I'd use it for chili...

Just don't add salt to the chili fixins..

Might be able to simmer it in the crockpot in pieces in a beef broth and then use it for stroganoff as well..

Too much salt in your brine....and perhaps not enough time and not enough moisture in the oven.
Add something like a can of beer and put it back into the oven in a well covered roaster.

And that's why I am suspicious of recipes I fine in a magazine.
Linda C

Put it in a container, cover completely with cold water, cover the container and refrigerate overnight. Try a thin slice the next day and see what you think . . . if it's still too salty/chewy, then move on to another method, like the crockpot or slow braise with a non-salted liquid.

Thank you all for your help. It's in the refrigerator covered in water and tomorrow, will see. I do like the idea of beer in a braise if I have to do that.
But chili! That makes me quite unhappy- this wasn't a cheap piece of meat and I hate that I might have ruined it.

I've bought the most delicious smoked brisket from Whole Foods at their smoked foods self serve station and wanted to duplicate it.

CI is usually quite trustworthy for my taste buds too.

You can treat it like a corned beef and make hash and corned beef and cabbage, etc.

That's a good idea too, Gina, Thanks!

It sounds like it needs to be re-hydrated. Put it on a rack in your pressure cooker with a little low sodium beef broth for 20-30 minutes.

I don't have a pressure cooker C., but I will put in the oven with some as of yet undetermined liquid.

I'm trying to learn how to brine foods appropriately. A few days ago I followed a recipe from the book 'Charcuterie' by Ruhlman & Polcyn. Used a brine that had 225 gm of salt per gallon, plus some sugar and herbs. Brined two 6 lb chickens for 12 hours, then took them out of the brine, rinsed them off, dried the skin and let them sit in the fridge for the salt to equilibrate for 4 hours, then rotisseried them.

Impressions: the skin was WAY too salty and somewhat overdone, but the white meat of the chicken was moist and flavorful--not too salty, but you could taste the salt. Dark meat wonderfully juicy.

Next time I'll try brining them for just 6 hours and letting them equilibrate for 6 to 12 hours and see if that reduces the saltiness of the skin.

Despite the disappointment of the skin (I'm gonna decrease or eliminate the sugar next time--maybe that made it brown too quickly) the brining did make the chicken breast far juicier than that of regular roast chicken, so it's a technique worth learning.

BB, I agree with pixistix, soak it overnight in plain water and then try it. After that a beer braise would be my next step.

Smoking is an art, no doubt about it, and everyone likes theirs differently. I still have a briskete in the freezer that Elery hasn't gotten up the courage to try again, Although the pastrami we did was pretty good, the smoked brisket we did right after that was pretty dry and tough.

Arley, I have that book too, I really like it and it's specific enough for me, as a beginner. I'd like to get more into things without the "pink salt" and that type of additive at some point. The Canadian Bacon from that book was awesome though.

Annie

Thanks everyone. I soaked it overnight and braised it this morning in beer and it's good. Not great- like the Whole Foods smoked brisket, but more like braised chuck roast. I don't taste much smoke and now I've lost the crispy crust.

Next time will be better!

Your brisket was tough due to the cooking method. It is very important to realize that by cooking a beef brisket to 195 degrees F DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY MEAN A TENDER BRISKET. "How" you arrived at that final temperature is the whole secret. You must VERY slowly approach that final temperature by cooking it at about 225 degrees (never never any higher than 250 absolute max). This is what's called LOW AND SLOW smoking. "Magical" chemistry related things will happen to the fat and collagen when you cook it this way. Those very "flavorful" and "tenderizing" chemical reactions will not occur to any great extent by cooking it any other way. If you try to hurry the process along.....the magic will not happen. And believe me you don't want to miss the magic.

IMO, brining a fresh brisket that is to be smoked is absolutely ridiculous. Brining will in no way shape or form produce a better tasting brisket than one that is cooked "Low and Slow". Low and slow means cooking at a low temperature around 225 degrees F for a long time. A good test to see if a brisket is done is to press your finger into the fattiest part of the meat. If it is soft and your finger doesn't have a problem penetrating, it's ready!

In the future, take your brisket and season it literally JUST BEFORE you smoke it. Use Toni Chachere's Mo Spice seasoning mix if you can find it. It has less salt in it. DO NOT brine nor season your brisket the night before. There are very specific reasons for doing it this way. Smoke it with some chips (apple-wood is best) only for the first hour or so of the process. Keep the temperature in the cooking area around 225 until it is done. I cook mine to about 180 degrees then use the very reliable and accurate finger poking test.

This very simple procedure will produce the most tender, the most juicy, and the most flavorful "beefy" tasting piece of meat that you have ever eaten. The external and internal fat whithin the brisket is "magically" broken down into a "sweet" tasting chemical sugar that only occurs at certain low temperatures. The fat that does not melt away will become "to die for" good tasting.....but, very unhealthy to eat too much of it. The converted fat residue that remains inside of the brisket muscle fibers will impart that wonderful beefy taste to the meat. And the collagen will have broken down to make the meat very tender.

