Trying to Smoke Brisket at Home - An Experiment | Sorted Food 

A whole 11 minutes of Jamie playing with his meat?! What more could I ask for

Hey Jamie, the reason why the brisket temp started going down is it hit the "stall". Brisket & pork butt (pork Boston shoulder) all hit the stall at about 165- 175°F. It basically starts to "sweat" as the fat renders out. What most people do is wrap tight in foil and continue to cook until internal temp hits 200°F. Here's a good article for more amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/the_stall.html Happy BBQ-ing and Enjoy!

As a lifelong Texan, let me just say....Nicely done. Do it a few more times and you'll figure out what works best for you. The main thing is that your attitude's right. You respect the meat and respect the process. That's 99% of the battle.

I'd enjoy it if the boys each got their own episode doing things that they liked. It was fun watching Jamie be so enthused about something he loves.

It's 5 a.m in Texas, but I saw a brisket notification

A good on line resource is from a guy named meathead who has as much science as Ben would want. Brisket is the most finicky of the meats and you have such a narrow range of temperature to keep the meat so that the collagen melts into lovely goodness. Pork shoulder is much more forgiving if you just starting out with smoking. I usually watch my temperature like a hawk and plan to make more coals part way through. You often find a point where the temperature "stalls" and when you hit the stall with your temperature wrap with aluminum foil "the Texas Crutch" because this reduces the rate of moisture/heat loss so your temp keeps climbing up. The wood choice and rub was fine although I usually put the rub on and wrap with plastic wrap overnight. Experimenting with rubs can be a life long hobby. Often adding sugar to the rub also adds a bit of char and a thicker crust. Other herbs and spices are just a more complex flavor and are personal taste. There is so much more, but I learned a lot from Meathead and his Amazing Ribs. Go ahead and give him a Google.

Brownie point for Jamie x

should have put some brown sugar in the rub. this adds sweetness as well as helps it hold on to some moisture and grabs some more of the smokey flavor, without burning it. You want to cook it on the lower side of "ideal" so the sugars caramelize more than burns.

I cook a lot of stuff in the smoker and I enjoyed seeing someone starting out. I will make the disclaimer that all my temperatures are in Fahrenheit ( silly Americans and our need to be different). First thing is to invest in an actual thermometer to replace the hot, ideal, warm gauge with. If you do stick with it, keep it about a quarter of the way into Ideal past warm. You want to smoke stuff between 210-225 degrees. Any higher and you run the risk of cooking it too fast, it coming out tough and dry. Losing that high temperature for a while probably saved you. Definitely next time try and stay with your smoker or have someone there to watch it for you. Good charcoal, but I would look for bigger wood chips, chunks are ideal as they will smoke longer and give you more smoke. Also, you said you added the chips straight to your coals. That just burns them up faster, wrap them in aluminum foil and poke some holes in it. It takes them longer to burn up and you get more smoke. You can also put your chips into the second pan that has water and goes above the first. As the water boils it heats the chips and will produce smoke, just keep an eye on it and add a little water as it runs out, but do not keep too much water in it. Beer also works in this scenario and adds a little bit of additional flavor. Cook your meat till about five degrees before it is done, pull it, wrap it in foil, then in a towel, and put it somewhere it can stay warm. In a cooler, your oven, somewhere it won't cool down. Let it finish cooking the last few degrees like this for at least 30 minutes. This also allows the meat to rest and the moisture to redistribute back throughout the meat. It looked like you cut the brisket right after you got it inside, that could have just been a trick of the editing. That is the biggest error in smoking. It has to rest for at least 30 minutes. Keeps the meat tender and moist. As far as seasonings go, I always go for the trifecta as I call it. Salt, Pepper, Garlic. Then you can build your rub from there. When it comes to brisket do not add any sugar. Brown sugar works great with pork... not beef.Unless you are into sweet meat. I always try something new. The spices you choose are always specific to you. But start with Salt, Pepper, Garlic and you cannot go wrong. Be experimental too. I make a great smoked curry and ginger ribs. Also, make sure you let your rub sit on your meet for at least 24 hours. Really makes the difference in how it absorbs the flavor. A brine is good for poultry, but I never use them for beef or pork, same goes for injections. Just keep at it, learning is trial and error. Rubs for Beef: (I make my rubs in bulk)3 cups Salt, pepper, garlic powder. This is a good basic rub for everyone ( in case you have someone not into spicy food). Advanced beef: Basic rub above and add 2 cups onion powder. 2 cups cayenne pepper, 2 cups paprika, Pork, take all of the above and add 3 cups of brown sugar. Like I said, I make these three rubs in bulk and keep them in an airtight container. If I want to experiment, I take out some of the basic rub and play with other spices. For instance the curry and ginger ribs. I took a few tablespoons of the basic rub and added curry and ginger till I thought the rub tasted good and then rubbed the ribs down. But honestly, the thing about smoking meat is, simple is good.

