So, I read on Cooper's web site they cook their brisket over mesquite coals for approximately 5 hours. How is this possible, when the typical method is using indirect heat for 8+ hours? Does anyone have an idea how they do this without their brisket getting burned, or being raw in the middle??
Believe it or not, most Q places don't really want you to know how they do their thing. Oh, & John Mueller once told me "Hot 'n fast. That's it."
Part of the answer is that they use mesquite. Mesquite burns hotter, shorter, and the smoke can be overpowering if you use too much. By going hot and fast instead of low and slow, they negate most of the disadvantages to using mesquite.
These top bbq joints are getting better quality briskets then us average Joes. Consequently they don't have to cook it as long to get it tender.
I really would like to see more about how they do it there. One thing that I do know, though -- they do NOT cook it over mesquite wood. They cook it over mesquite COALS. The burn down the wood, then shovel the hot coals into the brick pits. So, they're over direct heat, but it's coal heat, not flame heat. They also wrap them at some point and put them on a "warming pit." I'm not sure if that's an essential part of the process, although mesuspects that it is. I will confess that I have never tried to duplicate the Cooper's methodology -- and I'm betting it would take me many, many tries to get it down.
Pescado, sounds like a coupla cases of beer and a weekend to experiment with the process, and we've got ourselves a plan. We may also want to involve firearms and someone falling off a boat, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
Hornian, as I recall, you have some proficiency with firearms, but I have no familiarity with your falling off a boat/falling into the water skills. I must warn you -- I take that endeavor to a professional level, and expect similar excellence from all around me. Last time Pescado and I hit the coast, I had fallen in within 15 minutes of our first fishing endeavor. And, in the process, I managed to bruise my taint. Mere amateurs cannot compete with that. Also being cold and wet, and having all your friends laughing at you, makes the barbecue and beer afterwards taste that much better. And yeah, I am referring to the technique of burning mesquite down to coals and cooking the brisket over direct (but low) heat. I have an offset smoker -- not really built for that technique.
Yet not a single mention of a bruised taint or grunting in pain like an old man. I will withhold final judgment on that basis. That said, I am seriously itching for a fishing/drinking/bbq/trip to the ER weekend.
