Crimes against brisket on TLC's "Pitmasters"

[jtk1519]

This is my first time to see any of this show and I'm about to cry. 4 teams are given 15 hours to cook brisket. One guy starts injecting his brisket with some flavored liquid. Not my thing, but whatever. Two guys trim almost all the fat off of the brisket. WTF? One guy separates the flat and point ends, trims it and then cooks it at 350 degrees first over direct heat and then over indirect. I'm seriously waiting for the liquid smoke and metal turkey at this point.

Am I too big a brisket snob or am I justified in turning up my nose a bit?

[lubbockhorn88]

that sounds terribad.

[Sii]

id rather just taste it. who knows. buncha brisket snobs on here lol

[jtk1519]

id rather just taste it. who knows. buncha brisket snobs on here lol

Taste is ultimately all that matters, but it has been my experience that a good brisket comes from a slightly trimmed brisket cooked low and slow. I've had many briskets that we heavily trimmed and/or quick cooked and they were all fail. That's all I'm saying.

[Traffic]

id rather just taste it. who knows. buncha brisket snobs on here lol

I agree with Sii. some of those dudes may have figured out something that tastes good.

[Sii]

I should add I know jack $#@! about cooking brisket. I just like to eat lol

[jtk1519]

Some dude just sauced the hell out of his brisket and then served it to the judges. I'm a snob. That is epic fail.

[Sii]

at least they called him on it

[jtk1519]

I'll give Kansas City folks credit for the burnt end thing. Living in Dallas, I would slap my Mama for some of that... sauced or not.

[Luke Duke]

I've had many briskets that we heavily trimmed and/or quick cooked and they were all fail. That's all I'm saying.

Sounds like you need to improve your technique or just stick with what you know.

[TxArch]

like butterfinger

[scottsins]

I've had many briskets that we heavily trimmed and/or quick cooked and they were all fail. That's all I'm saying.

A good number of the top briskets in Texas are heavily trimmed first. The exterior fat does nothing.

[NOMAAA]

if everyone on the show made good brisket it would be called the nomaaa and luke duke brisket 30 minute sitcom minus luke duke. what did you expect? they have to have a reason for the main guys to talk $#@!.

[MissingInAction]

A good number of the top briskets in Texas are heavily trimmed first. The exterior fat does nothing.

Whoa tap your brakes there. There's a reason you smoke the brisket with the layer of fat on top man.
Sauce on brisket = epic fail.

[John Coctostan]

High-heat "cowboy style" brisket is certainly not unheard of. I'm deeply suspicious of anyone who injects their brisket, however.

[tjhooker]

The judges were the one's throwing me off. 2 random dudes from the deep south and warren sapp. not one guy from texas juding a brisket competition. the 2 judges just kept saying it is all about the sauce and they would probably pick the winner due to the sauce. in fact, i think one comment was, "man, that sauce was so good it doesn't matter how the meat tastes".

[GraciePie]

Southern brisket is an abortion.

When I lived in Chattanooga, TN, for a year I had the best pulled pork and ribs I've ever had. But no matter where I went, no one could figure out a brisket. This one trailer near my old workplace had great pulled pork, ribs, and sausage, but the one time I was really jonesing for beef and took a chance on their brisket, it came to me as a sloppy mess of chooped beef and sauce.

[bernorange]

... I'm deeply suspicious of anyone who injects their brisket, however.

It's the HGH that gives them the edge!

[Luke Duke]

I'm deeply suspicious of anyone who injects their brisket, however.

I hate to break it to you, but the majority of the top BBQ cookoff teams inject their brisket.

[jimmyjazz]

High heat isn't an absolute no-no. High direct heat might be a recipe for disaster, but there are plenty of joints in Central Texas that smoke their brisket at 350 F or so.

Injection -- eh. Trimming ALL the fat? Sounds awful.

[Lat22]

They should stick to pork.

[NCAAFBALLROX]

I'm deeply suspicious of anyone who injects their brisket, however.

[Pepper Brooks]

A good number of the top briskets in Texas are heavily trimmed first. The exterior fat does nothing.

true. i trim mine down to where i have no more than a quarter inch of fat cap. otherwise when you go to slicing it you end up trimming off a thick layer of fat that has all your crust, and seasoning on it.

[jimmyjazz]

true. i trim mine down to where i have no more than a quarter inch of fat cap. otherwise when you go to slicing it you end up trimming off a thick layer of fat that has all your crust, and seasoning on it.

That's actually pretty sound reasoning there. I might try it next time.

[Doc Holliday]

I want to inject butter into my brisket to see how it comes out.

[Sparky]

They have to do something to make the show different. If it were three teams using salt and pepper rub that might not be the most exciting thing for ratings.

[Slaytanic Wehrmacht]

Aw geez.....not again.....full fat briskets and market trimmed both work well....they are just different, take different methods/time and one is lean and the other is juicy.

However, that show sounds like epic fail.