It actually said "do not eat" on the wood chips.... That must mean that someone ate some at some point, probably because they are called chips... I'm not sure how to feel about that.

I know I am quite late to this video, but as a TX girl who preps briskets for our smoker here are a couple things I do. I rub my brisket with mustard (usually yellow), before adding the spice rub. Add brown sugar to your rub for some sweetness, and I also use paprika, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder as well as the spices you used. Play around with the flavors and find a mix you like!

Jamie looks so excited this whole video. It's so adorable😂😂

Now that it's been a couple of years, it'd be neat to get an update on this process and see any improvements or alternative versions learned over the years. Different flavor profiles and cuts of meats that have been attempted.

The last time I was this early, Tyrone was still alive. #BringTyroneBack

I love Jamie's hurry up song!!!!❤❤❤

How about an updated smoking video? I’ve started doing a bit in Ireland now after a trip to Texas also! Loving it so far!

FIRST

What an adorable baby sized brisket! Whenever my husband prunes the fruit trees I like to experiment with different woods, however as controversial as it may be, I have the best results with a long slow smoke over coal and bay tree wood. It imparts a bright red smoke ring and deep herbaceous flavour alongside the smoke. Also, cheap instant coffee has always been my secret for a solid bark. Additionally, everyone can make this without an expensive smoker, even on holidays brisket can be made with care using a basic weber BBQ, the snake coal method and a bit of care using a thermometer.

now this looks like bbq! Jamie, if you are interested, I will cheerfully send you brine, rub anf sauce recipes for your future endeavours in the bbq world.

I love the effort that went into filming this ❤️ Would love to see Jamie do this again now. Like has he kept up the skill? 🤔

Whenever I do brisket I always let it chill in some salt brine for 24 hours. Example: 4L water 225g salt 125g sugar And some herbs (your choice) This way you blow up some of the cells in the meat, which makes it more easy for the meat to hold on to flavor and juices! After that inject it with some kind of marinade. Now just do what you did in the video. I promice you, thats the way.

Best 4th of July ever was in the rain with my dad for 15 hours while we smoked a whole array of food. Smokers are magical.

I'm so happy for Jamie that it worked!

That smoke ring was beautiful

I have watched this multiple times and I really want to see how far Jamie has gotten with this, and how much he improved so far!

Done a few Briskets before. The time when the temp drops is called the stall, that is when the fat melts and is absorbed back into the brisket. ( as long as you put the brisket fat side up) In the last hour or two of cooking i like to baste mine with whiskey and melted butter. For a 12 lbs brisket use 4 ounces whiskey to one pound melted butter. About every half hour. For the rub on a 6 lbs brisket 2 Tbsp Kosher salt 3 Tbsp Cracked black pepper 1 Tbsp Crushed red chilli flakes 4 Tbsp Brown sugar 1 Tbsp crushed garlic 3 Tbsp Ancho chilli powder Rub on meat, allow it to sit on counter for an hour to reach room temp. then it goes on the smoker.

A great rub I use is smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne powder, chilli powder, garlic powder, black pepper and brown sugar. You have to put sugar on for it to really caramelise and get burnt ends. The smoked paprika, cumin and garlic powder really helps balance the heat from the chilli and cayenne powder. You could also brine your meat 8-12 hours beforehand in either a salt water or vinegar. I use a red wine vinegar or cider vinegar.

