1. What suppliers do you recommend for purchasing quality meats?
Always up. The fat that renders through the meat as it breaks down adds to the flavor of the brisket.
Fat side up but it’s actually your preference.
Because we cook directly over live mesquite coals, we turn briskets frequently while cooking. They’re cooked both fat side up and fat side down during the process.
Regardless of the myth, fat does not go into the brisket and make it juicy, but it does baste the brisket while cooking when the fat side is up. Really comes down to your smoker, if fire is from bottom it makes sense to cook fat side down to protect it. I’ve always cooked fat side up.
2. Fat side up or down when smoking a brisket?
Ruffino Meats
Buckhead Seafood
Meat of Houston
They are all pretty much the same. Just shop around.
Specialty markets are nice if you have access to them, but HEB as a large retailer does the best job around.
Find a local butcher shop, not the grocery butcher, and become friends with them.
3. Paper or Foil to wrap? When is the best time to wrap? Brisket and Ribs.
I use plastic film wrap and butcher paper. Brisket I do not wrap until it is done and I pull it off the smoker. That is how you get a great bark like we have. Pork ribs I wrap once they have the color I am looking for and then let them finish cooking wrapped until tender.
Extra heavy-duty foil -wrap for our briskets when they’re finished cooking. We do not wrap our ribs.
This comes down to preference, paper will give a crispier bark but foil is easier to not mess up. You want to wrap when you have the desired color/bark.
4. How much smoke is too much smoke? Is it possible to over smoke your meat?
I use a lot of smoke but with oak, that is okay. Hard to over smoke your meat when using oak. If you are using mesquite, hickory or even pecan I think it is possible to over smoke. I want my customers to taste the meat and spice, just as much as the smoke.
Yes, you can over smoke meats. How much smoke is too much? That is debatable.
It’s a personal preference on the amount of smoke, but yes you can absolutely over-smoke meat. This is the main cause of indigestion after eating BBQ. The same goes for sauces that use liquid smoke for flavor.
Yes, it is possible to over smoke and it creates a disgusting bitter taste and will most likely give you heartburn.
5. What do you look for when selecting your brisket? Ribs?
Brisket: uniformity & cover fat. Pork ribs: thickness & fat distribution. Never choose a piece of meat with a bunch of blood in the bag, this is an indication it has been frozen and thawed out multiple times.
Brisket – choose the smallest whole brisket you can find. Know your meat grades. High-choice is our preference on brisket. Ribs – look for a consistent shape and limited fat.
We don’t have the luxury of selecting our meat as they come by the case. For brisket look for a good size flat and not an absurd amount of fat on the point end. On ribs, look for a meaty rack and avoid flat ones.
6. How could someone best prepare a brisket at home?
Like anything else, practice is key. There are so many factors that go into a good brisket but here a few helpful hints:
- Trimming a brisket down to a 1/4 inch of fat across the top of the brisket helps it with cooking evenly.
- Consistent fire is important so before trying to cook a brisket you should really get to know how your pit smokes. Try keeping a consistent fire within 40 degrees. For me it’s between 225-265 the entire time.
- Practice on pork ribs and chicken until you feel comfortable controlling the fire and then try putting in the 9-14 hours it takes to cook a brisket.
- Do not pull the brisket too early. You don’t want to pull it too late either, but late is better than early. If you pull it late it will be a little drier, but still delicious. If you pull it early it will be inedible and resemble something like chewing on rubber.
Get a quality brisket and do not trim it. Season to your liking.
You can never go wrong with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Always apply before you start cooking.
Rub with your desired rub, best if rubbed overnight and allowed to chill. Smoke for about 5 hours at 250 or until desired wrap is achieved. Wrap in paper or foil and finish in the oven at 250F, you can crank it up to 300F to speed things up.
7. Should the top of the grill be open or closed when grilling? Why?
It depends. When smoking, the lid should always be closed but if grilling it depends on what you are grilling and how your pit cooks. If you have a gas grill and have a lot of trouble with flame ups when the lid is closed, I recommend keeping the lid open and trying to cook that way. It might take a little extra time to cook but you will end up with a much better final product.
Closed – This captures the heat and adds flavor.
If cooking with charcoal, your fire will be hottest when the grill is open because of air flow. You want to close the lid to retain some heat to cook bigger/thicker cuts. If something hot and fast like fajitas, you can keep the lid open.
8. What’s the difference between point and flat cut and which is better for smoking?
The point, also known as moist, fatty, loose cut etc. is going to contain much more internal fat. It will be richer, more flavorful and if cooked correctly it will be melt in your mouth tender. The flat also known as lean, end cut, dry cut etc. is going to contain much less fat. It is still delicious and tender but less so then the point. Both are great to smoke but the trick is smoking the whole brisket together, not separating, where both the point and flat break down at the same time.
Fat content is the difference between the two cuts. We do not prefer cooking with either/or. We cook whole briskets and encourage anyone cooking at home to do the same.
