Man, I am excited to share this one with you all. I’ve made only a handful of briskets – full packers and/or flats – and they’re always good, but never really got them to quality like I know they can be. I’ll tell you right now – read on. This one was a delight. This will be a lengthy post full of pictures. This is usually my capstone smoke/post for the year – and I’m so glad to have made this a two-parter. If you didn’t check yesterday for the Pork Butt, see what a RecTeq in a forest can do for you! And for those of you who want the ease of skipping around, you’re welcome:

The Trial Run

I’ll rip through this “trial run” section pretty quick. Although I took many more pictures on this post than the Main Event, The Main Event turned out so much better.

I picked this USDA Prime Full Packer Brisket up from Sam’s Club for a pretty reasonable price in 2021. I had 8 days until Smokefest2021, I had to get a practice run in. If you remember back in 2020, I did a Beef Tenderloin – and did a practice run at that also. That one- the trial turned out better than the day-of, but I wasn’t going into this year with that mentality. Let’s show you the pre-trim:

The Pre-Trim – Lots of heavy capped fat, little bit of silver – heavy on the fat cap.

Not much commentary on the previous picture – loaded up with fat as usual, some pesky fat and silver skin, but not much to remark on. Got a couple beers out, took the meat out to the garage onto the prep table and got to trimming. I swear, you can spend ALL day long trimming these things out. My usual trim time is from “fridge to soft”. When the meat starts getting too pliable and really becoming a pain in the ass, call it. You WILL trim off some meat, it’ll hurt – Feel free to stew up what you can, but I tossed it. Let’s see that post-trim:

The Post-Trim – not the greatest, but that’s why we do a practice run.

I’m sure the critics will come out of the wood work, but that was my post trim. Looking back, I could’ve done a lot better, a lot of crappy edges and meat that will burn up – but that’s why it’s the test run. See what works and how I can improve. That’s a MAJOR reason I put this site together is so I can reflect on my cooks, see what I’ve done and what I can do better.

I also tried something I’ve never done before here. Taking a page from Matt Pittman and Meat Church, I trimmed out the fat from where the point meets the flat (For burnt ends). Spoiler alert – this didn’t turn out the way I wanted, no need for it. When I cut the flat from the point, the result was an ugly result – visually. I’m sure I could’ve still went burnt ends with it, but I didn’t. Anyway, let’s dust it:

So I’m pretty partial to my “Meaty Bits Beef Rub“, but I’ll tell you – not today. I went with the traditional Texas 50/50 Salt and Pepper. I thought about advertising the “Meaty Bits Texas” – but let’s be honest – it’s salt and pepper. When I go commercial, I’ll do one – I know it. But until then, Kosher salt and coarse black pepper. I also didn’t want to completely coat the thing. I wanted a thin, apparent crust but not overbearing.

The Probe – and also the close-up. Not an overbearing seasoning layer.

So I went fat cap up (the battle as old as time – fat cap up or down) and probed her near the point/flat. You can see here I didn’t trim nearly enough fat off the cap. This was apparent when it was done, but again – also why this was a test run. I let this ride for 225 degrees until it hit the stall (160-170).

The Cook – love the colors that come from a slow cooked meat.

Don’t remember when I snapped this one, maybe it was near the stall? But you can see that smoke getting in there and giving it some color.

The Wrap – I’ve had fantastic results with butcher paper, no need to change that.

Once the temp hadn’t moved for about 45min-hour – the stall – I took her out and wrapped it in the butcher paper. I took two pieces, one vertical one horizontal, and wrapped her tight. Aimed that probe as best I could and let her ride until at least 200.

Once the flat and point were at or near 203ish degrees, I pulled her out. Placed the meat in the full-pan, foil-covered it tight and wrapped it in a old towel. Placed it in the cooler for about an hour and half (I know – not long enough, and I changed this). I kept it wrapped in the paper when I placed it in the pan and foil covered. Which is always an internal battle. “The thermapen is telling me it’s done, but I can’t even see it until hours later?”. Yep. Everyone wants to see the slice, so let’s take a look:

The Result – bend test? Pretty damn good.

