At which point did you come to the realization that you’re not going to be able to lift as heavy, run as fast or do as much as you once did and how did you deal with that?
I posted the other day looking for feedback on how I trimmed my brisket. A lot of people said I didn’t give a good trim job. I trimmed a little more and sure enough there were some deep cuts of hard fat that came out.
I started with a Wild Fork Wagyu brisket. $8/pound.
There’s such good, helpful information on here. I took a lot of notes and come up with a strategy based on all the stuff I read.
Here’s how I did this brisket, I copied my notes and pasting them below:
For a roughly 15- 16 pound brisket:
1. Dry brine for 12- 24 hours
2. Smoke for 13- 15 hours
3. Hold for 12- 18 hours
Notes:
• 2:1 pepper to Kosher salt rub.
-16 mesh black pepper
-½ tsp kosher salt per pound
• Trim then salt, about ½ teaspoon per pound. Put in fridge for 12-24 hours uncovered. Then apply dry rub.
• Probe the thicker part of the flat. If you take care of the flat, the point should be fine. Probing in the point can likely be in a fat pocket which would give a higher temp reading.
• Toss on smoker set at 250°F.
• Somewhere around 150- 160°F internal is when to start checking for good bark. Once the bark is good, it’s okay to wrap.
-At this rate you can keep it on the smoker or toss in the oven.
-You can also raise the temp to 275- 300°F.
• At around 195°F start checking to see if it is probe tender, jiggly, and wiggly.
-It’s okay if some spots remain that aren’t totally prone tender, they’ll continue to break down while in holding.
• When done, keep it wrapped and let it rest on counter until internal comes down to about 165°F, then transfer to a holding place that is humid with an ambient temp of around 165°F for 6 to 20 hours.
-An oven that goes as low as 170- 175°F is okay. Just put a giant water pan on the bottom to keep the humidity up.
• You can drop the holding temp to as low as 140°F if you need to hold for longer.
• Once out of holding and on the counter, wait until internal is about 150°F. Separate the point and flat then slice.
First Wagyu from Wild Fork. $8/ pound.
Let me know what you think of my trim. Salted and in the fridge it goes.
I mean you’re going through all that work anyway to fire up the smoker and maintain temps for hours on end and you’ve got some extra real estate.
I know some say choice is just as good if you do it right yet some of the best brisket I’ve had was prime and I believe that it’s not a coincidence.
I have a Costco where they always have choice on hand and sometimes prime.
I think I’ve got my skills and bank account up enough where I can make a go at a prime.
Where is a good place to buy?