[MNLonghorn10]

id rather just taste it. who knows. buncha brisket snobs on here lol

brisket snobs are the original gm nazis

[MrPhlegm]

Well my decision last night to not watch this abortion of a show is validated.

[caliHORNia]

Competition BBQ is not the same as BBQ.

[bozo_casanova]

[hullabelew]

I want to inject butter into my brisket to see how it comes out.

We injected some once with Creole Butter you can buy at the store. One of the guys really liked it....most others didn't.
I've seen some teams divide the point and flat during the trimming process, except they leave it 'hinged'. They say it makes them easier to trim the final product a little 'cleaner' between the point and flat because you can see the meat grain easier before it is cooked. I tried it once and couldn't tell any difference in the way it cooked. Actually kind of made sense.

[Snacks]

so let me get this straight...

i sit down with some brisket and bread... and i'm good... but if i throw a good bbq sauce on what is about to become a kick-ass brisket sandwich, i'm screwing up the brisket?

gtfoh.

[MrPhlegm]

so let me get this straight...

i sit down with some brisket and bread... and i'm good... but if i throw a good bbq sauce on what is about to become a kick-ass brisket sandwich, i'm screwing up the brisket?

gtfoh.

a good bbq sauce? what's that?

[Rigo84]

So spill it, what does he use to inject them? We know you have asked him.

[RR-Horn]

Competition BBQ is not the same as BBQ.

elaborate

[NCAAFBALLROX]

So spill it, what does he use to inject them? We know you have asked him.

Actually, I have not. From the looks of the pan, I would assume it's a homebrew. I don't recall where, but know this was for a competition. I don't know if they do something similar for the daily sellers here in Austin but don't think so.

[scottsins]

There's a reason you smoke the brisket with the layer of fat on top man.

Actually, there isn't. However if there is one, could you give me one?

[RR-Horn]

With all the BBQ pros on here you would think that there would have been more than 4 teams at the Shaggy Cook-off

[pmg]

With all the BBQ pros on here you would think that there would have been more than 4 teams at the Shaggy Cook-off

well, they had a $7,000 entry fee or something like that.

[HRMaddie]

Isn't injecting meat taking away the natural flavor of the meat. So then what are these judges actually judging? How do you judge a friggin meat / smoking contest if it is all tricked up? They should call these things "Tricked Up Meat Contest."

I don't trim because I'm too lazy, however, I'm thinking maybe trimming now for the crust. - per Pepper Brooks

[scottsins]

Isn't injecting meat taking away the natural flavor of the meat. So then what are these judges actually judging? How do you judge a friggin meat / smoking contest if it is all tricked up? They should call these things "Tricked Up Meat Contest."

I don't trim because I'm too lazy, however, I'm thinking maybe trimming now for the crust. - per Pepper Brooks

Yeah, you spend that time and effort to get a seasoned bark and smoke ring, only to then chop nearly 50% of it off when you slice it up, or when eating it from the plate.

[Ankf00]

Isn't injecting meat taking away the natural flavor of the meat. So then what are these judges actually judging? How do you judge a friggin meat / smoking contest if it is all tricked up? They should call these things "Tricked Up Meat Contest."

salt and pepper = tricking up

[ldogg53]

salt and pepper = tricking up

terrorist...

[5280]

so let me get this straight...

i sit down with some brisket and bread... and i'm good... but if i throw a good bbq sauce on what is about to become a kick-ass brisket sandwich, i'm screwing up the brisket?

gtfoh.

i too like sauce

[Luke Duke]

i too like sauce

Why do you hate America?

[beer]

well, they had a $7,000 entry fee or something like that.

or something like that

I personally enjoy removing a few pounds of fat, and my injected briskets are a tad bit more moist, but in the end it all tastes pretty good so long as I go low and slow. That seems to be the key ingredient - 12 to 18 hours of your time. I always make the best brisket in Oklahoma - I wish that was bragging or difficult cause I would love to be able to go out for brisket like the rest of you who live in BBQland.

[bozo_casanova]

or something like that

I personally enjoy removing a few pounds of fat, and my injected briskets are a tad bit more moist, but in the end it all tastes pretty good so long as I go low and slow. That seems to be the key ingredient - 12 to 18 hours of your time. I always make the best brisket in Oklahoma - I wish that was bragging or difficult cause I would love to be able to go out for brisket like the rest of you who live in BBQland.

I went to blacks yesterday with my wife and kids. A little on the dry side but the sausage was, as always, supoib. We complained all the way home.

Meh, just another day in BBQland.

[Luke Duke]

In honor of this thread I thought that I would cook some briskets, trim the bejebus out of them and inject them.

The victims


Closeup of one of the briskets


Aftermath of the trimming


Aftermath of the trimming Part Deux


Brisket #1, trimmed, injected, rubbed and tagged


Brisket #2, trimmed, injected, rubbed and tagged


On the pit


Dog patiently waits


Brisket #1


Brisket #2

[Luke Duke]

The end