Oak:
It's the most versatile of the hardwoods, blending well with a wide range of foods. Gives a
great flavor to brisket.
Pecan
: Preferred wood by a lot of non-BBQ restaurants
.
Pecan burns cooler and offers a subtle richness of character.
Often referred to as a mellow version of hickory.
Most of these woods can be purchased from SmokinTex
Recipes
Many of SmokinTex's recipes are from Texas Bar B Que. Texas Bar B Que is located in the heart of
downtown Dallas, and is one of two restaurants SmokinTex folks owned and operated in Dallas dur-
ing the 90's. In fact, we may be the
only
smoker company folks who have owned and operated a
BBQ restaurant. If you don't find the recipe you are looking for here, use your favorite search en-
gine to find the smoked recipe you want. Don't forget, just use the time and temperature recom-
mended by the recipe, not exceeding 250° F.
As you use your Pro-Series Smoker you will come up with recipes you will want to share. Send
them to us and we will include them on our web site.
What Is Brisket?
Brisket is a beef cut taken from the breast section beneath the first five ribs, behind the fore shank.
Fresh brisket is an inexpensive boneless cut that requires long, slow cooking to break down the col-
lagen in the connective muscle tissues to achieve tenderness. In Texas, the whole brisket is known as
"Texas BBQ." In other parts of the country, the long piece is cut in half for marketing. You'll find it
sold as a flat cut or a point cut. The flat cut is leaner, but the point cut has more flavor due to a bit of
extra fat (called the deckle). Where BBQ isn't a big thing, like the North East, they use brisket for
things like corned beef and pastrami.
When picking out a brisket, you will want to choose a "Packer Trimmed Beef Brisket." Your
butcher will know. Pick one between 10 & 12 pounds.
The fat protects and flavors the meat during
the long slow smoking /cooking process. It also prevents the meat from drying out while the tender-
izing process of breaking down the collagen in the connective muscle tissues inside is taking place.
An 11 pound brisket will net you approximately 6-7 pounds of useable meat. If you’re planning a
BBQ or dinner party, plan on using 1/3 lb. of smoked brisket per person. That is if you’re only serv-
ing brisket. If you’re also serving, say ribs and/or sausage, you would cut back to 1/4 lb of brisket
per person.
