hickory, mesquite, apple wood and oak. Each imparts its own special flavor to the meat.

Barbeque Tip 3

Set your brisket fat side up in an aluminum pan so you won't lose any drippings. Let the brisket cook slowly for several hours. Use mop sauce every so often to keep the top moist and flavorful. After four or more hours, wrap the brisket in a double layer of aluminum foil and let it continue to cook.

Barbeque Tip 4

Make sure your thermometer is accurate. There is nothing worse than overcooking your brisket because the heat was too high. You end up with a tough, dried up piece of meat, not the delicious, mouth-watering meal you've been anticipating for so long. You can test it by removing it from your grill and matching the temperature with a second thermometer or by testing it in ice water.

Barbeque Tip 5

Let the brisket rest. When it is finally done, the meat needs to rest so it can reabsorb all the juices. If it doesn't get this time, every slice you make lets the juices run out on the plate instead of staying in the meat where it belongs. If you can wait at least an hour, you're good. Wait longer if you can. You won't be sorry.

By following these barbeque tips, you'll find that your brisket turns out delicious every time. Don't ruin your brisket by using hit and miss methods.