Buy a packer-style brisket. It should have a lot of fat on one side, and contain both the flat and the point. It will look like a hill on one side.
Markets will sell trimmed briskets or just the point or flat of a brisket. You don't want these unless you're making other types of finished meats that use the brisket cut.
Buy USDA Prime if you can, but at least get USDA Choice. Here's what to look for:
- Good marbling in the thinnest part of the flat.
- The flat is not too thin.
- Avoid cuts in the fat cap.
- Avoid briskets with a lot of blood in the packaging.
- Make sure it's not too flimsy but also not incredibly rigid.
Be sure that the brisket is well-refrigerated before you prepare the meat, because it will be easiest to trim when it's very cold.
Aaron Franklin has a really good video on YouTube that explains how to trim, but here's a rough run-down.
- Use a very sharp filet knife for trimming!
- On the bottom (non-fatty size), trim as much of the small chunks of fat that you can without spending a ton of time on it. The idea is to get rid of fat that will end up burning.
- On the bottom, there's an extremely large chunk of hard fat that needs to be cut out. It will not render and you won't want to eat it.
- On the top, you want to cut the fat cap to a thickness of around 1/8" to 1/4", preferably closer to the former. Be sure not to cut down to the actual meat itself. This will take practice.
- On the top, be sure to remove large sections of fat since they won't render down.
- You want a good, somewhat rectangular shape to the meat. This mostly mean cutting down the fat as noted above, but it also means cutting off chunks of actual meat that hang out. While it may seem odd to cut meat off, due to how the smoke in the cooker flows, these bits of meat that hang off will end up burning and getting tough.
Choose a rub you think might taste good! Ideally, choose a very coarse rub, which helps with bark formation. If you want Czech/Central Texas style brisket, make your own rub with equal parts Kosher salt and coarse ground pepper. Also note that while these seasonings are called "rubs", you shouldn't physically rub them on.
Apply like so:
- Starting with the bottom of the brisket, apply a somewhat liberal, but evenly applied, layer of rub.
- Flip the brisket, and apply the same amount of rub to the top.
- Since the sides are thin, use your hand to help shake/rub seasoning to each side.
If you're using a thermometer during the cook, insert the probe into the thickest part of the flat closer to the middle of the piece of meat.
How you prepare your smoker depends on what kind of smoker you have! I can't explain how to use your smoker, so getting familiar with your gear is up to you and actually the most important part of the cook.
As far as wood is concerned, avoid pungent and smokey woods such as mesquite. For best results, use a majority of oak, optionally with some flavor woods (such as cherry, apple, pecan, etc).
If using charcoal, avoid briquet charcoal in favor of hardwood lump.
Ideally and for best results, keep your smoker locked into the 225 degree range. Swings of +/- 25 is acceptable. If your smoker supports it, fill and keep a pan of water so that it helps the surface of the meat from drying out.
Once the smoker is up to the desired heat, place the brisket into the smoker and be prepared to not open the smoker's cooking chamber for several hours. Make sure to keep up with the smoker's fuel as necessary to keep the amount of heat stable.
After 4 or so hours, take a peak at the brisket to check color and the water pan level. Don't leave the lid open too long so that too much heat isn't lost.
Around 6-8 hours into the cook, or when the brisket is somewhere around 150-160 degrees, the brisket can be pulled off and wrapped if desired. If you will not wrap the brisket, skip this paragraph. The goal is to pull the brisket when the bark looks well formed. It can be wrapped in aluminum foil or butcher paper. I prefer the latter since it allows the meat to breath a bit more and avoid ruining the bark, which foil can do. You can place the brisket back on the smoker if desired, but note that the brisket will not absorb any more smoke (though the bark will still darken up a bit). Due to this, you can actually finish the brisket in an oven. Up to you.
Whether the brisket was wrapped or not, continue the cook as before (around 225 degrees in the smoker/oven). If the smoker is still in use, ensure that the water pan still has water from time to time.
A brisket is not judged as done by time or temperature, but rather by feel. It helps to know the temperature of the brisket so that you know when to start judging feel, however. At about 195 degrees, use a wooden skewer and poke the side of the flat. A brisket is done when the skewer slides through the meat as it would in softened or melted butter. If the skewer will not pass through easily, the brisket is not yet done and needs to be cooked more. You can check every 30-60 minutes.
Once the brisket is done, it's helpful to let the brisket rest (ideally still wrapped or wrapped in an old towel) for about an hour to let the rendered fat combine with the meat.
The point and flat muscles of the brisket actually run in different directions. I would recommend looking at Aaron Franklin's YouTube video that show the correct way to slice a brisket. Here's some important points.
- Use a long, slightly scalloped bread knife to cut the meat.
- Keep slices somewhere between 1/8" to 1/4" on the flat, and 1/4" to 3/8" on the point.
- Give the nicely seasoned ends to people you want to owe you favors.
Enjoy!