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Finally Getting Out of Commifornia

Off topic but you guys raised it...

I am rather partial to brisket. Or what we call brisket down here (Australia). How do you guys do your brisket (in Texas)? I have been doing it is a slow cooker but am always open to alternatives!

I spent a bit of time in California a few years ago. Does that make me "damaged goods"?
Depends where in California lol. Barry.
 
San Jose (Silicon Valley) with occasional excursions into the mountains behind Grass Valley. Is that bad?
I know you are down under,but to be safe,never look up toward Kalifornia again. With time you will be just fine. Good day, Jeff
 
Off topic but you guys raised it...

I am rather partial to brisket. Or what we call brisket down here (Australia). How do you guys do your brisket (in Texas)? I have been doing it is a slow cooker but am always open to alternatives!

I spent a bit of time in California a few years ago. Does that make me "damaged goods"?
In a smoker with Oak logs, keep the temp around 225 degree F. Once you get a good "bark" on it wrap it in pink butcher paper, or foil and continue cooking till done. One of those pellet smokers would probably work as well. BBQ pits or smokers are a thing of pride in Texas. A buddy has one that will cook 25 briskets at a time.
 
In a smoker with Oak logs, keep the temp around 225 degree F. Once you get a good "bark" on it wrap it in pink butcher paper, or foil and continue cooking till done. One of those pellet smokers would probably work as well. BBQ pits or smokers are a thing of pride in Texas. A buddy has one that will cook 25 briskets at a time.
OK. I can't easily lay my hands on a smoker but I am about to get myself a Weber BBQ. Do you have them in America? I'm not sure (yet - Google???) what a pellet smoker is.

Getting a piece of cow is not all that hard here either.

I think the critical thing is the smoking. I will look into that. Getting some oak may also be a problem but here we have other types of wood. I think hickory is available but not common. That is used with ribs I think.

But I'm willing to try something along those lines. I'm thinking a brisket roast of about 6 pounds would do me and my wife! If my boys get wind of it then I'll have to double that.

225 degF is not all that hot. I presume it needs to cook for a few hours. Like prime rib (another dish I'm rather partial to).

Geoff.
 
Off topic but you guys raised it...

I am rather partial to brisket. Or what we call brisket down here (Australia). How do you guys do your brisket (in Texas)? I have been doing it is a slow cooker but am always open to alternatives!

I spent a bit of time in California a few years ago. Does that make me "damaged goods"?
PM sent.... Yes living in California damages you. But time heals....
 
Don't assime
Lord forgive me for saying this, but -- I'd almost rather see illegal Mexicans move here than legal Californians.:rolleyes: jd

Get over it.

Californians who want to move to Texas are good Americans. The aren't the fruitcakes you see on TV. There is no magical dust sprayed on people in California that makes them idiots. We have Republicans and conservatives. In fact, California has more conservatives than any state except Florida and Texas. The Liberal Democrats in SF and LA just have too much of a majority and we can't elect any conservative leaders.
 
A lot of good suggestions have been made and should be noted. Permit me to offer some suggestions:
You might trim the large "chunks" of fat from the brisket but is not necessary. This fat just won't render.
Allow the brisket to reach room temperature, it will cook more evenly. Season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. You may add other spices if you choose but it is not necessary and some may actually alter the real flavor of the meat. If you want onion, have onion slices on the side.
Cook brisket s l o w l y using indirect heat (do not cook over the fire, it will be tough). Use a good hardwood, hickory is fine, no aromatic woods. Cook S L O W L Y to an internal temperature of about 145-150. At this point the meat will have a nice "bark" on it and the "pink to red smoke ring" will have formed.
The meat will not absorb any more smoke. Wrap meat in the pink or white butcher paper, do not use freezer paper and continue to cook S-L-O-W-L-Y until the meat reaches an internal temp of 200-205 degrees. Remove meat from pit, place in large pan and cover with several layer of old bath towels. Let the meat rest for a couple of hours. Cut meat ACROSS the grain in quarter inch slices (not sure what that is in metric) and serve with pickle, onion slices, and plenty of good bread. Dill is my pickle of choice. I have placed as high as first in brisket BBQing competitions using this basic method.
Because real brisket cooks take their cooking seriously, I know there may be some criticism and I as a serious brisket cook will probably resent this but this was aimed at Geoff for a first time brisket Bar B Q cooker. I know some of you can tell the internal temp of a brisket by just looking, touching, holding, or maybe just asking it.
From a South Texas BarBeQue guy,
Riesel
Did I mention cooking the meat SLOWLY???
 
Carlsbad, even the Electoral College is not able to rescue CA. When an election is over and they show the voting trends in Texas, every large city votes Blue. We have enough Constitutional Loving Texans in the small towns and Rural areas to keep this state headed in the right direction. But believe me, it's not for lack of trying, (Think illegals and felons that are allowed to vote:()
 
