Homemade Sausage Making

On the next brisket I do I am going to start it about mid night, so I can eat around 4 to 6 the next day. Just seems like 10-11 hours is not quite enough. I generally lay a pretty thick layer of Zatarains Cajun seasoning on the hunk and throw it in the smoker at 225. Then after an hour I start basting it with a mop of 3 cups red vinegar, 1 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup regular mustard and tablespoon or so of sage. We are pretty lucky around here and are able to find "Choice" Brisket. I will pay more attention to getting it up to 190 degrees. I think I will wrap it the last hour or two then wrap it in a towel and into the ice chest for juice redistribution. I may take a meat pump and brine it. Any suggestions on that topic?

V-465

sausagemaneric wrote:On the next brisket I do I am going to start it about mid night, so I can eat around 4 to 6 the next day. Just seems like 10-11 hours is not quite enough. I generally lay a pretty thick layer of Zatarains Cajun seasoning on the hunk and throw it in the smoker at 225.

You might want to try it at 250 or a little more, this next time. It'll go quicker.

sausagemaneric wrote: Then after an hour I start basting it with a mop of 3 cups red vinegar, 1 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup regular mustard and tablespoon or so of sage. We are pretty lucky around here and are able to find "Choice" Brisket. I will pay more attention to getting it up to 190 degrees.

As for the mop, try not to wash off too much of the Zatarain's. (That's the old "rub versus mop" dilemma.) 185° to 190° is where I target. Yours should work fine, especially with the rest (below).

sausagemaneric wrote: I think I will wrap it the last hour or two then wrap it in a towel and into the ice chest for juice redistribution. I may take a meat pump and brine it. Any suggestions on that topic?

To brine a brisket, read up on making corned beef and pastrami. Those ought to be fun to make, too.

Best of luck. (Yawn.)

I've made lots of corned beef and pastrami, ham, canadian bacon, regular bacon etc. I was wandering what type of brine one might inject into a Brisket for BBQ. I have read on post that someone said only to inject/brine with broth and it would not change the flavor of the meat only enhance the moisture content. When I brine chicken and turkey I use a gallon of water, cup of salt, 1/2 cup sugar and a bout a cup of soy sauce. If I brined the brisket that would be my starting point....any ideas about that?

V-465

...not sure about California, but the "Cajun Meat Injector" has been all the rage on the Gulf Coast for the last five years or so. ...so hey! Why not a brisket? It ought to be interesting. I've done it on turkeys (turkies?) and chicken, but never on a brisket. (In Texas, there are certain unwritten "rules"...)

Here's one of about a bazillion links to check out, this one regarding injecting brisket. Google the rest if you have a spare month or two. ...sounds interesting. Have fun!
http://bbq.about.com/od/brisket/ss/aa092708a_4.htm

I think the next one will get brined and pumped with salt water type brine, no cure of course. I would just like to get the flat a little more moist. I have found when one goes to a BBQ House and they tell you that the beans and/or chili is made using the brisket they smoke, I'm thinkin they use the flat for the beans and the fat end for serving.

Around here, you can choose either end. I prefer the fatty end. As you say, it's more moist and tender. My wife always orders the less-fatty, then complains that it's not tender enough. Solve this problem with your injector technique and you might win the Nobel prize. ...Nobel Food Distributors, anyway.

Some use the "burnt ends" in the beans ("charro" style pinto beans), but too much can over-power the flavor.

There's a really good BBQ place not too far from here that makes sausage out of brisket trimmings, which puts the fat content closer to 50% than the usual 20%-30%, but don't tell anybody. It's probably illegal by FDA standards. It tastes so good that you can feel it in your arteries.

Do not be afraid to cook your brisket at 300F. some of my most tender and juicy briskets were cooked hot n fast. Less than 5 hours.