# Brisket, Should it be seared?



## Neck-deep (Jun 27, 2007)

Tonight, I'm going to be smoking a 10lb brisket at around 220 degrees for 15hrs and wanted to know if the brisket should be seared 1st or just thrown in at 220 degrees for 15hrs straight. Also, should the brisket be flipped throughout the whole process? I don't want to use foil paper.

I'm not sure, but I think searing is done to help fasten the cooking time?


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## sotexhookset (Jun 4, 2011)

Seerings purpose is to seal the meat. Not speed up the cooking process. Not necessary to smoke a brisket just make sure to put the fat side up.


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## devil1824 (Sep 4, 2010)

Searing seals the juices in. I sear mine 10min. per side and then smoke fat side up. 

220 and only one brisket should take about half the time. Just check center for 165 degrees.


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## bigl (Mar 3, 2008)

I would take the internal temp to 190 and 200.


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## Paul Marx (Nov 13, 2009)

If you want to serve it sliced take it off at an internal of 165 the temp will keep coming up for a while so let it rest , chill it and slice it . If it's for chopped 185 and do the same rest thing. Searing seals in the juices and give you a good bark on the outside. At some point in cooking it will reach a platue and just sit there at one tempeture . Don't freak out and crank up the heat . It will start to rise in a little bit . The higher temp over 210 you cook at the more moisture it will loose. LOW AND SLOW , but never under 170 on the fire . That puts the meat in the danger zone.


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## ReelWork (May 21, 2004)

Don't Sear

Fat side up 

Leave it alone and keep the temp at around 220 the entire time. 

Allow to rest for 30 minutes prior to cutting and serving. 

Searing isn't necessary when smoking so long as you get the internal temp up to and held at around 200 degrees for several hours. Once the meat reaches that temperature the collagen begins to break down ad become tender - collagen is what makes brisket a tough cut of meat. When done properly a brisket is hard to beat... 

Don't rush it! Some will say run it up to 350 or blah blah nope... Keep the temp around 220 for the entire time. I will sometimes run the smoker up to 300-325 in the beginning to jump start the meat, but only if I'm in a hurry and still let it sit for 6-8 hours at 225. I typically only smoke it for 4-6 hours and then transfer to the oven overnight where I don't have to monitor anything and the temperature is rock steady. You can only impart so much smoke flavor and/or bark and I've found 6 hours is plenty even for the largest of briskets... I like to start with Mesquite then transition to a pecan/hickory mix. Apple is great but like all others can be pricey..

If you're going 15 hours, you'll see that it will not only be plenty tender but juicy as can be.


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## Buckshot Magee (Dec 13, 2009)

bigl said:


> I would take the internal temp to 190 and 200.


Agreed.....At approximately 197 degrees the meat becomes fork tender.

I never can decide on fat up or down, and I've heard persuasive arguments for each. So, I start out fat down, then flip it over 1/2 way through.

Interestingly, whether I smoke slow at 200 degrees or faster 250 - 300, the brisket turns out just as good. I found this out by accident, when unexpected guest gave us only 8 hours notice.

"Texas on the Half Shell" is one of the best Texas cook books ever. I follow their advise generally: low, slow, dry rub, natural smoke - no wrapping in foil, etc....


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## atcNick (Apr 7, 2005)

I've recently started cooking briskets HOT n FAST! Last brisket was 12.5 lbs, cooked it 5 hours and was one of the best briskets I've made so far. 

-Smoker at 325F
-Put meat on and leave it alone, use a remote temp probe and stick it in the thick part of the flat
-At 165F internal wrap it in foil and back on the smoker to about 190F, you will notice the internal temperature "plateaus" a little. At 190F internal meat temp start checking it for tenderness and do this every 5 degrees or so til its tender. Use a fork, skewer, whatever

-When its tender pull it out of the smoker and let it rest in an empty ice chest for an hour or so, longer is ok. Or use a warm oven. Then slice and eat.

Remember, there is no magic internal meat temperature that tells you a brisket is done. It can be 185F or it can be 210F. ITS DONE WHEN ITS DONE! Every brisket is different. No need to spend most of a day cooking a brisket if you can do it in 5 hours, especially if you want to get some sleep. This may not apply if you have a set it and forget it type smoker like an MES or something.

Dont be afraid to use foil!

Let us know how it turned out.