As an Austinite of 23 years and a serious lover of bbq, I have to say... I am impressed. Jamie, you have never shown that level dedication to research in any of the other videos (maybe blame Mike's editing?). Obviously a better smoker and practice with timing batches of coals and such will go a long way to help, adding more spices to the rub. But I gotta say, you are on your way to smoking like a Texan :D

I'm early again. But you messed up last week and to be honest.. I was never THAT early. Let's watch this video again

I don't think I've ever seen Jamie work this hard or exude this much passion in a video before.

Jamie, One thing that I do is put the wood chips in a aluminium pocket instead of directly on the fire, as the chips burn away too quickly if you put them in the fire directly. If you put them in the foil pocket they last much longer and smoke more before they are spent, giving you a much more smokey flavor.

Put all the charcoal needed in the smoker then regulate the temp with airflow. Add air to make it hotter and restrict air to cool it

I'm not sure if we are talking about two different things here, because I think the terminology here in Germany is a bit different, but when I smoke things, I usually put them in a brine overnight if it is meat, and for about 6 hours for fish (but only whole fish, I don't see the point in smoking a single filet) with a lot of salt, to get a little bit of flavour in and to get water out. I would say it helps the flavour of the smoke to get into the meat, but I'm not sure, but it helps preserve it. Then I make sure that whatever I'm smoking doesn't come in contact with direct heat, and I use a LOT of woodchips. Basically every half an hour or so I put some new one it, so there is a lot of smoke all the time. But the way I'm doing it is basically preserving it with smoke, so that my end product is like a ham or a smoked fish. Not sure if that is what you were looking for, but that's how I do it.

We use mesquite wood here mostly because it's a weed and mostly because it's delicious! Oak tends to get a little acrid (I think) if it goes too long. I would do a blend a woods for smoking. You could also do some different spices for your rub. My favorite has paprika and garlic with lots of herbs and spices.

The joys of experimenting -- guess I do am a bit of a geek/nerd. I'm glad this exists.

Mesquite works great as well. Spray with Apple juice every hour. Add some lemon pepper seasoning to your rub. Before adding the rub, coat it in plain yellow mustard to allow more rub to adhere thus better bark.

Nicely done. Looks like you got a great crust too. Don't get nervous during the stall, its suppose to happen. Another thing to try is to wrap your brisket in butcher paper right after the stall. It lets smoke in and keeps in more juices.

Kudos for temp controlling that thing. That's a big part to smoking well - consistency with your temperature. Maybe opt for more insulated smoker next time? My husband uses an Akorn we got on the cheap and loves it!

This week's theme makes me want to get a portable grill and do a bbq month myself. You should definitely start your future videos with a disclaimer - "Do not watch if you're hungry", because i'm not heading to my fridge to devour EVERYTHING i have in it.

I really like that you recorded experimenting with something new. It shows us amateurs that the pros get rocky starts off too, but it doesn't diminish their love of cooking!

Really enjoyed this! A man who knows what he loves, that kind of passion from being in your element. Also, day long American bbq is such a different beast from typical restaurant fine dining fare: cool to learn and explore with Jamie.

Just a tip, from Lockhart, Texas, barbeque capital, always put the fatty side of the brisket down on the bottom, and rub your meat however you please, its your meat afterall. ;) Although for my rub I tend to keep it simple salt pepper, touch of paprika and a tinsy bit of cayenne. Also for choosing what wood to use I tend to favor mesquite or oak

Ad. Brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, smoked paprika, etc. And spray lightly with apple juice or apple cider occasionally during smoking or inject your brisket with juice or cider.

I smoke my brisket for 5 hours over charcoal and Apple wood, trying to hold temp around 200-250. then i pull it, wrap it in foil and toss it in the oven at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for another 5 hours. once the cook is done I turn the oven to warm and rest the brisket in the warm oven for 2 hours. turns out awesome.