You simply CANNOT rush this process and try to hurry it up to arrive faster at the 190 desired end point. The brisket will be done when it passes the poke test. Again, the magic will not occur if you rush this process.

FYI, an 8 pound brisket will take about 10 hours to get to that tender/juicy point. This is "extremely" easy to do in a temperature controlled "electric" smoker. However, it most certainly can be done on a BBQ pit. The real brisket experts over in Texas do it all the time.

Sorry to hear that your brisket did not come out well. The cooks at Cook's Illustrated don't know much about cast iron pans either.

Dan
Semper Fi-cus

Dan, I agree, brining a brisket makes no sense to me at all, and I don't thin CI knows much about cast iron either.

Annie

Dan is pretty much on the money with the science behind a tender brisket. I have brined them, for the heck of it, with OK results. But, there is really no point when I'm smoking the meat for 18-24 hours (yes, 18-24 hours, indirectly) with pecan wood. I would never use a premixed spice, rather I like to dry rub brisket with brown sugar, cayenne pepper, garlic and a few other dry spices. I always wrap everything up with Kosher salt, as it helps to keep moisture in, and adds a little flavor.

If you are ever a guest at my Texas home and even *ask* for barbecue sauce (for the brisket, anyway), you'll ruin my day. A properly seasoned and smoked brisket - even one that has been finished off in the oven - needs no sauce.

My two cents worth..

ajh

Here is a link that might be useful: The Unorthodox Epicure

I'm sorry I missed your post earlier Dan. Your advice is most appreciated and will save it for my next brisket.
I agree that great bbq needs no sauce but those who want it don't bother me either.

Putting BBQ sauce on a properly smoke-cooked brisket (i.e. one cooked low and slow) is like putting ketchup on prime rib. You certainly can do that; however, why in the world would you want to cover up that great taste and miss out on a piece of heaven?? I always serve BBQ sauce on the side for dipping one or two pieces. Once you have tasted a brisket cooked this very simple Texan way....you will never go back to any other method. Low and slow does awesome ribs, chicken, and even hamburgers too.

IMO, apple wood is the best flavoring wood to use in an electric smoker. And using a "temperature controlled" electric smoker (like Masterbuilt, Smokin Tex, Bradley, Cookshack, etc.) insures perfection each and every time. It truly is a "set it and forget it" technique. I have the Smokin Tex smoker and it is hands down the best smoker I have ever used.....and I have used many types of smokers and techniques(charcoal, hardwood, briquettes, gas, and electric).

ajh,

Thanks for that link to your site.

I'm a retired chemist and apply chemistry to most of my cooking. So, I know a thing or two about chemical reactions. I cook by "technique" and not by recipe.

Low and slow allows magical chemical reactions to occur that works on the conversion of the fat and collagen in the meat. The collagen breaks down to make the meat tender; but more importantly, the fat is broken down and transformed into an awesome tasting sweet residue with great flavor. The sweetness of this fat residue comes from the sugar that is produced by this magical chemical reaction that only occurs at a LOW temperature. Cook too hot and this reaction does not occur enough to give you that nice hint of sweetness. And especially with a brisket that flavor is developed throughout all of the fat that resides between the meat fibers. The more fat that is converted within the meat fibers........the BETTER and more intense the flavor. By using a temperature controlled electric smoker, you can optimize these chemical reactions and the production of those flavonoids.

Dan
Semper Fi-cus

Dan -

Mine is a 2-ton custom built smoker. It was a gift from my physician godmother. (She became a vegan and didn't want anything that had ever touched meat. Her loss.) I tend to start my smoker on Friday afternoons, and wrap it up the following day. Yes, this includes setting the alarm for 2 a.m. to stoke the fire and add wood. But that is part of the fun. I found out, by the way, that several local BBQ joints use the electric version. I should have known this, but I was still a little disappointed to find out. I'm nostalgic, I guess.

Apple is great, and I used it occasionally before selling the farm (we had a few trees). My backyard has three pecan trees and we trim them up every few years. I'll also use oak or hickory oak as 'filler' wood.

I am fascinated by food science. If you haven't read it, I suggest "How to Read a French Fry" by Russ Parsons.

Take care.

ajh

Dan,

Just to say "thank you" for your cooking instructions. I've tried cooking a brisket in the oven several times with mixed results. Sometimes very good, mostly shoe leather tough. So, I had given up and left the brisket cookin' to the menfolk on the bbq. Always comes out fork tender good. Anyway, I decided to use your instructions minus the "smoking aspect" and try one in the oven. It was absolutely delicious. So again, Thank You.

You are quite welcome. And thank "YOU" for the feedback. That does not occur very often.

Brisket cooked the right way is truly one of life's little pleasures. It really is not that difficult to prepare.....once you understand and use the proper technique.

Trust me when I say....try one prepared "low and slow" with a gentle smoking using "apple wood". Not hickory, pecan, alder, cherry, or mesquite......but, apple wood.

Dan
Semper Fi-cus

"Low and slow"

Absolutely! That is also the whole idea behind sous vide cooking.

dcarch