The flat is the lean part of the brisket; the point is the fatty/moist side of the brisket. A whole packer brisket has both on it, best to cook a whole brisket as the point serves as insurance for the flat.
9. How do you determine how much fat to keep on a brisket when trimming?
There are many different opinions on the trimming process. For me I like to leave a 1/4-inch layer of fat across the entire brisket.
Don’t trim until ready to serve. Then leave a QUARTER inch cap.
We do not trim any fat.
Aim for ¼” fat up top.
10. Can you explain the differences in BBQ sauces (For example Carolina vs. Texas)?
Nowadays there are so many styles of BBQ sauces and glazes that it is hard to categorize them the same way as they have been traditionally done. Here is a breakdown of the Traditional styles of BBQ sauces:
- North Carolina Style: Vinegary sauce.
- South Carolina Style: Mustard-style sauce.
- Texas Style: Rich, beefy, peppery sauce that is considered more of a mop sauce. Texas style sauces usually include beef stock, vinegar, Worcestershire, and spices like salt, pepper, and garlic.
- Kansas City Style: Thick, sweet and tangy sauce. Usually containing ketchup and molasses.
- Alabama Style: A mixture of mayo, vinegar and pepper.
Our sauce always gets a lot of questions, especially in this area. It’s a thin, vinegar-based sauce. You dip it much like an au jus. Our philosophy on sauce is that it should simply compliment the natural flavors of the meat, not mask it or change it like some sweet/smokey sauces can do. If you start with a good piece of meat you shouldn’t need any sauce.
11. Are there different cuts of brisket that can be ordered by a customer or is it all the same? How would a customer ask for different cuts?
We offer our customers a choice of lean or moist brisket. They can order either by name or a mix of both. Each BBQ spot may call the cuts differently and offer different options.
There’s lean and moist.
Yes – you can order lean or moist (fatty). You can get these sliced or chopped. Ask for lean if you want less fat. Ask for moist if you’re looking for more fat content
Brisket can be ordered lean and moist, there are many other words but that’s generally used. Majority of folks prefer moist.
12. What are the benefits to making your own sausage?
I use all my brisket trimmings to make sausage so this helps with little to no waste. Finding a way to utilize every bit of what you pay for is a big key to running a successful restaurant. Also, anyone can offer store-bought or distributor-bought sausage. Offering your own sausage sets you apart and allows you to experiment with a variety of options. Our Caprese and Garlic-Cheese are two of our most popular of the 10 to 14 we have done.
You get to control the fat content, texture, and flavor.
13. What is something you have smoked that you think is really unique? How was it?
I’ve smoked Octopus, bone marrow, whole duck, giant beef shanks, shoulder clod, and whole cow heads. All turned out to be delicious.
Sirloin and ribeyes – They’re tender, juicy, flavorful and like nothing else on the pit.
14. What is something you thought would be amazing smoked but turned out horrible?
The very first brisket I smoked. It was nearly impossible to chew.
Deer meat.
15. What are the different types of smokers (barrel, offset, etc.) and preference?
The most common smokers these days are offset, reverse flow, up rights and electric smokers. All of these smokers have their pros and cons but for me a barrel offset can’t be matched. For backyard smokers I encourage an electric pit because there is a bigger likelihood, they will use an electric pit more than a couple times a year.
There are lots of different styles/types of smokers out there based on whether you’re cooking low and slow or direct heat. We prefer any wood burning grill that you can shovel hot coals under. The best at-home grill that we have is actually made from an old water pressure tank.
16. Best wood or wood combination.
Oak is my wood of choice for the restaurant. Nothing else. If I am smoking outside the restaurant I like to mix in a little pecan with the oak. That’s it.
Depends on your personal preference, we prefer Mesquite. It delivers a subtle smoky flavor and lets the natural flavors of the meat really shine through.
17. How much meat can you fit on your smokers?
About 35 briskets and 20 racks of pork ribs is my max capacity on THE BEAST. Over and above that we have to bring in the side smoker which we have done for events and holidays.
We can cook 80 briskets at a time on just one of our custom cookers.
18. How long does it take you to smoke the meats you serve from start to finish?
Brisket 14hrs. Pork Ribs 6hrs. Beef Ribs 7hrs. Chicken 3 to 4hrs. Turkey Breast 4 to 5 hours.
We cook 14 different meats. Cook times range from 20 minutes to 5 hours.
19. What is something you wish consumers and customers knew about the BBQ business?
What it takes to get to the finished product.
.
How hard it is to get it right every single day- 365 days of the year.
20. What’s the most ridiculous complaint you’ve ever gotten?
There have been *many* over the years, but one of my favorites was when a guy brought back his brisket and said he wanted it well done and thought it was medium because of the smoke ring. I explained to him how every piece of brisket that can be chewed is far past the well-done temperature.
There are too many to mention.
People that order the fat end of the brisket and complain that it’s too fatty.