A lot of good suggestions have been made and should be noted. Permit me to offer some suggestions:
You might trim the large "chunks" of fat from the brisket but is not necessary. This fat just won't render.
Allow the brisket to reach room temperature, it will cook more evenly. Season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. You may add other spices if you choose but it is not necessary and some may actually alter the real flavor of the meat. If you want onion, have onion slices on the side.
Cook brisket s l o w l y using indirect heat (do not cook over the fire, it will be tough). Use a good hardwood, hickory is fine, no aromatic woods. Cook S L O W L Y to an internal temperature of about 145-150. At this point the meat will have a nice "bark" on it and the "pink to red smoke ring" will have formed.
The meat will not absorb any more smoke. Wrap meat in the pink or white butcher paper, do not use freezer paper and continue to cook S-L-O-W-L-Y until the meat reaches an internal temp of 200-205 degrees. Remove meat from pit, place in large pan and cover with several layer of old bath towels. Let the meat rest for a couple of hours. Cut meat ACROSS the grain in quarter inch slices (not sure what that is in metric) and serve with pickle, onion slices, and plenty of good bread. Dill is my pickle of choice. I have placed as high as first in brisket BBQing competitions using this basic method.
Because real brisket cooks take their cooking seriously, I know there may be some criticism and I as a serious brisket cook will probably resent this but this was aimed at Geoff for a first time brisket Bar B Q cooker. I know some of you can tell the internal temp of a brisket by just looking, touching, holding, or maybe just asking it.
From a South Texas BarBeQue guy,
Riesel
Did I mention cooking the meat SLOWLY???

Thanks for the info!

I am under pressure to head out tomorrow and get my new BBQ (a Weber hopefully with a smoker accessory). Finding hickory might be a challenge. Not sure about oak.

I am trying to figure out if what I know as a brisket cut is the same as yours. I have a bolar in the fridge right now (about 6 lb - 3kg) and will see if I can find other bits required. Here it seems what I get as brisket depends on the butcher. I am lucky enough to have a butcher that sells grass fed beef (and lamb) but it costs a LOT depending on the cut. Brisket and bolar tend to be on the cheaper side - prime rib (scotch fillet) is up the top next to eye fillet. If I told you how much this stuff costs here I think your eyes would water...

It seems to me the trick is to cook slowly. Like 12+ hours on low heat. Message received! :-)

I figure the "bark" is just a sort of crust, due to the action of the indirect heat.

My rack of prime rib does tend to be a hit here but my old BBQ/roaster has basically given up the ghost (it's pretty old). Hence the need for a new one. Did I say that I learnt about Prime Rib and how to cook it in California? :-)

Geoff.
 
Leave any california type ideas over there too. Worst thing in the world is a californian trying to make their new life just like the old one with only a different zipcode

Amen

Toyota is in the process of moving their North American HQ from CA to TX. There are thousands of Californians coming with it. I fear many of them don’t share our values
 
You can cook for at least 6 maybe 8 hours on a Weber by arranging the charcoal in a 3-4 briquette deep line along the outside edge of the fire grate with a small gap between the ends so you can light just one end of it. Place some wood chunks about 6" apart (roughly 152mm, 1.52cm for those US measure challenged), put one of those heavy foil pans in the middle of the grate to catch drippings, light one end, close it up, watch the temperature get to about 225 - 240 degrees F. (107 to 115 Celsius), don't take the lid off for the next 3-4 hours, and when it's done, ENJOY!!! The method is posted on the internet by the way, and if it's on the internet it has to be true.;)
 
Thanks for the info!

I am under pressure to head out tomorrow and get my new BBQ (a Weber hopefully with a smoker accessory). Finding hickory might be a challenge. Not sure about oak.

I am trying to figure out if what I know as a brisket cut is the same as yours. I have a bolar in the fridge right now (about 6 lb - 3kg) and will see if I can find other bits required. Here it seems what I get as brisket depends on the butcher. I am lucky enough to have a butcher that sells grass fed beef (and lamb) but it costs a LOT depending on the cut. Brisket and bolar tend to be on the cheaper side - prime rib (scotch fillet) is up the top next to eye fillet. If I told you how much this stuff costs here I think your eyes would water...

It seems to me the trick is to cook slowly. Like 12+ hours on low heat. Message received! :)

I figure the "bark" is just a sort of crust, due to the action of the indirect heat.

My rack of prime rib does tend to be a hit here but my old BBQ/roaster has basically given up the ghost (it's pretty old). Hence the need for a new one. Did I say that I learnt about Prime Rib and how to cook it in California? :)

Geoff.

Geoff,

Brisket comes from the lower chest of the animal and a full "packer", composed of both the flat and point cuts, will weigh between 14 and 20 pounds.

If you're looking for a smaller fool-proof smoker, take a look at the Pit Barrel. They use charcoal and wood chips/chunks and are great for smoking smaller quantities of meat (1-2 briskets / 4 slabs of ribs / several chickens). They are available in Australia and they work very, very well. See their website at https://www.pitbarrelcooker.com/au/#wpsl-wrap

Riesel gave a good overview on smoking brisket; I'd listen to his advice.
 
Another thing, get your concealed handgun license "CHL", when you purchase a firearm the 4473 form is filled out,but the CHL takes the place of the background check.No waiting
around for NICS to respond and no delays.
Oh yes I fully intend on that! I need to show residency for at least 6 months though before I can do that.
 
Welcome to Texas! I made a similar transition last year from the San Joaquin Valley and couldn't be happier. I moved to the greater Ft Hood area to be near my grandson. No problem with getting firearms into Texas...you need to be here 6 months to get a LTC (license to carry); Texas is a must issue state. Getting a vehicle registered here is straightforward and less expensive. You will need to do so before getting your DL - having a vehicle registered in state is part of the process, along with showing residence (a utility bill in your name), insurance, and a birth certificate.
 

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