That drop in meat temp is called the stall. There is a point where the meat does not get hotter and then suddenly it starts to climb again. Fantastic job! Wrap it in butcher paper and let it rest in a cooler for 2 hours then slice.

easy good rub in U.S. measurements 1 cup garlic powder 1 cup onion powder half cup of the following smoked paprika salt black pepper cayenne. if you want the rub on the sweet side use a half cup of sugar. i'm not a fan of the sugar tho. after you get the coals ready just add coals as you go on top of the hot ones, no need to keep using the chimney.

My rub: 3 tbsp Paprika, 1/2 TSB Hot Chilli Powder, 1/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper, 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper, 3/4 TsbWhite Pepper, 1 Tbsp Cumin, 3/4 TspOnion Powder, 3/4 Tsp Garlic Granules, 3/4 Tsp Salt, 1/2 Tsp Crushed Corriander seed If you're feeling rogue you can stick some dark brown sugar in there too.

Jamie, I think you finally found your calling barbecue. Have a good week.

Is love to see you make another brisket. See how far you've come

i worked for a texas bbq restaurant. Your brisket was two pieces, unlike the single pieces at the place I worked, and they didn't season but they did smoke overnight. That being said their smoke pit was the size of the entire wall of the restaurant. Wouldn't expect the same from you, but it looked similar. Don't know what to think, but "texas good" was quite good indeed. I hope you perfected this 3 years since the air of the video!

Use salt, thyme, pepper, powdered mace for the rub, or instead of powdered mace, soak some blade-mace with the wood-chips. Coarse-grind the thyme in a mortar, then add the rest of the rub & grind together.

I don't know how I missed this video when it came out, but I saw it today. So i'm from San Antonio, Texas, the rub you did it right the big thing to remember is to go with the flavors you like and don't be shy with the salt, leaving the fat cap on is also important. I tend to score a cross hatch of diamonds into the fat and rub Kosher Salt inside of it and let set in the fridge for 12 hours, (be sure to rinse that salt off, and then re-season with the rub) Typically you have the people who sauce the meat and the people that don't, I don't I put bbq sauce on the side if people want it, but the meat should do the talking. I don't ever smoke it more than 8 hours, after 12 years of trial and error with Brisket, I prefer to smoke it 8 hours and then put it in the oven at 220 Fahrenheit for 2 to 3 hours wrapped in foil to get the temperature right. It's hard to overcook a brisket, but you want to be sure you don't under cook it, otherwise the sinew and tough bits don't breakdown and you end up with tasty but tough tough tough meat.

Quick tip for you and others. If you are at home once the bark sets and hits 140 F or 60 C it took in all the smoke it can take and you can just finish it in the oven. It could be more convenient for some as and save on using extra wood or charcoal

This video is really great; love learning about new stuff, love brisket, love that I can tell Jamie really cares about getting it right and has obviously done his research. Top notch.

i have a sugar maple in my front yard, so ive trimmed it a bit through the years, and when i want to smoke something, i start the charcoal, get it going in a weber grill, and when it's good and ready, i throw a stick on top of the coals directly, let it catch fire, put it out by putting the lid on and closing all of the vents. when you open it back up, the stick may catch fire again, but careful control of your air supply will keep the smoke rolling without the fire getting beyond "low and slow" level. 93 seems high. if i was going to do a whole brisket, i would probably go around 85 for as long as i can. if you're using chips like that, i would make packets with aluminum foil full of chips with holes poked in them that you can throw straight on the coals. you dont want the smoking agents to burn, you want them to smolder. the packets keep them from catching fire, but they let enough heat in that it makes the wood think it wants to burn. we call that a smokifier, just like the engine. you are essentially making a double boiler that never gets to a flash point.

This was a great video and a great attempt by Jamie. I do hope he gets a brownie point or two for this !! Now that Jamie has made this once... he is going to be hooked and will do it again and again. Next year, SORTED will need to do BBQ week and Jamie can do another Brisket and show off how much he has learned and improved !

Also! You can make burnt ends out of any part of your brisket. We did this yesterday by just taking the smaller muscle (the point) cubing it up and frying it up in rendered fat we had trimmed off earlier. Toss them in some mop sauce and they were just as good as I have ever had.

is this a repost or have I time travelled ???!!!!!!!!!