So yeah, it turned out pretty damn good. Great smoke color, the usual smoke ring, the nice crust and it was juicy as all hell. I didn’t let this rest nearly long enough as it was piping hot while I’m trying to slice it. The fat cap was WAY too apparent, I needed to cut this down. It passed the bend-and-pull test, the flavor was killer and overall, it was the best one I’ve made so far.

Not good enough.

I needed to get some reviews. My closest friends – all of which who said they were going to come by – didn’t, so I didn’t have any additional opinions. My vegetarian wife wasn’t going to touch this. So I portioned up the leftovers and my wife’s co-workers got to at least re-heat and try it. A lot of positive reviews, but it was re-heated brisket – it wasn’t freshly sliced. I was generally pleased with the cook, but knew I had some work to do.

This was 225 degrees for about 10 hours until 203 degrees. Rested for an hour and half, sliced hot, too much fat, great flavor. Let’s expand on that and see what was being brought for SMOKEFEST.

The Rub

The first thing I wanted to do was tinker with that Texas Rub. So I went to Cambodia (makes sense, right?). Went over to my friends at The Spice House and ordered up peppercorns. I went with the Kampot Red Peppercorns. Their description was heavenly, but it was even more apparent when I got to grinding it up. It was a more fragrant pepper, more bite, and a little more heat. Not enough to be an overbearing-heat, but an absolutely great aroma. I wanted a fresh coarse grind. How did I get it?

When you want that perfect coarse ground pepper, you do it yourself.

Actually pulled out the mortar/pestle and hand-ground the pepper. I’ve since bought a pepper grinder to see if I can replicate, but I went manual. This one left my hand/wrist cramped for a day or two – as MrsForensicBBQ can attest to as I complained – but it was a great thick pepper product when I was done. Combined an equal amount of kosher salt, and made some packs:

Introduction to the Meaty Bits Texas – Premium Edition

This one I’m okay with marketing. The MBT-PE was born. Meaty Bits Texas – Premium Edition. I made enough for one jar (for the big show) and two packs. A friend said he was shipping me some hot sauce, so I returned the favor with the MBT-PE. He’s the only one out there with this pack, use it sparingly.

So I’ve upped my game with the rub, it was time to pack up and get to SMOKEFEST. I mentioned our pre-SMOKEFEST trip in the previous post so I won’t go over it again, but it was going to be a true test on Friday.

The Prep Table

MrsForensicBBQ and I departed our campground and headed over to Smokefest. I knew the last major city would have a brisket, so I wasn’t too worried.

Except no one had any.

Went to the major stores and there was nothing. One of the shops had a pile of beef ribs, so I was ready for a back-up plan. Then we hit a small meat market and I asked the clerk who went to the back and said he had one left. A nearly 20lb monster. At an outrageous premium price. I won’t even mention it here, because it’s almost embarrassing how much I spent on this thing. Picked it up, threw it in the cooler, and made my way to Smokefest.

That Friday night, I got to trimming for the cook on Saturday. We had a hard deadline for a 3pm meal, so I walked the clock back and decided to put her on around 11pm. This would fall into line with my 10hour cook last week, a couple hours extra for the size, and some more time for the rest. I put too much pressure on myself to make sure this was going to be perfect, but that’s what happens when you invite me – you’re getting the A-game.

People often ask what’s with the “Forensic” in ForensicBBQ – well, one definition of Forensic being “relating to the use of science or technology in the investigation and establishment of facts or evidence in a court of law.” Without digging too much into the weeds, think hypothesis. Testing. Repeatability. If someone can repeat what I did doing using the same methodology, it’s science. Anyway…

Meaty Bits Texas Premium – The red peppercorns muted by the meat, but we know it’s there.

This was the post-trim brisket. Scroll up if you want to to see the difference between this and the other, but I was much more pleased with this trim. The shigging was real as spectators-a-plenty watched me take a ton off this thing. You can see that shitty butcher cut up near the top – that one wasn’t me, but you work with what you got. Everything was nice and rounded, no significant pieces to burn – and I trimmed that fat cap way down.

