Traditional Brisket Recipe - The Girl Who Ate Everything (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to brisket? ›

Make sure the smoker is actually hot

Preheating your smoker is more important than you think for achieving a perfectly cooked brisket. In fact, if you neglect this step and put the brisket in too soon, it could critically affect your results. “It's just like preheating an oven,” Fulk says.

Brisket is a popular Ashkenazi Jewish dish of braised beef brisket, served hot and traditionally accompanied by potato or other non-dairy kugel, latkes, and often preceded by matzo ball soup. It is commonly served for Jewish holidays such as Hanukkah, Passover, Rosh Hashanah, and Shabbat.

Once seared, place brisket in foil pan, fat side up, and smoke, uncovered for 2 hours. Flip brisket and smoke for 1 hour. At this point, the juices inside are under a fair amount of pressure. It is important not to pierce the meat from this point until it is done.

That means that they smoke the brisket with a medium temperature, then on a very high temperature for a short period and then steam it for the last 10 degrees over a very long period of time.

It also serves as the perfect probe to feel for doneness. There is no magic number for when briskets are done. I've had briskets be done anywhere from 200° – 208°. What are you looking for is for it to feel done.

Long, slow cooking. You cannot rush it. Fast high heat dries the meat out and you end up with tough beef. Low and slow.

All brisket, no matter which cut you choose, is a tough cut of meat that needs to be cooked low and slow: think oven, slow cooker or indirect heat on a grill.

Technically, filet mignon is as kosher as any other cut of meat. The problem with filet mignon and other cuts from the rear is that they are located near the sciatic nerve and fatty deposits known in Hebrew as chelev, which are Biblically forbidden.

“Brisket is implicitly kosher since it's from the front of the animal,” said New York Times reporter Julia Moskin, “and it was cheap because anything that takes a long time to cook and that can't be grilled has challenges, especially in a restaurant.” Davis added that while the ribs are also from the front of the ...

The cut of beef was decided to be celebratory and important due to its location. Brisket is found in the cow's front breast, making it kosher for Jews to consume.

What is the best liquid to keep brisket moist? ›

Keeping a water pan in the smoker is the best way to retain moisture. After the first 2-3 hours start spritzing your brisket with water, apple juice, hot sauce or apple cider vinegar every 30 minutes to an hour. This helps keep it moist and stops it from burning.

It's a tough cut of meat, which is why the best way to cook brisket is a low-and-slow method: Long, slow cooking makes it tender.

Pour apple cider vinegar over the brisket. The vinegar will help tenderize the meat and will add sweetness to it. Proper brisket should be cooked low and slow in a smoker, using wood or charcoal.

Wrapping the brisket at this stage also helps keep it moist and tender by trapping the juices and preventing it from drying out. If you wrap a brisket too early, you may end up with a softer, less textured bark. If you wrap the brisket late, it may take a lot longer to cook.

Danger Zone for Smoking and Grilling Meat

As mentioned above, the temperature danger zone is 46°F -140°F (8°C-60°C). Hence, it is better to keep the hot smoking or grill above 158°F (70°C).

The main disadvantage of wrapping is that a wrapped brisket will taste slightly less smoky than it would if you left it unwrapped. Other downsides include possible loss of texture to the bark, and the risk of overcooking.

Put brisket on the grill at 225 °F. Smoke for 6 hours until internal temperature is 160 °F.