I love you guys soo much, I had to stay up to 2am so I can watch your new episode ♡

The meat could be marinated the night before with some sauce, drained off before putting on the spices for the dry rub, so that the dry rub creates a crust on the outside of the meat that will slowly flavour the meat from outside in and makes an amazing bark that taste superbly awesome.

If you spritz the paper you are using to light the charcoal with a touch of oil, it will help the paper burn longer. I've heard it makes lighting charcoal a bit easier.

i would love to see more experiment videos of you. Really like this style of trying something new and explaing what is going wrong along the way :D

Jamie, mate, you have beautiful eyelashes.

Hey brother, not sure if after a year and a half if your still into briskit. I worked in a BBQ place for close to a decade and have the best NC briskit I've ever had. -Rub it with 1 cup garlic powder, meat tenderizer, pepper, and 1/2 cup powder onion. Rub it so thick the briskit is white. -Rotisserie it at 235 for 8 hours -Smoke it for 3 hours minimum -Slick .25 inch and drizzle the juice back on it that came out the briskit while cutting.

As someone born in KC, it's amusing to hear someone explain 'burnt ends'. While your rub was pretty basic, I'm sure that brisket tasted good. Good job!

Something sweet in the rub would kick it up a notch. Brown sugar, molasses, honey, something that tastes good. A mix of woods can also yield a great flavor. A brine or an injection will also work wonders. Low and slow is ideal. You could also do a slather. It's not texas bbq if you use a wet slather but it can still be really good.

wow, this was a one man showmanship...impressed

Jamie is my spirit animal.

Texan here, try pokeing holes in the meat before applying the rub, tenderizes and lets it soak in below the fat/outer layer. Secondly put the fatty piece on top of the thinner piece. (Edit: they need to be on seperate racks!) The fat dripping will soften the smaller less fat piece. Keeps fron toughening the meat. Make sure there is a water bowl to catch these fat drippings or the burned fat smell will mix with your smoke. Water bowl needs to be refilled often. Finally, after its done on the smoker, if you put it in the oven at 250 for about 2 hours wrapped in foil, it will sweat out all the fat. The juices can be used over top the brisket and it tastes amazing. It also lets people who dont like the fattyness of brisket to have a leaner piece. Completely optional. As for spices, when you were in austin did you visit stubbs bbq? They have a rub that works brilliantly. Also I prefer mesquite wood chips.

Jamie, everyone loves bbq from the south, but you should check out bbq from my neck of the woods, California. It's called Santa Maria style bbq and centers around tri-tip steak.

1. Add dark brown sugar to the rub. 2. Add more wood chips (if you were going for "whiskey flavored," put a shot of whiskey in the water (wood chip water, steam water, or both) 3. Do it when you have no other plans, that temperature fluctuation from when you were on the beach could have killed it.

Jamie, you don't have to worry about the smoker being cheap. Sometimes cheap is good. As long as you take good care of the smoker, it'll last a long time. Also from what I know from smoking a brisket is that there is a heat wall you'll encounter about a few hours in. The temperature of the brisket will look like it's not rising at all and stay around 160 to 180 Fahrenheit. (Sorry for not saying in Celsius). But if you check your coals when that's happening and you see the coals are still large and burning don't add new charcoal to boost the temperature.

Ok your rub for brisket was almost spot on (would of added a bit more coarse black pepper) your choice of wood chips was a great call for brisket (I use a mixture of oak and a bit of cherry). The only pointer I'd give is wrap it. After about 8 hours on smoke take it out and wrap it in either butcher paper or foil, I prefer butcher paper. Return it to the smoker for a few more hours after you wrap it 202°f/95°c. Now the hardest part, letting it rest. Let it rest for a good 20 minutes. Trust me don't ever skip the resting. Last is slice that baby up and enjoy your hard work. I'd love to see you guys do more BBQ. Maybe a pork butt 🐷 or a whole yardbird🐔 Try out some sauces 😍 Also if you're going to continue with that type of smoker get yourself a smoke box, or wrap your chips in aluminum foil and poke a few holes in the pouch. 👍🏼

simple salt and pepper rub is all you need, let the meat get to room before you start. if you can get Pecan wood, that's really good. once it's done smoking put it in a cooler and let it rest for an hour, that way it gives it time to soak the juices and let's the meat rest.