Then I dusted with that Texas Premium. It was a red peppercorn, so it doesn’t look as prevalent on a red backdrop, but I used the same mentality with the test run – enough rub to taste, not to overwhelm. Eleven PM rolls around, threw this thing on and tried to get a couple hours of sleep. I was exhausted from the Pork Butt smoke the night before – did my best to grab an hour here and there.

The Process

So the 11pm to about 10am time frame wasn’t very fun. MrsForensicBBQ and I tented out on the property, I slept a bit – tried to catch some sleep in the car so I didn’t wake her up too much. But all in all, it’s Smokefest – the attention was on the meat. I don’t remember when this picture was taken, but it’s a beauty. Fat cap up like I did before, as I saw no reason to change it.

The cook – took up the entire surface of the RecTeq Trailblazer.

No joke, this thing was wall-to-wall the size of my RecTeq Trailblazer. After hearing all Friday into Saturday about pellet smoking wasn’t real smoking, I was ready to silence the naysayers. (If you’ve read prior posts, I’ve acknowledged this point many times). I think it was a 4:30am-ish butcher paper wrap and let it go until 203ish.

So I was a sleepy, groggy mess that Saturday morning, but Black Sheep BBQ had some breakfast burritos that helped the morning get by. Great times with great people as that crew got busy with the ribs on their beautiful new trailer smoker. One day, MrsForensicBBQ – just giving you that warning up front.

I pulled this somewhere around 11am I think? Same wrap/cooler process and let it relax until about 2:30pm. This was a good 3hour rest (PERFECT). It was still piping hot to the touch but was easier to cut. Same as last time, I didn’t know what it looked like.. I knew it was done, but the anticipation was killing me. When I unwrapped it, it was so glorious.

We prepped, we cooked – let’s see how she turned out:

The Result

Got this out of the cooler at 2:30pm – I was going to nail that 3:00pm time. The band was setting up and I found a table in the middle of everything and put this brisket on display. Unwrapped the brisket and I was presented with this:

When you wrap at around 160-170, you don’t unwrap it until it’s ready for the slice. You don’t know if that developed crust had maintained, if the fat rendered even and beautifully, you’re throwing a lot of hope into it. You immediately turn into your 7-year-old self, unwrapping the biggest gift on Christmas. Was it going to be a box full of underwear or that bike you were hoping for. When you get that first glimpse, the happiness and pride comes out.

I sliced up the flat, and was getting to the point – and Pup said to give it a squeeze. I never like the “squeeze” – but I was going to give him a slight gentle one so he could take a picture. I’m sure his Apple Live Photo shows the juice flowing – but at least you can see that beautiful cook on display on this one:

I hate the squeeze, but Pup needed it (Thanks to EricSlide for lending his countertop for the slice!)

SMOKEFEST brought a lot more people than I thought, so I sliced the brisket thin to try to accommodate everyone. (Smokefest was three ICAC nerds on a weekend, and it’s grown so much since). After I sliced the flat, point, and cubed up the ends (Best Part), I put it back into a full-pan and threw a foil wrap on top. Put it on the table at 2:58pm. Perfect. My favorite picture:

Above and beyond any brisket I’ve ever cooked. People were milling about watching the slice and presentation, and when I’d break off a test piece, I was getting huge compliments. I don’t do competition cooks, I don’t sell my product – but the compliments is what drives the passion. Thank you to all those that came up and gave me a “that-a boy” for a job well done. It really means the world.

Lean in the back, Fat in the front – Cubes on the side

Gave a few of the cubes to those I’d know would appreciate it. Funny part: When it was time to eat – the announcement that serving time was pushed back to 3:30-3:45 happened. Someone’s cook wasn’t ready, so it was pushed back. Just as a peacock struts its stuff, Pup and I had our dishes on the table like true professionals.

The Wrap-Up

I plated up a heavy heap of fixings and dined like a king. When my buddy Buzzard showed up, I walked back over to the table to show him which piece of brisket he needed to try. This was the result:

Fastest finish yet – What I can only describe as a Gone in 60 Seconds moment.

