If you have cooked a brisket, you know that it is a looonnnggg process! Depending on it’s weight after you clean it, a brisket can take you between 12 and 14 hours to reach the desired internal temperature (200 F). I’m always looking for a way to speed up the process and be able to enjoy my brisket sooner. So, this time I tried the “hot & fast” technique. That means cooking your brisket at 350F for about 6 hours.
Ingredients:
- US Prime Brisket (16 lbs)
- Lane’s BBQ Brisket + Ancho Combo Seasoning
- Apple Juice
- Beef Stock
Another variation I tried was the injection. My go to Brisket and Primer Rib injection is made with Sweet Smoke Q Juice (Beef), apple juice, and apricot nectar. But this time I grounded the seasoning (to a dust) and mixed it with apple juice and beef stock. Even though this seasoning includes a little bit of coffee, the taste was fantastic!
Prep:
- Clean the brisket. I also modified the way I clean the brisket to remove most of the deckle fat. This exposed a larger portion of the point. As a result, there was a lot more seasoned and smoked point to produce burnt ends.
- Ground seasoning (specially if you don’t have an industrial injection), mix with apple and apricot juice, and inject brisket.
- Season on all sides (including the fat cap). I left the injected and seasoned brisket in the fridge overnight.
Cook:
- Pull brisket out of the fridge at least an hour before placing it in the smoker.
- Preheat smoker to 350F.
- Place brisket fat down in the smoker (you should know the best area to place it in your smoker). Make sure you prop the brisket in such a way that does not allow for liquid to accumulate on top of it, thus preventing it from developing good bark. If using a baking pan, you could use some of the trimmed hard fat and some hard vegetables (such as carrots) as props to raise the center of the brisket (like a tent).
- Insert a temp probe in the center of the flat. Set your target temp for 160F.
- Once the brisket reaches 160F internal temp, rap in a double foil paper and place it back in the smoker until it reaches 200 – 210F internal temp.
- Once the internal temp has reached 200 – 210F, pull the brisket out of the smoker and open the foil rap to let out the steam. Re-rap and place in a cooler (cover it with towels or an old blanket) to rest.
- Rest the brisket for a least an hour before slicing.