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## Neck-deep (Jun 27, 2007)

*Best brisket I've ever had!*

Guys, I ate the best brisket I've ever had and that's a very good thing, considering all the work I had to do. I was a bit skeptical throughout the whole 15hrs since I haven't ever smoked a brisket before. I had a lot of what ifs during the process and feared that the brisket wasn't going to be any good in the end. I had a couple of challenges throughout the night and into the morning after placing the brisket in at 9pm. For example, I had to deal with a hard drizzle at times that threw my temps down. I fell asleep later around 3am and awoke an hour later to find that the temp went down to 150 degrees. So there I went burning up more lump oak charcoal to add more heat. I also ran out of charcoal / pecan wood around 10am and had to leave the pit to go buy some. I feared that there might have been too much smoke, not enough heat, and most importantly that it wouldn't be ready by 12pm. I almost made a crucial mistake when the inner brisket temperature read 135 degrees around 9am (It stayed at this temperature forever). I was thinking about moving the brisket closer to the fire since I was afraid that it wouldn't be ready by 12pm. Well, I held off and left the brisket alone and tried maintaining heat at 225 degrees for the remaining 3hrs. Sure enough, the brisket temp started rising. I pulled the brisket at 174 degrees right at 11:30pm because guests were coming soon and placed it inside of an ice chest till they arrived. I think I should have waited till 180 degrees but was forced to pull it already (I didn't have a choice). It came out awesome anyway! Here are some pics. Thanks for the help.


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## fishingtwo (Feb 23, 2009)

nice ring............now I am Hungree


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## ReelWork (May 21, 2004)

Looks great! Those chanllenger trials and tribulations (rain, drizzle, no wood, lack of sleep, etc.) are exactly why I pull the brisket and place in the oven, uncovered, overnight after a good 4-6 hours of smoking. Bet you were one tired camper... 

Glad it turned out and sure you learned a bunch of experience!


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## sotexhookset (Jun 4, 2011)

Nice smoke ring. Good job.


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## drfishalot (Sep 9, 2004)

thats a good looking brisket, --you earned it for sho. but too much work for me


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## Neck-deep (Jun 27, 2007)

Thanks guys. It was a lot of work but very rewarding in the end. I learned a couple of do's and don'ts along the way. I had never done a brisket before until now but have done some research on smoking it over the years, I guess to get me ready. I've always wanted to make one before but was waiting to get the right pit. 

I do have a lot of patience. Lol.


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## Delta Elite (May 28, 2011)

When it comes to smoker temps you must remember not everyone has their thermometers in the same place on the smoker. One man's thermometer might be placed a little higher than yours. If you try to match his recommended temp on your pit and the thermo is in a different position, you won't get the same results. Even if the thermos are in the same spot, your smoker might draft differently that the other guy's and the results could vary.

In short, you have to learn what your smoker does. This knowledge can only be obtained through much stick burning and many trips to the butcher.


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## jerkyourcroaker (Aug 21, 2011)

I smoke full packers frequently and follow the same general formula. 

1. Season lightly with a fine grained rub. 

2. Let the meat sweat a bit then season with a simple mix of large grain black pepper and kosher salt (60 grain)

3. Get your smoker to 200 or higher and put the packer fat side up down for an hour or so at low temp. 

4. After an hour, flip it and ramp up to 275 or so. 

5. Let it ride until a toothpick goes into the flat like a toothpick goes into room temp butter. 

6. Pull and let it rest for at least an hour. 

7. Slice and serve. 

For me, that's an. 8 to 10 hour process depending on the size of the packer. Cut it thick. 

I would resist the urge to measure doneness solely by internal temp. That's a recipe for a tough brisket. 
Good luck!


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## Delta Elite (May 28, 2011)

To add to the discussion regarding "resting" the meat.....I typically pull mine off at a given temp, wrap in bath towels (it is already covered in foil), and then place in an ice chest for another hour before slicing.

This method really allows those internal juices, residual mop sauce, etc. to settle evenly back towards the edges.


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## gitchesum (Nov 18, 2006)

ReelWork said:


> Looks great! Those chanllenger trials and tribulations (rain, drizzle, no wood, lack of sleep, etc.) are exactly why I pull the brisket and place in the oven, uncovered, overnight after a good 4-6 hours of smoking. Bet you were one tired camper...
> 
> Glad it turned out and sure you learned a bunch of experience!


Ding Ding Ding....winner winner brisket dinner.

I started doing this a few months ago and will never babysit a pit overnight again. The result is the most tender brisket with great smoke flavor with 1/4 of the work.

I do put a water tray under it and set the oven at 200 for overnight cooking.


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