Compliments mean the world. A clean pan means the galaxy. This went so damn fast, I’m so happy my friends enjoyed the product. Maybe the fat guy took it all, maybe the whole crowd all got a piece or two – I’ll never know. But the entire pan was gone, and I couldn’t have been happier.

I know I’m going to forget a lot of what was served, but there was the Brisket, my Bacon, Ribs, Chicken Wings, Venison Meatloaf, Mac and Cheese, Pig Shots, Cornbread, ABTs, Baked Beans, Salads, Key Lime Pie – I put my Serrano Garlic pickles out there, the Forensic BBQ sauce – there was so much out there and everyone did a fantastic job.

After I pulled the brisket at around 11am-ish, I had some time to kill while it rested. The fan-favorite of Smokefest for the last couple years has been my candy bacon, so I loaded up three trays of that syrupy-sugary goodness. Check out the step-by-step on the Candy Bacon for the process. I packed up some of my Meaty Bits Beef Rub and Fine Swine Pork Rub to give out – put a few ForensicBBQ stickers out, and for anyone reading this that was there, leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you! In fact, if you see my sticker out in the wild, e-mail me at forensicbbq@gmail.com and I’ll send you a special gift.

The George Brothers – Great music, better people. Or is it Great people, and better music?

I mentioned earlier, SmokeFest was three of us getting together with some friends and family for a weekend. Today, we’ve got live music, tents, neighbors, more family and friends, and an overall absolutely great summer tradition. Thanks to Slide and MrsSlide for opening up your home to us and hosting this event.

As we cruised around the lake taking in the evening of Smokefest, I was exhausted and working on a major headache. Went to lay down for an hour and woke up the next morning. I missed out on a lot of the evening, but it was an overwhelming success. Thanks to everyone that was there and made it for an absolutely great time.

Put this in here just for fun. Threw a scrape on the grates/tray, some of that CitruSafe and rocked the high temp burn off. Cleaned it up because we’re doing it again in a couple weeks (Wife and I camping out). While I don’t foresee any overnighters, rest assured – If I’m camping, I’m cooking. Go check out GatewayGraphix if you want to get yourself a POW-MIA magnet (donated proceeds). Sorry Kyle, two overnight smokes colored up that white in the magnet, but it gives it character!

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Thanks again, my friends. This is my major cook (probably post too) every year, and it came out better than I’d hoped.

The Recipe

Full Packer Brisket

ForensicBBQ

The art is really in the trim, and until I get going into video – I'll do my best into describing it here. Full packer brisket to serve a family and then some.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 11

Ingredients

1 Full Packer Brisket Point and Flat
1 Cup Texas Rub (50/50 Salt & Pepper) Estimated – enough to coat

Instructions

Trim all the hard fat off the "top" of the brisket. There will be a layer of fat on the "bottom" – trim that to about 1/8" of an inch or so. Everything else, get rid of that hard fat, trim off the soft stuff on the surface. Rip a significant cut off the side and remove the processor's edge. Round everything off to prevent edges from burning.
Evenly coat the brisket with the 50/50 blend. No binder necessary.
Preheat Smoker to 225 (Mesquite Wood) and probe where point meets the flat. Cook until the stall (160-170 degrees).
Remove from smoker, wrap in butcher paper – re-probe, and cook until over 200 degrees.
Once over 200, use your instant read thermometer and check around the point/flat for an even temp.
Remove from smoker, keep wrapped. Place in full-pan, seal with aluminum foil, wrap in a towel and place into insulated container (cooler, cambro)
REST PERIOD IS IMPORTANT. I'd say at least 3 hours. Remove and slice. Start at flat, slice 1/2" slices until you reach the fatty "point". Rotate 90 degrees, slice remaining meat in half. Slice 3/4" inch slices until you get to the "burnt ends".
I cube up the ends, but if you want to go full Kansas City, put the cubes in the tray with some extra fat (butter), bbq sauce, rub and make those traditional Burnt Ends!