Lots of good advice in the comments. Longer pretreatment (brining, dry or wet rub, definitely containing some form of sugar) is really key. Combination cooking methods (smoking, braising, lower heat for a longer time) are all viable so keep experimenting. Google your choices of brisket cuts, and get some advice from your butcher to find out what's available to you -- beef ribs are also delicious.

did a brisket on a weber kettle the other day, in iceland of all places. had to monitor that heat and manage the smoke like a babysitter(cowsitter?). Almost felt giving up half way through and chuckin it in the oven like any normal guy would. but my god did it pay off, delicious.

A little late to the party, but when meat temp stalled/dropped, you should wrap it in a few layers of butchers paper or aluminum foil. Trap the steam and let that push through to the end. Then leave it in the wrap and rest it either in a cooler (no ice) or under some towels/blanket to keep it warm. We can keep a brisket ready to go in a cooler and towels like that for over an hour before serving in case it cooked faster than you planned. But overall, Fantastic! Hi from Birmingham, no, not that one, the other one. Alabama, USA

really enjoyed this style of video! please do more!

I use a smoker to smoke meat, bird, fish, and vegetables not to cook them. I brine and smoke more than 100 pounds of salmon every August. I brine them for 8 hours (overnight in the refrigerator), rinse and air-dry the fillets for ~4 hours, then smoke them always at a low temperature (less than 140°F or 60°C) for 16 to 18 hours using alder chips. To ensure the fish is cooked thoroughly after it has finished smoking I put it in the oven until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F or 74°C. The low and slow process always produces deliciously moist smoked salmon. With meats I prefer using a rotisserie with my smoker for a more even covering of the smoke. Again, they are brined overnight. The firebox for the smoker is separate and only the smoke is piped in, so the heat where the meat is located is at a very low temperature. The meat is only smoking, not cooking. I might smoke meat a few days to a few months before I prepare it, so I don't want it cooked. I cook it just prior to serving it. Smoking bird is a little different, depending on the type of bird. As a general rule, any bird with red meat (duck, goose, pigeon, dove, pheasant, grouse, etc.) you need to dry age for up to 3 days in order to tenderize their highly oxygenated muscles. Birds with white meat (chickens, turkeys, etc.) do not need to be dry aged. It is a different type of muscle. Brine the birds overnight to keep them moist, but rinse and dry them off thoroughly before smoking. Otherwise I smoke them very similar to meat (pork, beef, moose, caribou, etc.) -- low temperature for a minimum of 12 hours. Vegetables are the easiest to smoke. The don't need to be brined, and typically do not require long smoking times. A few hours is all that is needed to get a nice smoke flavor on most vegetables. Again, the temperature stays low so they do not cook.

Wrap it for the last two or three hours in foil or butcher paper. After it hits temp take it off let it rest for about half an hour so it can reabsorb juices. Also inject with beef broth at the beginning and let the meat come up to room temperature before putting on the fire. Also change the thermometer on the smoker to something that tells an actual temperature. It will help in the long run, especially if the digital one runs out of battery.

Oh your brisket hit the stall and you almost started to panic. Don't panic when you hit the stall, just wrap it in tin foil and let it continue on through. Also, all you need is only kosher salt and coarse ground pepper and nothing else. Hell, I would go to the UK just to teach you all how to bbq.

this morning i woke up star struck i dreamt i was meeting the sorted crew in Sweden and got me alot of hugs :) thank you for invading my dreams. I woke up happy ^^

Honestly even in 2021 this is still one of my favourite sorted videos

Brining your meat two days before the cooking day, add brown sugar, cumin, kosher salt (yes, it DOES make a difference....then have your wood chips actually smoking before adding the brisket. A chef, by the name Alton Brown, shows a fantastic way to ratio your rubs. You should look his page up.

Rub recipe 1/4 c. packed brown sugar 2 1/2 tbsp. kosher salt 2 tbsp. chili powder 1 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper 1 tbsp. cumin 2 tsp. garlic powder 2 tsp. dried oregano 2 tsp. smoked paprika 1 tsp. cayenne 1 tsp. cinnamon

Really good for you first try. Keep at it and find out what works for you. A few suggestions: The rub is a personal thing (I like different rubs on different cuts). I tend to do more spicy for beef and sweeter for pork. Always have coals ready to light. Maintaining the fire is one of the most important things. Injecting broth is an option. (or apple juice in pork) Add sweetness to the outside. I suggest (as other have) brown sugar.

couple of points for the next time you do brisket, jamie. one: brown sugar. two: apple cider vinegar. the vinegar will do two things: first, it'll stick to the rub easier and tenderize the brisket just a little bit, and second add another layer of flavor to your spice rub (you can technically do without, but i find it does a little better with the vinegar--just don't soak it or baste it; a little bit goes a long way). and if you add brown sugar to your spice mix, then as it heats, the sugar caramelizes over the top of the brisket, the sweetness mixes with the fat and enhances the moistness of the brisket, and you get a better, more even layer of bark on top. but great first try, and i'm glad BBQ week is turning out so well for you guys!

That's the smoker I have had for 20+ years, good choice southern pitmaster approved!

From someone who's never made brisket before to someone that has for the first time. I thought it was pretty good .🤤 There is chopped brisket which has barbecue sauce mixed in and it's basically the brisket version of pulled pork. My favorite way of eating brisket is sliced on a bun with barbecue sauce and vinegar. The bun can be buttered or you can add some type of seasoning. I really like Old Bay. :P

I grew up in Texas, currently living in Florida. Your rub seemed fine, I would just use more of it, and a coarse ground black pepper usually works a bit better than the fine ground stuff. I have seen people use rubs with 10 different spices and herbs, and some people that only use coarse black pepper, and it all turns out pretty good, it just comes down to personal preference. And I wouldn't smoke it any hotter than about 225 F (107ish C?) If you can smoke it at a low temp for longer, it keeps a lot of the moisture from all of the fat rendering. Again, a lot of it is personal preference , but it is a good excuse to cook some beef to get some practice in. And always let it rest for a bit before cutting into it, although that is usually the hardest part. Also, while you are smoking meat, you should try out Drunk Chicken, or Beer Can chicken (several other names). It turns out pretty good. Cheers!

I know this is a old video, but I thought a few easy tricks from N.C BBQ would be helpful. First you want to restrict airflow to only enough air to reach the temperature. You can always increase airflow, but too much heat is really the only unrecoverable mistake in BBQ. Too much air burns your charcoal quickly. This uses a lot of fuel and gives the food more of a bitter taste. Second wood chips are for short preparations (things like pork tenderloin and chops or salmon). Unfortunately they do not work well for BBQ. Because generally even when soaked they will burn in the first hour. For classic BBQ large pieces of wood (up to and including whole logs)( for shorter three to four hour preparations split any pieces larger than 100mm diameter in half) not only give the best flavor, but burn for the entire cooking time. White Oak, hickory and fruit tree woods are all amazing. If using quality natural charcoal only the first batch needs to be lit all following batches can simply be added to the smoker. The coals in the smoker will gently light the charcoal without spiking the temperature. Good rubs are always better fresh ground in a mortar and pestle. Freeze dried or toasted spices are far better ingredients than powdered spices for BBQ. A mop sauce is underappreciated part of BBQ. It not only keeps the meat moist, but also makes it tender and flavorful. One of the best mop sauces is one part melted butter to two parts beer or whiskey. Cheers

Make a more "advanced" rub, and maybe put a bit more on - marinade it the day before and inject it with a sauce/juice, that seems to do the trick.

I think you did your best. However, use brown sugar and other herbs, like dry mustard and oregano in the rub too. A good mop is also beneficial.

The only 2 suggestions would be: 1) mix and match the smoking chips. Maybe try whisky and cherry ....or apple and cherry. Mixing I've heard gives great results. 2) a wet mix on it for sweetness...gives extra flavor and balances out with the cayenne. But that looked banging! Looks like it would have tasted amazing...if I were there...

The rub should've been put on at least the night before you smoked it, and the rub should have some sugar in it-both help to develop the crust. Another really great thing to do is to soak the wood chips in apple juice (or diluted apple juice).

Great video! This could be an interesting direction for you guys. The cool thing about this video is that since Jamie is clearly very passionate about meat and barbecuing, it is not only very personal to him, but at the same time it provides a recipe that would not be so on-brand for Ben to lead. Like the whole made personal series, but led by the three non chefs (normal?) lads.

Liking the vlog style video :)

Disclaimer: everyone has their own preferences, but you asked for tips on making it 'Texas good' so here I am. I was born in Austin and lived in the Texas hill country for about 15 years, Texas for all the rest, and I've smoked a couple hundred of these. Your rub is good, some of the best like Franklins only use salt and pepper, that's preference. DRY RUB ONLY, do not marinate or wet rub for Texas style. (1)The major thing you want is what we call a "packer cut" brisket which will have a lot more fat on it especially in the middle between the muscles and on top which will form a great moisture barrier and both have and hold a lot more flavor. With the packer cut you will need to trim the flat and any hard fat buildups. (2) The next thing is to flip it, I like to flip every two hours to get both fat-up (render drizzle) and fat-down (moisture bowl) effects and then wrap it (*The Texas Crutch) when it hits "the stall" starting around 150f/66c internal, at this point the bark should be done and the meat wont take on any more smoke, but will lose moisture. It will lose moisture because the stall is the point where moisture starts leaving the brisket and evaporating which cools the meat causing it to "stall" around 150/66 internal. Either pink butcher paper or alumin(i)um foil will do. If you really want to at this point you can move it to an oven because like I said, it won't take on any more smoke anyway. (3) Charcoal is convenient, but it kinda sucks. I know you can't get Texas live oak firewood, but much of the flavor of Texas Smoking comes from the wood and you can't get a real smoke ring without real wood smoke. All hail the Texas Live Oak. I don't know what your local hardwoods taste like, but it's probably worth a shot. While I'm on the fire- yes, that's a cheap grill. For really really authentic Texas BBQ you want an offset smoker with a firebox to one side and a chimney to the other. This keeps the meat from being over the heat and ensures good indirect heat and that you're cooking with smoke rather than radiant heat. The firebox and chimney also let you have a proper wood fire and control the air in and the air out with vents which lets you control the fire better. (4) Another thing you can try is a "mop". A Mop is getting the brisket wet while it's cooking, some use beef broth, apple juice, apple cider, water, or a light beer. The type of fluid won't make too much difference the main thing it will do is evaporate and cool the brisket causing it to cook longer and take on more smoke, flavor, and get more tender. It doesn't really matter how you apply it, some like a brush, I like a misting squirt-bottle. *This will extend the cook time by taking longer to get to 150f internal, but that's why it works: more time taking in smoke. (5) The heat.. the most common cooking temp is 225f/107c and that's what I recommend for starting out. As for when it's done, that's going to be around 190-205f internal, a lot of professionals say 203f exactly. The grizzled old veterans will do it by feel, when it has the right gelatinous bounce from the tough meat's broken down connective tissue- For the rest of us mortals it's 190f/88c. After you've taken your wrapped brisket out of the smoker you want to let it rest and not just rest, but be held. "Holding" is the Texas practice of taking it out of the smoker and putting it into an ice chest/cooler/insulated box so it can cool slowly and continue breaking down those tough tissues and bathe in its own juices. This also re-moisturizes the bark or skin and collects the juice in the wrap to be caught and used as a nice jus because *this is important* BBQ sauce on a slow-smoked brisket is like asking for a steak well-done in a Michelin star restaurant. Texas BBQ is about the meat, if you do it well, you absolutely do not need sauce. If you want to get it a bit wetter there's the nice collected jus with all the right meat flavors. I'm sure I've left something out, but I hope that helps someone, somewhere. But like I said, this is the hardcore authentic Texas stuff and some of it is ridiculous for a sane, rational human.

the one thing that I think that you could have done to improve this is take a spray bottle, that u can probably get at any gardening supply or even hardware store, fill it with half apple juice and half water and every hour or so spray the meat with that. This will add some more flavor and a lot more moisture.

I love seeing Jamie have any idea actually what is going on for once!